When the main ingredient for Chef Wars was announced a week before the actual event, Culinary Arts students Jaime Banez Jr., Prince Jeffrey Tan and Carla Felize Cruz had to experiment with different dishes to present to the judges.
“We only started with concepts three weeks before the competition, but when it was finally announced that shrimp is the main ingredient, we did trial-and-error with the help of our mentors,” shared Cruz.
The efforts of the young students of Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Manila did not go to waste as they bagged the top prize in the main event of the 13th Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism weekend held in Baguio City on Oct. 19 to 21.
The victory of Banez, 26 years old; Tan, 21; and Cruz, 23, gave Luzon its win in the live cooking competition, besting representatives from Visayas and Mindanao. They went up against Shangri-La Mactan’s Christopher James Solamillo, Analyn Bantucas and Betty Jane Facturan; and Cagayan de Oro-based Monster Kitchen Academy students Vahjna Mae Babia and Hosanah Macapaar.
The last minute announcement of the main ingredient for the final phase of Chef Wars really did unleash the creativity of the MCHCA students who prepared a three-course meal composed of Shrimp Flan with Calamansi Gelee (cold appetizer), Anchovy Glazed Shrimp (hot appetizer) and Shrimp and Lapu-lapu Roulade (main course).
“The concept came from our mentors (Joan Pineda and Michael Navarro), with some suggestions from us,” Cruz told Manila Standard. Their group’s inspiration, she said, was their mentors. “We really wanted to follow in their footsteps,” Cruz said.
Premiere food events
Chef Wars is part of the 13th edition of HRT and the 10th National Food Showdown. The culinary events showcase the passion, talent and creativity of the Hotel, Restaurant and Catering industry professionals and students of both culinary and HRM schools and universities nationwide.
According to event host Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB), this year’s HRT weekend had participants from 67 schools and 16 professional establishments.
“Every year we have to have enough participants, not only in Baguio, but in different parts of Luzon as well. We also invite participants from Visayas and Mindanao,” said HRAB President Anthony de Leon.
He added, “And of course, what brings prestige to the event is the kind of judges that we bring in. We bring in the best and the brightest in the industry to join us up here.”
The series of skills contests were judged by an elite roster of Food and Beverage professionals such as executive chefs, hotel and restaurant owners and managers, and culinary experts from leading food manufacturers and suppliers.
However, due to typhoon Lawin that battered the northern part of Luzon on the same week, the organizers had to cancel many competitions to ensure the safety of participants, guests and judges.
A salute to agriculture
This year’s complementing themes for the National Food Showdown — “Bringing Farm to the Table!” and HRT’s “Agree to Agri, Putting Our Best Food Forward!” — recognize the agriculture sector’s valuable contribution to the Philippine hospitality industry.
“We continuously align our theme with helping the farmers. [Their contributions] are things we normally take for granted especially if we live in urban centers,” said De Leon.
The themes are also in line with the current industry trend among hotels and restaurants, which is “healthy options,” according to De Leon, who is also General Manager of Baguio Country Club.
“It’s all about health. Every food item that we put on the table does not have preservatives,” he emphasized.