The University of St. La Salle-Bacolod culinary students were the overall champion in the culinary category in the recently concluded 2nd MassKanamit Culinary Showdown at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City, on Thursday, a press release from the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation said.
La Consolacion College – Bacolod took the highest medals in the Sweet Revenge Category for pastries, while VMA Global College (Main) was the champion in the Food and Beverage Category.
Asian College of Dumaguete, on the other hand, won the Kucina Moderna Kulinarya category.
Over 300 student participants from 18 culinary and hospitality management schools across Negros Island, including the cities of Bacolod, Kabankalan, San Carlos, and Dumaguete, joined the annual cookfest hosted by the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation in cooperation with Hotel and Restaurant Association of Negros Occidental’s (HRANO) for the 8th Sabor Bisaya and the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Educators of the Philippines’ 15th National Food Showdown.
“This year’s MassKanamit Festival is bigger with more competitions than last year and (had a) larger number of participants,” said Ana Tison, chairperson of BYF Food Committee.
The annual culinary showdown highlights Bacolod’s rich gastronomic culture, which features innovations on local and traditional dishes, emphasizing on food sustainability and environmental protection.
Renowned celebrity chefs who served as judges were Robby Goco, Myrna Segismundo, cookbook author Nina Daza-Puyat, cheese master Olive Puentespina, Virginia de Guzman, celebrity chef pioneer Glenda Barretto, Cheong Yan See, Niño Angelo Comsti, Raul Ramos, Cristina Legarda, F&B consultant Beth Romualdez, and Kalel Chan.
Also joining the pool of judges were Bacolod-born chefs Tom Bascon, Fern Aracama, Jomi Gaston, Sunshine Puey, and Tonyboy Escalante.
PASTRY CAPITAL POTENTIAL
With more and more student participants raising the bar in pastry competitions for MassKanamit Festival, celebrity Chef Myrna Segismundo stressed Bacolod’s potential in becoming the country’s Pastries Capital.
“Sweet is always a very welcome flavor that bites even well for the locals,” said Segismundo.
“With all the pastries, cakes and desserts that they have here, you should be promoting yourself as the Pastry Capital of the Philippines.
It’s obvious to link sugar to Bacolod being Sugarlandia’s capital.
With the city’s aggressive efforts towards promoting food tourism, Segismundo recognizes Bacolod’s potential on top of becoming Asia’s Slow Food hub.*