Jakarta. The Indonesian Embassy in Ottawa recently won three awards at an international culinary event in the Canadian capital as it exercised its food diplomacy.

The embassy took part in the 2026 Y Embassy Chef Showcase earlier this week. As many as 15 foreign representatives participated in the event.

 The Indonesian Embassy in Ottawa won three major awards: Best Dressed Booth, Best Beverage, and People's Choice.

They were also the runner-up in the Judges' Choice category, behind Ethiopia and the Philippines, which both received the highest scores from the judges. This achievement made Indonesia the most awarded participant that night. The annual event, organized by the YMCA of the National Capital Region, was packed with approximately 500 attendees from the diplomatic corps, professionals, and media representatives. This made the evening one of Ottawa's most vibrant celebrations of cultural diversity this early spring.

The Indonesian booth attracted attention from the moment the doors opened. The Indonesian Embassy in Ottawa presented a variety of culinary specialties from across the archipelago: fragrant yellow rice with a spicy flavor, beef rendang rich with Minangkabau spices, soft kue talam (talam cake), and Palembang srikaya.

The beautiful booth layout, inspired by the rich aesthetics of Indonesian culture, won the hearts of the judges in the Best Dressed Booth category.

The People's Choice award—determined directly by visitor votes—reflected the strong appeal of Indonesian cuisine in the eyes of the Ottawa public.

"I think Indonesia should be proud of our dominance in the main Y Embassy Chef award, one of Ottawa's flagship international culinary and cultural promotion programs. This collaboration between our embassy and the Indonesian diaspora in Ottawa is a driving force to continue introducing and bringing Indonesia closer to the hearts and minds of the Canadian public,"  Indonesian Ambassador to Canada Muhsin Syihab said.

"I believe all of our efforts will in turn attract more Canadian tourists to Indonesia, which has been steadily increasing in recent years, reaching nearly 100,000 last year."

The achievement also reflects Indonesia's commitment to building soft power and strengthening international friendship through the most universal approach: food.

Margaret Dickenson, who leads the judging panel, congratulated "Indonesia on sweeping all the awards at this year's YMCA Embassy Chef Showcase."

Since its inception, the event has brought together the best chefs from embassies and foreign missions in Ottawa to compete in a spirit of friendly competition, cultural diversity, and inclusion. The entry fee of CAD 150 ($109) per person goes entirely to support the YMCA's vital programs, ranging from services for newcomers to Canada, language assessments, summer camps, transitional housing, and employment services for communities in the Greater Ottawa area.

This year, Y Embassy Chef successfully raised over CAD 59,000 (around $43,056), up from the previous CAD 55,000 ($40,142). The money will be donated to various local communities.

Other foreign participants included representatives from Ecuador, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Germany, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Tunisia, Uganda, and Jordan.