Benedicto College Mandaue wins inter-school culinary challenge

HUNDREDS of Cebuanos came in droves to witness the students who battled it out for the Ajinomoto Umami Culinary Challenge – Visayas 2013 (UCC-V 2013) at the SM City Cebu Trade Hall.

The team from Benedicto College Mandaue brought home the most-coveted Umami Bowl Award after conquering the 20-team inter-school cooking competition, securing the Top 3 spots in two of the three categories.

Benedicto College finished only second in the Best Filipino Umami Dish category but fashioned out the best “My Own Umami Creation” dish that propelled them to this year’s overall championship.

University of Cebu – Marine Education Training Center, last year’s overall champion, came up short in its bid to defend the throne as it made the Top 3 only once. The UC team emerged third place in the Best Filipino Umami Dish category.

The International School for Hotel and Restaurant Management (ISHRM) dominated the Best Filipino Umami Dish contest and battled against UCC-Iloilo category winner Hercor College for the right to represent the Visayas in the national finals of the 5th Ajinomoto Umami Culinary Challenge February next year.

The visiting team from Iloilo proved to be more creative in maximizing the usage of the umami taste, earning a ticket to the national finals.

Finishing second to Benedicto College in the My Own Umami Creation category was Cebu Institute of Technology University, while Lapu-Lapu College settled for third.

In the Healthy Asian Umami Dish category, Cebu Technological University – Danao emerged no. 1, with Mandaue City College and Lapu-Lapu City College taking the second and third places, respectively.

Competing students in each category were given an hour to prepare and cook their dishes before presenting them to the panel of judges made up of chefs Dietmar Dietrich, Raki Urbina, Erling Rune, Sau del Rosario, Ma. Lourdes Caudal, food and wine connoisseur Joel del Prado, writers Aissa dela Cruz and Edith Singian, and restaurateur Dr. Alfredo Malasomma.

Carenderia owners, food lovers, guests and the public feasted on the snacks and drinks offered by the sponsors and learned new cooking and marketing skills from the informative seminars conducted by experts during the whole-day UCC-V 2013 affair, which was organized by APC, an affiliate of Ajinomoto Co. Inc. of Tokyo Japan, last Sept. 21 at the SM City Cebu Trade Hall.