Roy Wicaksono, 27, a student of At-Sunrice, recently won the WGS Culinary Scholarship at the World Gourmet Summit Awards Of Excellence, marking the second time in a row that a student from the culinary academy has won the award.

Wicaksono, who hails from Indonesia, did not plan on becoming a cook when he first graduated from university. But he soon realised that what gave him the greatest satisfaction was having people enjoy his cooking. The WGS Culinary Scholarship, which is an all-expense paid trip to the Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Providence campus in Rhode Island, US, will open many opportunities for Wicaksono.

"I'm very excited about going to Johnson & Wales because this is a great opportunity for me to go to its campus and practise in the labs. I hope to be able to gain more insight and establish connections," said Wicaksono after winning the award.

AsiaOne Wine, Dine and Unwind catches up with the chef-in-the-making.

Who was your biggest culinary influence?
Jamie Oliver. I first saw his show around 7 years ago, and I found that his shows are entertaining as well as educational. Because of him I started to become more adventurous in trying out foods I have never eaten before as well as in experimenting with new cooking ingredients.

When did you decide you wanted to become a chef?
After I graduated from university 5 years ago, I worked in different sectors such as engineering, trade and finance, but I never experienced the same joy and satisfaction that I feel when someone enjoys the food I've cooked. Two years ago, I felt that I had enough of doing something which I did not enjoy. So I started seriously considering a career as a chef.

Now that you have won the prestigious WGS scholarship, what else do you hope to achieve?
I hope this scholarship will give me more opportunities to work with great chefs and learn as much as I can from them.

From your viewpoint as a culinary student, what makes a good chef?
I believe that a good chef is someone who is able to consistently produce top quality dishes for the customers in any kind of situation, as well as being able to motivate and inspire the people who work with him.

How would you describe your cooking style?
I am most comfortable cooking Western food, especially Italian influenced cuisine. However, I also love Asian cuisine and have been trying to learn Japanese, Korean and Thai.

Do you have a signature dish?
At this moment, I am just starting out in the culinary sector. A lot of great chefs need years to create a signature dish or a masterpiece. I don't think that I am experienced enough to create a dish and call it my signature creation just yet. But I am working on it and I hope that someday I can come up with a signature dish that will satisfy the palates of many people.

What is your most essential kitchen tool and why?
I must say it is my chef 's knife. I believe all chefs will agree that without their knife, it would be extremely difficult to create any kind of dishes.

What are the must-haves in your fridge at home?
Miso paste, Korean chilli bean paste, and soy sauce! With these three items, I can always whip up something nice.

When you do cook at home, what do you usually cook?
I often cook Korean food at home. This is because someone very dear to me is Korean and she misses her home cooking a lot. Another reason is because I feel that Korean food is delicious and potentially healthier than most other foods. Kimchi anyone?

What is your favorite local dish? Why and which stall do you go to?
Fried kway teow - the variety of tastes inside this dish fascinates me - the tenderness of prawn, chewy taste of squid, unique flavour of cockles, sweetness of Chinese sausage and the crunchiness of the bean sprout all stir fried into the kway teow to become one amazing dish that tantalises my taste buds. I somehow never get bored of this dish, especially the ones prepared by hawkers.

That said, I do not have a favourite hawker stall for fried kway teow. I feel that fried kway teow from different stalls have their unique taste and it is exciting to try as many versions as possible.

The World Gourmet Summit Awards Of Excellence (AOE) is an awards ceremony celebrating the best in the culinary scene. All AOE recipients were selected by a panel of 250 judges which included professionals from the food and beverage industry. Held every year, this is the third year that scholarships have been introduced.