Culinary showdown starts Aug. 14-16 with ‘Kumbira’

THE 7TH NATIONAL Food Showdown (NFS) opens with the 17th Kumbira of the Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (Cohara) on Aug. 14-16 at Limketkai Mall, Cagayan de Oro City.

The next leg of NFS will be Sabor Bisaya of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Negros Occidental (Hrano) on Aug. 23-24 in Bacolod Pavilion Resort and Hotel.

The competition moves to the City of Pines as the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio holds its 10th HRT Weekend on Sept. 5-7 at Baguio Country Club.

On Sept. 20–21, the finals of the 2013 NFS will be held at World Trade Center in Pasay City.

This year’s theme is “Mastering the Basics.” Highlight of the event is the Chef Wars where winners of professional and student regional elimination rounds will compete as representatives of their respective regions.

A total of 76 student and professional culinary competitions will be held in both regional and national showdowns.

Special award competitions include Top Team for Modern Chef, Top Team for the Apprentice, Top Individual for Cocktail Mixing (professional and student divisions), Top Professional and Student Team for Plated Desserts, and Top Professional and Student Team for Klasika Kulinarya.

Judges in the various competitions are food and beverage professionals, from executive chefs and restaurant owners to managers and food experts.

The 2013 NFS is supported by ABS-CBN through its food service subsidiary TV Food Chefs, regional network group, cable channels and print media group and ABS-CBN Global Ltd.