Criselda Narag, a public school teacher, emerged as the winner of the first-ever Bayambang Master Chef cooking contest, which was held on April 6 at Saint Vincent Catholic School as part of the fiesta celebrations.

Garnering an average score of 88% from the board of judges, her winning creation is called Poached Chicken with Cauliflower Puree. Narag explained that she used no oil in cooking and poached the meat in soda. She also included some bell pepper in the puree.

Narag was awarded P15,000 in cash plus certificate.

The second place went to Jovita Ellorza, who drew attention she danced throughout the one-hour time allowed for cooking. She almost snatched the first place, with a 87.33% score, for her Deboned Hito Curry. She bagged P10,000 in cash plus certificate. Among the dish’s merits are that “it is easy to cook and you don’t have to pick the bones of the fish while eating,” to quote Ellorza’s own words.

The third placer was Brando Suniga, whose Oriental Chicken with Honey scored 86%. Suniga explained that he pan-fried the meat with honey and used creamy garlic sauce for the gravy. For his recipe, he received P5,000 plus certificate.

The rest of the contestants received a consolation prize each of P2,000 plus certificate. Sweating out amid some furious boiling, chopping, filleting, dicing, julienning, and sautéing, they all came prepared for the challenge, and each concoction had its own fans. Among the most memorable during the first round were Pedro Fernandez Jr.’s Butterflied Chicken in Citron Sauce, Narag’s own Stuffed Pan-Seared Pork with Carrot Puree Topped with Caramelized Onion, Jo Marie Ramos’ Hitong Shawarma, and Jonathan Liwanag’s Creamy Chicken in Tomato Gravy. In the second round, Fernandez’s Chicken Cutlets Basilica (chicken with basil and Worcestershire sauce), and Rolando Agaton’s Tilapia-Stuffed Potato did not make it to the top three, but they were also well-received on the audience side.

One food taster exclaimed, “Lahat masarap. Hindi ko alam kung sino pipiliin!” and the rest of the tasters around her joined her in issuing a hearty laugh.

The criteria for judging were revised on the spot by the board of judges to: Originality – 20%, Nutritional Value – 20%, Presentation/Food Plating – 20%, and Palatability – 40%.

The judges were seasoned chef Michael Joseph Vidad, events coordinator Ayen Garcia, and Ariel and Fe Restaurant manager Ariel Cruz.

In her welcome remarks, Municipal Administrator Atty. Rodelynn Rajini Sagarino said, “We are holding this contest in the spirit of both cultural preservation and cultural enrichment. In this competition, we will be looking for a chef who can display impressive modern skills while having a healthy dose of respect for our culinary identity. We are looking for someone who can be a living proof that Bayambang has what it takes to be a culinary destination or a food tourism site.”

Bayambang Master Chef was organized by an LGU team led by Tourism OIC Gloria DV. Valenzuela. It was sponsored by PR Gaz and EC Gas.

(Contact numbers: PR Gaz: 09178868619; 09285079567. EC Gas: 09493052107; 09959748044)