Cebu Goes Culinary

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Goes Culinary (CGC), an event organized by the Hotel, Resorts and Restaurant Association of Cebu Inc. (HRRACI) will be held on September 21 to 22, at the SM Seaside City (Skyhall, lower ground floor and at the 3rd floor). Hotels, resorts, restaurants and the academe in Cebu and schools from Bacolod, Iloilo, Ormoc and Dumaguete will compete in the biggest cooking, baking and bartending contest in the Visayas.

The 2018 CGC team – headed by Carlo Suarez, Julita Urbina, Chef Raki Urbina, Edgardo Tongco and May Ocaba – seeks to develop the skills of both professionals and students connected with the tourism industry by sharpening their respective culinary mettle through a series of competitions. The Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation is loaning its world-class furniture to the event, especially in the Table Setting competition. CGC winners will participate in the National Food Showdown competition on October 26 and 27 in Manila.

There are five main events in this culinary showdown: Battle Royale, Gastronomica…The Compleat Chefs, Culinary Flair, Sweet Revenge and Sensory Feasts. If I were to participate in these competitions, it would be at the Sensory Feasts because there are three categories in the contest: Doreen Fernandez Food Writing, Food Photography and Food Styling. It is open to professionals, students and Individuals. However, The Freeman is a media partner in the event and it means, excuse me, automatic disqualification.

The Battle Royale consists of two areas, Chef Wars and Klasika Kulinarya. For the Chef Wars, a team of three (professional/student) will prepare within an hour the appetizer, main course and dessert. For the Klasika Kulinarya, a team of two shall prepare and cook in an hour the traditional and modern versions of the Filipino dish, Humba. Sounds fun!

In the Gastronomica…The Compleat Chefs, there are seven possible winners in different areas: The Modern Chef, The Apprentice, The Soup Bowl, Happy Hour, The Pantry Chef, The Entremetier, and The Main Course. Cold dishes preparation is within the realm of the Pantry Chefs while The Entremetier will highlight knife skills. The details of the competition are at https://www.facebook.com/HRRACinc/.

In the Sweet Revenge Category, pastry chefs and students compete in the Creative Cake Decoration, Wedding Cake and Baby Chocolate Cakes. The Culinary Flair Category usually attracts the most viewers in six areas: Flairtending, Mocktail Mixing, Napkin Folding, Coffee Concoction & Table Setting with Floral Centerpiece.

At the press launch of Cebu Goes Culinary held at the Cebu Grand Hotel, the local media were treated to a lovely working lunch. Appetizers were the Tuna & Cucumber Toasties and Egg &Tomato Crostini.  Main Dishes were Lechon Cebu, Roasted Crispy Pork Belly, Pork Baby Backribs, Teriyaki Beef, Asian Style Chicken Curry, Crispy Ngoyong and Pad Thai.