Willment Leong
Founder Chairman of Thailand Culinary Academy, Chairman of World Chefs Without Borders
Chef Willment Leong, a Singaporean, has been based in Thailand for the past 13 years. The year was 1990 when his extraordinary culinary journey started in Westin Stamford Singapore (now known as Swissotel Stamford) as a trainee chef. A year later, he was the pioneer team working in the six-star Raffles Hotel, home to S.E. Asia's most esteemed annual culinary event, the “Raffles Hotel Food, Wine & Art Experience”.
Chef Willment arrived at Raffle de Angkor Resort Cambodia in 1997 and was transfer to Swissotel Le Concorde, Bangkok in 1999 and worked his way up to become the hotel's Culinary Director. Despite his hectic work schedule, he is also actively involved in training and sending his kitchen's Chef to both domestic and overseas competitions. Between 2005 – 2012 he has train and send cook to various competition and had won over 50 medals and 13 trophies, including twice the prestigious Royal Princess Trophy for being the overall winner in Thailand 2008 and 2011, lifting Asia's Best Participant Establishment Trophy in the first Asia Culinary Cup in 2009 (In the same year, he was appointed Team Manager to lead the Thailand National Culinary Team to compete in the Gourmet Team Challenge and won the gold medal as the 1st runner-up). March Year 2012 he has departed Swissotel Le Concorde, Bangkok to set up his own company and also runs Thailand Culinary Academy full time. Since 2010, he founded a non-profit organization “Thailand Culinary Academy” which main objective is to develop professional Thai Chefs, Junior Chef by training, sending chefs to participate in international culinary competitions and heavily involve in Humanitarian effort. Till date, Thailand Culinary Academy developed 88 Thai Chefs, won a total of 45 overall Trophies, 2 Gold Medal with Distinction, 56 Gold, 75 Silver, 67 Bronze Medal and perform 22 trips of CSR (Corporate social responsibility) charity event in Thailand. Apart from sending Thai Chef for international culinary competition, Chef Willment also act as the Organizing Chairman for a few Thailand culinary competitions from Year 2010 till Year 2012 and Culinary Expert for Thailand in Asean World Skill Bangkok 2010 (By Ministry of Thai Labor Skill). In Aug 2012, all the effort Chef Willment Leong contributed to the Thai society for the past 3 years in Thailand had earn recognition from Suan Dusit Rajabhat Government University and approved by Ministry of Education Thailand, he was awarded with Honorary Master of Business Administration in Hospitality Management. In the same year, he was also appointed as Vice Chairman – World Chefs without Border under World Association Chef Society and in Nov 2012, he was awarded with Guest Professor by Shanghai Institute of Tourism. |