The Cagayan de Oro Hotels and Restaurants Association (COHARA) honored two of its Kumbira 2014 winners with a special recognition during its general membership meeting held 30 October 2014 at the new Ah Fong Restaurant in Grand Central.
The two winning Kumbira 2014 Teams pose for posterity with DOT-10 RD Butch Chan, COHARA Pres. Nelia Lee and coaches Herbert Castro and Carsten Radke.
Cited were Team Kumbira Representatives to the Chef Wars in the National Food Showdown held September 23-24, 2014 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Metro Manila.
Awarded special recognition were Monster Kitchen Academy, the Overall Champion-Kumbira 2014 for placing 2nd in the Chef Wars Battle Royale- Professional Division and Father Saturnino Urios University-Butuan City, 1st Runner up in the Overall championship-Kumbira 2014 for topping the the Chef Wars Battle Royale- Student Division.
Chef Wars Battle Royale Winner 2014 Albert Chiu,Cathy Dano, Mon Cardenas (Monster Kitchen Academy). With their coach Chef Carsten Radke.and COHARA President Nelia Lee
The Monster Kitchen Academy team which competed in the Professional Division of the Chef Wars was composed of Chefs Catherine Lopez-Dano, Albert Chiu and Ramon Cardenas Jr. with coach Chef Carsten Radke while the Father Saturnino Urios University Team from Butuan City which topped the Student Division of the Chef Wars was composed of Student Chefs Neil Mari Y. Arellano, Louie O. Ardiente and Jose Mari A. Oraca with Herbert Castro as their coach.
Chef Cathy Dano said the theme for the Professional Division was French Cuisine with each team asked to create various French dishes with chicken liver as the main ingredient.
Chef Cathy Dano describes the dish she made which is Liver parfait,Lentil salad, Smoked chicken liver, Buttered Sauteed pumpkin and Apricot, toasted walnuts, radish, with truffled honey.
In response to the challenge, Chef Dano created a Liver Parfait, Lentil Salad, Smoked Chicken Liver, Buttered Sauteed Pumpkin and Apricot, Toasted Walnuts, Radish with Truffle Honey.
Her team mate Chef Mon Cardenas created Chicken Liver Crème Brulee which was Chicken Liver Pate–stuffed pate a choux in apple jelly and Chicken liver praline breaded with pumpernickel and saffron brioche.
As the plat de résistance, Chef Albert Chiu created his winning entrée Paupiettes Chicken with Liver and Herbs Stuffing and Beurre Blanc Sauce, Chicken Fillet stuffed with Chicken Liver and Herbs filling with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes and Mashed Potatoes with Truffle oil.
For its part, Team Kumbira as represented by Fr. Saturnino Urios University of Butuan City topped the Chef Wars Student Division which has a Classical Filipino theme with glutinous white rice as the main ingredient where each team was challenged to create 3 dishes within one hour.
Team Kumbira 2014 as represented by Fr. Saturnino Urios University of Butuan City topped the Chef Wars Student Division. With Team Coach Herbert Castro (left) are Jose Mari Oraca, Neil Mari Arellano and Louie Ardiente. Also in photo are DOT -10 RD Butch Chan & COHARA Pres. Nelia Lee.
“Our concept was to present a traditional Filipino dish infusing Butuanon delicacies,” said Team Coach Herbert Castro.
For its entry, the team submitted Arroz Valenciana, Savory Palitaw with Binuntan na Kalimango Filling Soy Caramel Sauce, Pickled Carrot and Singkamas, and Deep Fried Puto Maya with Kusilba Mango, Kalamansi Sauce and Peanut Brittle.
“Arroz Valenciana is a traditional dish from Iloilo which usually takes hours to prepare,” Coach Castro explained. “However , we chose to apply modern cooking preparation like sauteeing and cooking the rice in a rice cooker but we made sure that the classical flavor of the dish is maintained. Boiled quail egg, mussels and deep fried kangkong is added as garnish.”
Coach Castro describes “Binuntan na kalimango” as a traditional Butuanon dish. “It’s a mixture of crab fat, young coconut meat (called babahug in Butuanon) ginger, onion, tomatoes and roasted bell pepper. It is next steamed and filled in a palitaw then rolled in coconut meat and sesame seeds.”
Not the least, “Kusilba” is the Butuanon version of Bukayo mixed with tableya to perfectly pair with the puto maya. “We thought of deep frying the puto becauce we Pinoys love to eat the burnt part of the bottom of theputo maya as well as to add texture and crunch to the dish.”
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