A celebration of food for a cause

MANILA, Philippines - What do you get when you put together 12 of the country’s best chefs and food experts, give them a food truck for a kitchen, and assign them ingredients limited to a particular color?

Just the most innovative menu, a thrilling competition and another successful staging of the 2014 Manila Food and Wine Festival (MFWF): A Philippine International Food Fest.

And it was definitely a success as hundreds of foodies, spectators, gourmet enthusiasts, and simply anyone who loves a great meal lined-up for the exciting Food Truck Competition last Nov. 21 at the SM Mall of Asia Grounds.

This year’s theme “From Farm to Fork” paid homage to the country’s abundant and fresh produce that make Filipino dishes not only more delicious, but sustainable and healthy as well.

The pair of Marvin Agustin and Peter Ayson (Purple) whipped up some mouthwatering dishes using purple cabbage, eggplants and grapes. Xandra Pauco and Rosebud Benitez-Velasco (Orange) wowed audiences with Sriracha Salmon Cake with Spicy Oven-roasted chickpeas.

Nadine Tengco and Erin Banzon (Red) impressed with their Lasana de Tortillas and Ensalada de Taco.  Ian Padilla and Michel Cottabarren (Yellow) creatively used cheese in their menu: Chicken-con-shitake and mac-chowder topped with grated malagos cheese.

Brett Halfpap and food blogger Erwan Heussaff (Black) made an impression with their T.E. Beef and Peking Co. Duck Sliders.  Tristan Encarnacion and Nino Laus (Brown) delighted the crowd with their scrumptious sandwiches filled with whole-roasted calf.

In the end, the following were able to get some special awards based on the cooksí perfromances: The cute chefs of the Brown Team were noted for having the ëMost Avid Fan Base.í The Beautiful chefs of the Orange Team won the Grace Under Pressure Award for being cool throughout the competition.  The Flashiest Chef Team award went to the Yellow Team, while the Black Team were cited for the Most Innovative Dish. The Red Team also won the Most Online Team Sales Award and was the most successful for being the first to sell 400 meals.

The Purple Team, on the other hand, was loyal to the theme and got the Most Sustainable Dish Concept Award. This team was also announced as the Best Food Truck team.

  All proceeds during the Food Truck War will be used for the scholarship of 250 less-fortunate individuals via the CEF program. It is CEF’s dream to provide 250 more scholars the chance to take up a culinary education for a promising career in the food industry. Last year, the successful 1st MFWF was able to support 250 scholars from all over the country.