Chef Farouk Othman is a distinguished culinary professional and educator with over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. His passion for culinary arts and dedication to mentoring young chefs have earned him national and international recognition. He represented Malaysia at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or competition in 2009, where he was ranked among the top 24 chefs in the world. Transitioning from competition to education, he joined Taylor’s University, where he continues to inspire students through his expertise and leadership in culinary innovation. Throughout his career, Chef Farouk has coached numerous students to victory in various national and international competitions, including the Nestlé Culinary Awards, ASEAN Skills Competition, and World Skills Competition. His commitment to nurturing culinary excellence has led his students to win multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals, earning Taylor’s University a reputation as a “producer” of world-class chefs. Chef Farouk holds a Master’s Degree in International Hospitality Management from the University of Toulouse II Le Mirail, France. He is also a certified Halal Trainer, recognised by the Halal Development Corporation (HDC). He has served as an official Halal Chef Trainer for Japan’s Tourism Agency in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. His expertise in Halal gastronomy and culinary pedagogy reflects his dedication to integrating cultural authenticity, food safety, and global culinary standards. With a strong belief that education extends beyond technique, Chef Farouk emphasises empathy, discipline, and innovation in his teaching. He integrates e-learning and blended learning in his classes, encouraging students to develop both technical mastery and emotional intelligence. His enduring philosophy is to inspire others not only to cook but to create with purpose, passion, and respect for tradition.

Dr. Nurul Shazini is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology (FSTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Her expertise is in Nutritional Sciences, with a strong research focus on functional foods and metabolic health, particularly diabetes, obesity, and gut health. She has an established research profile with substantial scholarly contributions in reputable journals. To date, she has published 72 Scopus-indexed documents with a Scopus h-index of 19 and over 1,000 citations, while her Google Scholar profile records 86 publications, an h-index of 22, and more than 1,500 citations. These metrics reflect her sustained impact in nutrition and functional food research. Beyond academia, Dr. Shazini actively contributes to national policy and regulatory development. She is a member of the Technical Committee on Herbs (NSC 21/TC 28) under Malaysia’s National Standards Committee on Food, Food Products, and Food Safety, and has served since 2016 on the Expert Working Group on Nutrition, Health Claims, and Advertising (JKKPN) under the Ministry of Health Malaysia, contributing to food regulations, labelling, and health claims evaluation. Dr. Shazini also has extensive experience in research leadership, industry collaboration, and functional food innovation. She has acted as a scientific advisor and nutritionist to food-related startups and SMEs, contributed to product commercialisation projects, including Cosmos caudatus–based functional foods and SC-CO₂-derived Moringa oleifera seed extracts, and served as Coordinator of the ASEAN Food Analysis Training Program (2021–2026). In addition, she holds 9 intellectual property rights, reflecting her strong involvement in research translation and commercialisation.