Young COD chefs bag silver
MANILA, Philippines — City of Dreams Manila’s talented young chefs continue to shine, clinching the silver award for the Philippines at the FHC China International Young Chefs Challenge recently held in Shanghai.
“We are extremely proud of the young chefs of City of Dreams Manila, who are already making their mark in the global culinary industry in the early years of their career. Their recognition is a testament to City of Dreams Manila’s commitment to the culture of excellence and creativity, and mentorship of young talents who are the future of the hospitality industry,” City of Dreams Manila’s SVP/COO Kevin Benning said.
The culinary team, composed of Michael Monsalve, 25; Rayzel Salvador, 24; Jomari Miranda, 25; and led by Rier Franco, 23, is the first ever National Young Chef’s team sent by the Philippine Young Chefs Club (PYCC), LTB Chefs Association’s youth arm, to represent the country in the global competition, judged by chef-members of WorldChefs or the World Association of Chefs’ Societies.
Prior to the international competition, Franco and Miranda recently bagged gold medals and topped the 2019 Philippine Culinary Cup-Young Chefs Team Challenge.
Under the tutelage of PYCC president Cherrie Uy-Tan and guidance from City of Dreams Manila’s executive chefs Audi Budiman and Markus Tauwald and executive pastry chef Hoon Sung, the Philippine team competed with 12 other teams from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Penang-Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and the US.
Tasked to prepare a themed buffet for 12 persons, the team’s Christmas-themed buffet earned them the silver award, which was judged according to a set of criteria including taste, presentation, professional preparation and mis en place.
FHC China International Young Chefs Challenge, which aims to train young chefs and enrich their competition experience, was held concurrently with the 23rd FHC China, an international food, beverage and hospitality exhibition.
Currently, Miranda and Franco are part of City of Dreams Manila’s banquet kitchen team for the Grand Ballroom, while Salvador and Monsalve are assigned at Qi Long, the 24-hour, exclusive, member-only dining outlet which features Asian and international cuisine and DreamPlay’s Chez Gingy, respectively.
