By Martin Vedris in Bangkok

BANGKOK, THAILAND: Australia’s Justine Schofield won accolades and prizes from the judges in LG Life Tastes Good Championships 2009 cooking competition last night while the South African duo won the main prize.

In a competition at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, the contestants brief was to prepare two identical plates using the LG SolarDOM 3-in-1 oven, grill and microwave.

The South African duo used every bit of their two-person advantage to win the competition for 2009. The Spanish pair finished runner up while Justine Schofield, an Australian MasterChef, competed on her own to the acclaim of the expert judges who awarded her the Smartest Chef prize.

The judging panel included senior LG executives Dermot Boden, LG executive and vice president and CMO, Dan Koh, vice president of marketing strategy team and Chang Hee Han, director, home appliance and air conditioning. Joining the LG executives on the judging panel were representatives of the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS) and Le Cordon Bleu, and four world class celebrity chefs; Cat Cora (US), Guy Martin (France), Khun Ik (Thailand) and Anna Kim (Korea).

“This event, now in its second year, offers a unique global opportunity for home chefs that transcends both cultural and linguistic barriers,” said Young Ha Lee, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Appliance Company.

“The competition was originally designed to show how consumers can deliver tasty and healthy gourmet food at home with LG’s innovative cooking appliances. LG’s Light Wave Ovens enable consumers around the world to cook exquisite dishes very easily. Moreover, we are always excited to experience recipes from the world-class celebrity chefs who will demonstrate their cooking prowess at the event.

"These chefs represent a variety of cultures and will share a wide range of recipes with consumers through the Light Wave Ovens. We believe the event will be a perfect opportunity to boost awareness of LG cooking appliances and help drive sales.”

LG plans to hold this Championship every year with a unique theme to demonstrate afferent and unique aspect of LG’s cooking appliances. This year’s theme was ‘Cuisine of Light’ to demonstrate the cooking functionality of the LG SolarDOM grill, convection oven and microwave.

Last year’s theme was ‘Eco-Cuisine’, highlighting tasty, healthy meals made with organic ingredients and LG’s eco-friendly home appliances. LG held last year’s event at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai on December 10, 2008.