It’s been a while since I last said yes to an event invite because of all the travels we’ve been doing from June to August. The last was when we, CDO Bloggers, did our general assembly at Seven Seas and when we also held our GTKY meeting at Seda Centrio back in May 2019. So I was very excited to find out that Solane was heading to Cagayan de Oro, more so when the invite didn’t come from CDO Bloggers Group but was personally emailed to me by FuentesManila.com for their Solane Kitchen Hero Chef’s Edition in Cagayan de Oro which happened last August 15, 2019… the same week that we were going home from our very long road trip and on the same day that my grandfather was celebrating his 95th birthday and Mahal and I were celebrating our 5th Anniversary as well. My schedule was really packed that day! I actually thought I wouldn’t be able to make it because of the typhoon that came and our stay in Cebu City and Oslob got extended. But thankfully, the weather cleared up eventually and now we’re back in Cagayan de Oro and yes, I was able to attend Solane’s media luncheon at Missy Bonbon prior to the cooking competition held at the Atrium in LimketKai Mall.

I am a fan of Solane which is the leading LPG solutions brand in the Philippines. I’ve been using them for years! And I’m sure many of you (my dear readers residing in the Philippines) are using this brand too and I’m excited to share with you today their latest project.

 

Solane Kitchen Hero Chefs’ Edition IN CAGAYAN DE ORO

On August 15, 2019, Solane took its grandest culinary competition to Mindanao when it kicked off a series of regional cook-offs for the Solane Kitchen Hero Chefs’ Edition, which is the first-ever cooking competition aiming to discover the next big name in the culinary world.

They’ve already been to 8 different regions in both Luzon and Visayas. Here in Mindanao, the nationwide culinary tilt started with the competition at the Robinsons Place in General Santos. This was followed by competition legs in Davao and lastly here in Cagayan De Oro City during the Kumbira 2019, which is an annual culinary show, including competitions, and exhibits, as one of the highlights for the upcoming Higalaay Festival in Cagayan de Oro.

 

WHY MINDANAO?

“Mindanao is home to some of the country’s culinary treasures and the most talented chefs in the country,” says Isla LPG Corp. CEO Ruben Domingo. “Through the Solane Kitchen Hero competition, we aim to recognize these chefs who are vital in bringing Filipino cuisine to the world stage. At the same time, we are on a quest to explore and highlight Filipino specialties that are unique to our provinces.”

 

WHO ARE THE PARTICIPANTS?

The participants in this one-of-a-kind cook-off are all Filipino professional chefs having gained at least three (3) years of kitchen experience either locally or abroad. It is a must that they are currently employed as a professional chef either in a hotel, a restaurant, or any food service establishment in the country.

Back in the Luzon and Visayas legs, Solane Kitchen Hero already had 9 Solane Kitchen Hero finalists. All the regional winners will be competing in the semi-finals where qualifiers will then move on to the grand finals for the final cook-off to find out who among them will be hailed as the champion of Solane Kitchen Hero Chefs’ Edition.

 

WHO ARE THE JUDGES?

The judges of the culinary creations are:
– the renowned chef and Solane Kitchen Hero ambassador Chef Sau del Rosario
– and best-selling author and Solane Kitchen Hero competition director Nancy Reyes-Lumen

 

CRITERIA FOR JUDGING

Featured ingredient/s used – 50%.

The recipe must include at least one (1) local ingredient inherent to the province being represented.

Originality and Creativity – 50%

The participant must creatively show a tested recipe which corresponds to the local ingredient/s being used. Photo and caption must contain a personal touch and what inspired them to create the dish.

TOTAL: 100%

 

PRIZES

The competition will conclude on September 7, 2019, at Eastwood City, Metro Manila.

Whoever wins the Solane Kitchen Hero Chefs’ Edition will be taking home a grand prize of P100,000 plus a culinary trip to Japan with customized stops at various food and drink destinations.

 

MEDIA LUNCHEON at MISSY BONBON

I had a really fun time at the luncheon Solane hosted for the Media and Blogger community at Missy Bonbon together with the Solane executives. I was early so Mahal, Tuz and I seated ourselves at one of the comfy tables by the window and ordered lunch for my babies since we haven’t had lunch yet. I didn’t order for myself anymore since I’ll be joining the media luncheon of Solane. Before our order arrived, I already saw other CDO Bloggers at another table so I decided to join them for some chitchat. Then the media luncheon started. Tuz was so funny because he was hopping from their table to the media table while eating his lunch! This is literally work-life blend! I was mothering Tuz while I was covering an event! Lol!

Anyway, I got to meet and talk to Solane Communications Manager Rione Palacios who has been in every leg of the Solane Kitchen Hero event and who described to me the passionate chefs they’ve met in this competition. I also got to meet and talk to Chef Sau Del Rosario, the renowned chef who owns Cafe Fleur in Pampanga and got to know all about the history of Pampanga’s sisig and how they’ve submitted their original sisig recipe to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). He was really so charming, so full passion for his craft, and so much fun to talk with.

So I did a quick visit to Atrium in Limketkai Mall to see the competition. I was quite in a hurry as I had another event to go to. I wasn’t able to catch the cooking competition itself because there was another one being held at that time. So I just took photos of the displays in the area.

 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

SPONSORS

This exciting cooking contest is made possible with the support of dynamic organizations and brands championing the same passion for cookery in the country. STI serves as their official school partner while Midea is a co-presenter. Major sponsors are Masflex, Jolly, Jolly Heartmate Canola Oil, Dona Elena, and Dona Elena Al Dente. Minor sponsors are King Sue, Ajinomoto, Philtranco, Fastcat, Chef’s Garb, and National Bookstore.

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

To know more about Solane Kitchen Hero Chef’s Edition, visit Solane’s website www.solane.com.ph and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/solane.ph/

For more information, please contact Fuentes Manila: 

• Kimberly Tsao – 0998 987 8362 
• Jennylyn Prieto – 0998 840 5580

 

MY TAKEAWAY

I was glad I attended the Solane Kitchen Hero event despite my very busy schedule. I learned a lot from Che Sau (including some secret stories which I will not anymore share with you, hehehe) and it’s always nice to mingle with fellow CDO bloggers and media people. I’m also happy that Solane is not just the leading LPG company here in the Philippines but they really do their part in cultivating culinary awareness here in the country and tapping culinary geniuses along the way. Kudos to you, Solane! More power!

 

TODAY’s HOT TIP!

“For cool things to happen, you have to get out of your comfort zone.” –  Rony Abovitz

See you tomorrow!