Spuds and Dairy Culinary Cup 2019 Winners and Highlights

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.

Intensely planning their recipes are Chef Kit Carpio with his mentee
Grace Baban of Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy.

Seen here while plating are Chef Sharwin Tee with his partner from
DLSU-Dasmarinas Meriel Salenga.

Staying cool under pressure are Chef Rosebud Benitez and her teammate
Christian Cabacungan of Pace Academy.

With only 1 hour and 30 minutes to prep, cook and plate the dishes, the contestants were able to come up with delicious dishes. You can check out some below:

Dairy Dish of Chef Kit and Grace (Dessert Category)
Sweet Ravioli Stuffed with Cheddar and Toma with Shortbread Crumble,
Caramel Sauce, Apple Compote and Fresh Fruits

Potato Dish of Chef Sharwin and Meriel (Dessert Category)
Potato Tamales

Potato Dish of Chef Rosebud and Christian (Main Category)
US Dehy Potato Falafel with Mediterranean Rice, Grilled Vegetables
and Tzatziki Sauce

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:

Potato Royale with Potato Foam, Potato Tuile and Scotch Egg

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

Mozzarella Wrapped Salmon with Smoked Cheese Infused Citrus Sauce, Grilled Vegetable Salad, Ricotta-Almond Crumbs and Potato Tuille

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

Winners from left - Chef Vic, Ria of Enderun, Erik of CCA and Chef James — Winners from left – Chef Vic, Ria of Enderun, Erik of CCA and Chef James

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.