Mensah Sarbah Hall at the University of Ghana placed culinary creativity and teamwork in the spotlight on Thursday as students competed in the ASCENOVA ’26 Cooking Competition, an event designed to showcase practical cooking skills, innovation and collaboration among participants.
Organised by the Mensah Sarbah Hall JCR in partnership with Kivo, the competition formed part of the Hall Week celebrations and featured four competing teams: Master Class, Fire and Flavour Squad, Great Chefs and The Flavour Masters.
Participants were required to prepare their dishes within the stipulated time and were assessed on taste, presentation, creativity, hygiene, teamwork and time management by a panel of judges.
At the end of the competition, Great Chefs emerged as overall winners after impressing the judges across the various assessment criteria. The Flavour Masters placed second, while Fire and Flavour Squad finished third. Master Class placed fourth.
Special awards were also presented to recognise outstanding performances. Fire and Flavour Squad received the award for Most Creative and Original Dish, while Master Class won Most Delicious Jollof Rice.
The event was graced by renowned Ghanaian culinary personality Chef Abbys, whose presence added excitement to the competition. Commending all four teams for their efforts, she noted that each team had demonstrated impressive skill and determination, adding that although all participants performed well, the nature of the competition meant only one team could emerge victorious.
Kivo played a key role in the success of the competition by providing the cooking arena and essential materials, including cooking spices, baked beans, aprons and tents, thereby creating an enabling environment for participants to compete.
Beyond the contest itself, the cooking competition encouraged students to develop practical culinary skills, teamwork, creativity and problem-solving abilities while exposing them to opportunities within the food and hospitality industry.
The event formed another highlight of ASCENOVA ’26, reinforcing Mensah Sarbah Hall’s commitment to organising activities that combine learning, talent development and student engagement beyond the classroom.
By: Sakina Mustapha