Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island
Cebu brought prestige and honor to the Visayas region as its team won Champion of the “Chef Wars” grand finals, the main event at the recently concluded National Food Showdown in Manila.
The Philippines’ grand culinary competition is the gathering of finalists from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, who have won in the regionals for their respective cooking specialization.
Out of all the categories, the “Chef Wars” is the highlight and most awaited face-off at the National Food Showdown.
Comparable to some culinary competitions on TV, it’s a live cooking event where chefs create unique dishes out of the ingredients disclosed to them as part of the competition guidelines.
Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu’s team for the “Chef Wars” is composed of junior chefs Marvin Ampoloquio, Jason Nellas and Reymuel Albacite.
Poached Chicken in Coconut Oil enhanced with Spices, Emulsified Liver Sauce, Sweet Potato Mash and Leaf, Confit Vegetables and Papaya Blossom
They went to Manila with little time to prepare for the final battle, but managed to prepare an impressive menu that’s unique and achievable within the one-hour limit, using chicken as the main ingredient.
Their final menu presentation featured “Turmeric Enhanced Chicken Consome, Smoked Eggplant Tortellini, Chicken Oyster, Beef Marrow, Poultry Glazed Sponge,” “Breaded Poultry Quenelles, Kare-Kare Sauce, Steamed Pumpkin Flower with Pumpkin Mashed and Alugbati Leaf” and “Poached Chicken in Coconut Oil enhanced with Spices, Emulsified Liver Sauce, Sweet Potato Mash and Leaf, Confit Vegetables and Papaya Blossom.”
“The team combined both culinary skills and a playful mix of local flavors and ingredients—to achieve balance between composition and technique,” shared the hotel’s Executive Chef Jean Louis Leon, who also flew to Manila to support the team. “Each dish had a modern and local touch.”
After the presentation and sampling, the judges declared the team as champion and presented them with the “Ultimate Chef Warriors” trophy.
“Team effort is the name of the game, and I’m just so proud of how they pulled off such great work, especially since all of them are first timers in the finals,” added Jean Louis.
Turmeric Enhanced Chicken Consome, Smoked Eggplant Tortellini, Chicken Oyster, Beef Marrow, Poultry Glazed Sponge
“This is really a huge honor as the judges are authorities in the Philippine food and beverage industry, from seasoned professionals to celebrity chefs.”
“We came here without any expectations. It’s already an honor and privilege to represent our brand and the Visayas region. We consider this a learning experience, imperative to our team’s growth and exposure. Winning the national title is cherry on top. We’re beyond grateful and happy to bring home the bacon.”
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Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu is a Mediterranean-inspired beachfront hotel offering a myriad of options for accommodation, events, leisure and dining.
Its parent brand, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, is an international hotel chain known for seven decades of culinary excellence and innovation.
The Cebu hotel is owned by the Manny O. Group, a Cebu-based holding company founded by Manuel H. Osmeña who is a prominent player in the Philippine tourism industry.
The holding company is also in the airport and airline services, wine, culinary and hotel business.
For other news and updates, follow @movenpickcebu on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or log on to www.movenpick.com/cebu. For hotel information and bookings, contact hotel.cebu@movenpick.com or call +63 32 492 7777.