Hilton, Asia’s fastest-growing hospitality company, recently announced the winners of its South East Asia Food & Beverage Masters that saw more than 400 team members from over 40 hotels in the region participate in a series of rigorous competitions over the last seven months.

Now on its sixth year, the SEA F&B Masters is open to all Hilton team members who are passionate about showcasing their skills and talent in various food and beverage disciplines. The competition’s main aim is to discover, distinguish and develop the best F&B talent across Hilton’s portfolio of properties in the region.

Participants had to compete across three rounds: First within their hotel, followed by a sub-regional level match before earning their coveted spot in the regional finals held at Hilton Bali Resort last month. This year, 17 finalists hailing from 7 countries — Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore and the Maldives — put their culinary skills and gastronomic flair to the test across four categories, Barista, Culinary, Mixology and Pastry.

Throughout each stage of the competition, all participants had to creatively feature the use of locally sourced and sustainable elements in their entries, from the use of ingredients to the visual presentations of their final creations. After an intense day-long of competitions and judging, team members from Hilton Bali, Millennium Hilton Bangkok, Hilton Amingiri Maldives Resort & Spa, and Conrad Bali emerged as winners in the Barista, Culinary, Mixology and Pastry Cup, respectively.