So how did the contest go? The battle for the best potato and dairy dishes was a huge success! (Read more about the Spuds and Dairy Culinary Cup in my earlier post).
You’re probably wondering why I’m so excited about this. It’s simply because I’m a huge fan of cooking competitions and potatoes and dairy are just some of my favorite ingredients. They’re so versatile, don’t you agree? Also, cooking competitions bring out the best in the contestants and highlight their creativity.
The event was hosted by disc jockeyChico Garcia and mommy influencer Michele Aventajado. The ten pairs (a professional chef and a culinary student) drew from five meal categories (Appetizer, Brunch, Main, Dessert and Bar Food). They need to make one potato and one dairy dish.
What made this so challenging was that the chefs were not allowed to touch the ingredients or prepare any of the food! How frustrating is that for a chef, right? They could only guide, give tips and taste the food. The students did all the prepping, mixing, cooking and plating. It was a pressure test because they had only 30 minutes for grocery shopping and a budget of P5,000.
What made this so challenging was that the chefs were not allowed to touch the ingredients or prepare any of the food! How frustrating is that for a chef, right? They could only guide, give tips and taste the food. The students did all the prepping, mixing, cooking and plating. It was a pressure test because they had only 30 minutes for grocery shopping and a budget of P5,000.
With only 1 hour and 30 minutes to prep, cook
Who were the judges?
- Mr. Ryan Bedford – Agricultural Attaché of USDA
- Mr. Rey Co – President of Hightower, Inc.
- Chef Sau Del Rosario – President of Culinarya Pampanga
- Ms. Nina Daza-Puyat – Lifestyle Columnist of Manila Bulletin, Editor of Appetite Magazine and cookbook author
- Chef Myrna Segismundo – Chairperson of the National Food Showdown
And the winners are:
- Best U.S. Potato Dish:
Chef Victor Barangan and Ria Garcia (student of Enderun Colleges)
- Prize: Php 100,000.00 each
- Category: Breakfast / Brunch
- Name of dish: Potato Royale with Potato Foam, Potato Tuile and Scotch Egg
- Best California Dairy Dish: Chef James Antolin and Erik Roy San Luis (student of Center for Culinary Arts Manila)
- Prize: Immersion Program at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California
- Category: Bar Food
- Name of dish: Mozzarella Wrapped Salmon with Smoked Cheese Infused Citrus Sauce, Grilled Vegetable Salad, Ricotta-Almond Crumbs
and Potato Tuille
The winning dishes may look simple at first glance, but the descriptions tell you the complicated techniques applied to prepare the recipes. The Best US Potato Dish is something I would love to have for breakfast, even though I don’t even know how to prepare any one of the elements on that dish!The Best California Dairy Dish looks so fancy and I love salmon a lot. These are certainly restaurant-quality dishes and I couldn’t wait to get the recipe.
All this talk about food made me want to prepare an original recipe. Watch out for it in my next blog, but here’s a sneak preview:
You’re welcome 😊
Visit the Potatoes USA Philippines or the Real California Milk Philippines Facebook pages for to learn more about U.S. potatoes and California dairy.
Follow Real California Milk Philippines on Instagram @realcalifornIamilkphl
#spudsanddairyculinarycup2019 #potatoesusa #realcaliforniamilk