Looks like the country has a new culinary master after LPG brand Solane named the first-ever winner of the Solane Kitchen Hero Chef’s Edition, a nationwide cooking competition that aims to discover a new generation of local talented chefs.
After a series of regional competitions, Solane gathered a total of 15 talented chefs from all over the Philippines who rustled up their best dishes at the competition’s grand finals held at Eton Centris in Quezon City, Metro Manila.
“Throughout the competition, we were awed by the exemplary dishes we have encountered, as well as the outstanding level of culinary expertise we have seen from our chefs,” said Isla LPG Corp. chief executive officer Ruben Domingo.
“We said in the beginning that we aim to recognize these chefs who can bring Filipino cuisine to the world stage, and I think we have successfully achieved that,” he enthused.
The regional winners competed in the semi-finals where the top 5 qualifiers moved on to the grand finals for the final cook-off until one of them was hailed the champion.
At the end of the competition, Chef Roseller Fiel II from Region IX bested the other contestants with his three-course meal composed of a salad of Kilawin na Baboy with butter-poached lobster, grilled talong and ampalaya, and coconut vinaigrette; a main dish of Humba Bisaya with brown rice pilaf; and a dessert of Dodol with caramel tisa sauce and peanut-ginger brittle.
The other chefs in the top 5 include McRhyan Rodrigo, Jan Daryl Doculan, Marlo Semblante, and June Rey Tunog.
The culinary creations were judged by renowned chef and Solane Kitchen Hero ambassador Chef Sau del Rosario, bestselling author and Solane Kitchen Hero competition director Nancy Reyes-Lumen, along with other accomplished food experts and chefs. Winners were judged based on two criteria: 50 percent featured ingredients and 50 percent originality and creativity.
Fiel took home P100,000 and he will embark on a culinary trip to Japan with customized stops at different food and drink destinations.