Flavors Culinary Challenge Champions

Culinary students Vincent Flores, Carlos Rivera and Anthony Salazar successfully defended Enderun Colleges’ title as champion at the Flavors Culinary Challenge held in SM City Fairview last week. The second place was awarded to De La Salle-College of St. Benilde followed by Most Institute in third place. For nine years now, Flavors Magazine Philippines has been staging this annual event bringing students from various culinary schools to showcase their competence and creativity.

The theme for the ninth edition was Asian Contemporary. Led by their team adviser, Chef Martin Punzalan, the students created a three-course meal using local Asian ingredients. “Our recipes feature the terroir of Asia, very crisp and unique,” said Vincent Flores. The trio of dishes paid tribute to the authenticity of flavors and quality of produce. The first dish, Tom Yum Cocktail, revisited the classic Thai soup. With a modern approach, they created gelatin nouilles using flavored stock infusing agar topped with shrimp chorizo. The main course was Saumon Façon Japonais. The team applied two techniques: roti and sashimi, both glazed with wasabi miso sauce and sesame oil. To pair the delicate fish was a roasted fish risotto with assorted seasonal copeaux de legumes. The meal was punctuated by Exotic Trefoil, a dessert presenting a dark chocolate and lime creameaux and vanilla sable biscuit. To contrast the already rich flavors are passion fruit and ginger jelly with coconut caramel.

All three students went to a rigorous six-month internship with the Alain Ducasse Enterprise in France. Enderun Colleges debut in last year’s competition also garnered the highest award making the school as the grand champion for two-consecutive years now.