I looked at my calendar. "Nothing," I responded. "Probably sitting in front of my TV and knitting."
"I will pick you up. You can come and judge one of my clients’ contests," he said.
"What? Explain to me," I sort of demanded.
"Never mind. Just come. Let them explain to you." So I did and have not regretted it since.
We arrived at the building of the Bistro Group somewhere off Chino Roces Avenue promptly at two. Sitting at a corner table was another buddy, Virgil Calaguian. We were both going to be judges for this chefs’ event. On the other side was the kitchen abuzz with chefs and their teams. They were working hard. "You think we should go there and look at what they’re doing?" Virgil asked.
Out of wisdom or sluggishness I said, "No. We were invited to judge flavors, I think, not how they cook it  how hard they work is none of our business. I think we should just stay out of their way." We sat quietly drinking whatever drinks they gave us  lemonade, coffee  waiting for things to begin.
Lisa LL. Ronquillo was introduced to us. She is the Bistro Group’s marketing director. She said: "This is the fourth contest we are having for our chefs and their teams. Three of our restaurants are represented here: Italianni’s, TGIFridays, Fish & Co. We call this activity the Market Basket. Today, there are four musts: cheese for appetizers, fruit for salads, tilapia filet for seafood and lamb for entrée. Those are the four dishes we will ask you to sample and judge. We give them access to our groceries. Some of our suppliers are gracious enough to lay out their products as well. They are free to use them. They have been here since 8:30 a.m.
"These are your judging forms. We give 50 points for the taste, 30 points for the presentation and 20 points for creativity. Then, if something is outstanding, you may give them 5 more points for wow. Our president, Bill Stelton, will be the third judge. We will call him later when we are ready to begin. Do you have any questions?"
No, we had none, but I began to wonder how qualified I was to do this. Anybody who knows me knows that I run to fat. I enjoy eating, especially good food, and I can tell the difference between ordinary food and wonderfully prepared ordinary food in a way that turns me into a gourmet, somebody who has expert knowledge and enjoyment of good food. When the food is truly good I turn into a gourmande, a woman who loves the food and eats excessively. Do these two outstanding points qualify me to be a judge of food? I was not going to ask that.
Soon Bill Stelton joined us. He explained that this contest they did just to keep their chefs improving, to challenge them to try new recipes. Their restaurants are franchises. They have to follow their recipes to the letter. He believes, however, that they should be challenged more, that they may become motivated, that they may find their work exciting always.
The sampling began. First we were shown the food. Then the chef explained what we were getting. We were given plates, spoon, fork and knife, all of which were changed after each tasting. We hardly spoke to each other during the tasting. I would serve myself first, then grade. Virgil came next and after him Bill. We did not exchange notes. Someone picked up our pages, then scored them. In between tasting, we drank water to clear our palates. We were very professional judges.
Today, the day after, I can only remember the dishes I liked very much. There was a salad I really liked. It was made from an apple that essentially remained whole but was filled with its own caramelized chunks, plus grapes and strawberries and it was served with a pile of lettuce in a delicious vinaigrette. That was a real winner. It was delicious when eaten singly or together. Then, from the same chef, a simple steamed fish with tomatoes and onions and other things. That, too, was a real winner. The lamb? I think all needed improvement. The first dish served was done excellently. It was pink when sliced but it was too sweet. The chef said he had used a bit of light corn syrup. The next two were overdone for me.
At the end of the day the winners were declared and awarded their prizes. The Italianni’s chefs won this round. They were laughing, jumping, truly happy. Liza Ronquillo reported that the cheese suppliers had volunteered to give the chefs and their teams a briefing on the world’s cheeses. "That’s good," I interjected, "because cheese is not part of our culture. They have to be introduced to it. I remember some of them saying they used blue cheese but I was disappointed. It did not taste like blue cheese at all. He must have made a mistake."
"I tell them all the time," Bill Stelton explained. "To make a dish stand out it must be simple. The taste must be simple and all the rest  the vegetables and whatever else  must simply be supportive of that main taste. They still have to learn that. But these fellows have improved so much. You should have been here the first time."
I’m sorry I wasn’t but I can be there another time. I just learned that a gourmet can become a judge of good food, too, and I enjoy judging a contest that, of course, has winners but I liked the primary goal better. It was and will continue to be  motivation. Your chefs must be so happy to work for you.