Tourism fest pits students in culinary arts

BAGUIO City—The University of Baguio (UB) was the overall winner in the student category at the recent 8th Hotels and Restaurants Tourism (HRT) Weekend in Baguio City.

UB also topped the stage decor competition.

Organized by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB), the weekend featured various competitions for both professionals and students.

Saint Louis University was winner in the academic professionals competition, Quiz Bee and Dream Team Challenge.

In the high school level, Roxas National High School was a major winner, with a gold in the junior flower design—centerpiece and a bronze in junior toque competition.

UB had the most gold medals at six, as well as several silver and bronze, in the different categories.

This year, 32 schools in northern Luzon participated in 39 competitions during the HRT Weekend. The winners will represent the HRAB and northern Luzon in the National Food Showdown on September 17 and 18 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

A total of 52 schools are expected to participate in the national competition.

HRAB is one of three new partners in the five-year-old NFS spearheaded by ABS-CBN’s TV Food Chefs.

For George Bolide, 19, a hotel and restaurant management (HRM) student of the Philippine Women’s University (PWU) here, the various culinary arts competitions at the HRT Weekend were a test of skills and knowledge.

The native of Bokod, Benguet, said he decided to take up HRM because he was interested in food preparation and cooking Filipino dishes.

During the HRT Weekend, he joined the food and vegetable carving competition.

It was also an interest in cooking that inspired Clifton Gacat, a senior at the University of Baguio, to study HRM.

Gacat said he wanted to start a food catering business or work abroad, in a hotel or cruise ship, after graduation.

He said the HRT Weekend “is a good opportunity for students to learn because the activities and competitions teach them to upgrade their skills in management, food preparation, cooking, bartending and human relations.”

Anthony de Leon, HRAB chairman, said the hospitality industry was a thriving global industry.

“We have the best and the brightest in the hospitality industry who are recruited to work abroad. It is never a disadvantage [to take up HRM] because job opportunities are [available],” De Leon said.

Leonarda Aguinalde, HRAB vice president for schools, said there was a demand for HRM graduates because of their technical, creative and communication skills.

“They are globally competitive. They must be able to sell and manage… They can easily find jobs; it does not matter if they come from small schools,” she said.

Heiner Maulbecker, HRAB director, said Filipinos were the “best workers in the world because their hospitality is inborn.”

But they had to be equipped with more knowledge and skills, he said.

Aside from Baguio’s HRT, two other regional competitions, Bacolod’s Sabor Bisaya and Cagayan de Oro’s Kumbira, which featured cook-offs and service competitions, had also become NFS partners.

The NFS will feature the highly anticipated Four Regional Chefs Wars elimination rounds. Winning teams will then compete in the Grand National Chefs Wars finals.

Log on to thefoodshowdown.com or call the NFS at 4111434 and 4152272 local 2334.