Kitchen Wars Food Fest set in Subic this summer

MANILA, Philippines - A leading culinary school based in Olongapo City and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) have tied up to stage the first-ever “Kitchen Wars Food Festival” to draw in thousands of local and foreign tourists to Subic this summer.

Blue Spoon Culinaire, headed by Le Cordon Bleu of London-trained Chef Adrian Viray, and the SBMA, headed by administrator Armand Arreza, have partnered for the three-day festival that will include competitions in cooking and “flairtending” as well as an attempt for a Guinness record for the world’s longest and largest dinner buffet line as highlight.

Marijo Viray, festival project manager, said Kitchen Wars will pit the finest culinary and bartending students and professional chefs and bartenders against each other to be the country’s best and will identify the Filipino chefs who will represent the country in international culinary and “flairtending” competitions.

“The Kitchen Wars Food Festival will be an annual event where we can attract the country’s best chefs to compete. The festival will also be Subic’s own fiesta that will have the Filipinos’ love of good food as a highlight,” Viray said.

Viray said there will be special awards for individual dishes like Best Appetizer, Best Soup, Best Salad, Best Main Course, and Best Dessert.

Major awards and prizes will also be given to the winners plus the titles Kitchen Warriors (for the novice category), Kitchen Warlord (for the professional chef category), and Grandmaster Chef (for the master chef category).

For the flairtenders, the titles Junior Czar of the Bar (for bartending students) and Czar of the Bar (for professional bartenders) are at stake.

Another treat is the Kitchen Star Wars where celebrities will demonstrate their kitchen skills to find the best celebrity dish of the year.

One of the highlights in the three-day event is the longest and largest dinner buffet line ever prepared in the Philippines, and possibly in the world, by Witness Team Philippines, consisting of Filipino chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, and other food specialists.

“This is not just record-breaking, it’s record-making,” said Viray, adding that the vast array of gastronomical delights to be whipped up will also make another record attempt for the largest number of people fed by a single buffet dinner, at an affordable price of P250 only.

Other highlights are the BSC Dance Party featuring Manila’s hippest DJs and coinciding with the flairtending competitions on March 11; Reminiscing, a night of easy listening music, on March 12; and the Subic Rock Jam 2010 showcasing some of the liveliest rock bands in the country.

Aside from these entertainment highlights, there will be a Job Fair, and a Food Expo of various food, beverage, kitchen equipment and appliances, along with other fun, useful and informative products.

Viray said inquiries on the events and competitions in the upcoming three-day festival could be made through 0916-6416620 or 0927-5669208.