Three's the charm for T.G.I.Friday's Ram Ong
MANILA, Philippines - There was no stopping Sir Raminad “Hang Time” Ong as he took home the top prize for the third consecutive year in T.G.I. Friday’s “Shake, Rattle, and Pour 2010” Bartending Championship held at the Glorietta Activity Center.
Hailing from T.G.I.Friday’s Tomas Morato, QC, Ram remained unmatched in the Freestyle Round, even against his fiercest rival — the soccer-ball wielding Ralph Emerson “Ace of Asia” Daganio of T.G.I.Friday’s Mall of Asia. Ralph was adjudged first runner-up. Michel de Jesus “Flair Angel” Rabago (T.G.I.Friday’s Glorietta) was named the Pour-Off Master.
Ram also dominated the Compulsory Round of the competition. He likewise topped the Multiple Pour Test, the Flair Test, and the Speed Round Test. Ram shared the he shared the special awards for the Drink Knowledge Test and the Routine Pour Test with Genrev Paul “The Revolution” Bacasno of T.G.I.Friday’s Cebu.
Other bartenders who “bottled” it out during the competition were Francis “Flexi” Doming (Friday’s Robinsons Galleria); Harris “Freestyler” Manlapaz (Friday’s Sta. Lucia); Joel “The Professor” delos Santos (Friday’s Bonifacio High Street); Jose Miguel “El Latino” Gonzales (Friday’s Alabang Town Center); Aldrin “Black Spiker” Javar (Friday’s Trinoma); and Junjun “Mr. Major Major Entertainment” Marcelo (Friday’s Ermita).
Judges were former Viva Hotbabe Jen Rosendhal, Bistro Group of Restaurants purchasing director Jojie Alcantara, Unilever Food Solutions key accounts executive Jose Victor Ignacio Mercado, Bistro Group corporate training manager Cristy Genovea, and T.G.I. Friday’s International director for operations Tamala Fowler.
His victory earned him the right to represent the country in the T.G.I.Friday’s Asia-Pacific Bartending Competition to be held in Japan in November. The winner will then be sent to Dallas, Texas in March 2011 to compete against Friday’s bartenders from around the globe in the much-awaited T.G.I.Friday’s 2010 World Bartending Championship.
