Kitchen Arena showdown at Davao Food and Wine
Dusit Thani Davao hosted the first-ever Kitchen Arena at Madayaw Café, which was the highlight of the Davao Food and Wine Festival 2025, a three-week festival that celebrated Mindanao ingredients, the chefs who champion them, and the community that continues to elevate the region’s culinary identity.
The festival, guided by chairperson Carmina del Rosario, brought together chefs, producers, partners, and audiences in a shared mission to amplify Mindanao’s culinary voice and bring the region to a broader national and international stage.
The Kitchen Arena program was co-hosted by Kyle Jennermann of Becoming Filipino, whose warmth and enthusiasm matched the energy of the evening, and Kim Liu of Varigoods and Kozara Yakitori, who provided insightful culinary commentary and an accessible breakdown of the fast-paced action onstage. I was one of the judges together with JC Lo of the Fine Dining Club Philippines and Nicole Hao-Bian Ledesma, a hospitality entrepreneur who heads the JIB International Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts and plays an active role in DATA (Davao Tourism Authority).
This year’s Kitchen Arena gathered chefs Rhea Rizzo of Mrs. Saldo’s, Andrew Malarkey of Wild Siargao, Jeramie Go of Pilgrim Davao (who cooked together with his son Noah), and Dinan Recaborda of Dusit Davao, who cooked more than one dish since he was in his home turf.
The evening opened with tasting stations paired with Sula welcome cocktails and wines curated by Sommelier Selections. This was the guest’s opportunity to experience each chef’s culinary point of view before the competition unfolded. Jeramie prepared Lamb Shoulder Roast — cauliflower purée, fiddleheads, pickled jicama, and minted gremolata (parsley, lemon zest, and garlic) on adlai topped with burnt shallots. Rhea made Beef Cheeks and Jackfruit Massaman with blue pea coconut rice, marinated cucumbers, pickled onions, and fried shallots. Andrew created Chipirones on Mais Bigas Cremoso — creamed mais Bisaya (Visayan corn), roasted sili (bird’s eye chili), baby squid, and roasted corn salsa, which was voted as the crowd favorite award of the night by the guests.
For the competition, chefs crafted two dishes under timed conditions, drawing specialty equipment at random and gathering produce from the festival’s expansive pantry featuring Mindanao’s finest producers, including: Mindanao Butchers & Co., Alsons Aquaculture / Sarangani Bay, Hijo Fresh, Mothers Produce, Italian Specialists, Rafski, Agriya, Sula Spirits, Sommelier Selection, Sonic, Hoh Farm, Sonic, Pilgrim, Buyers Link and Malagos Farmhouse.
The Secret Black Box was revealed only moments before the competition began. The box featured Odong, the beloved Visayan noodle; fresh crabs sourced from Surigao; and Malagos Boracho cheese. All these three ingredients were supposed to be used in both the starter and main course each chef had to create in an hour. The night culminated in a guided tasting where Rhea Rizzo was announced as the Kitchen Arena Champion.
Dusit Davao Hotels delivers gracious hospitality through its two distinguished properties in Davao —dusitD2 Davao and Dusit Thani Residence Davao. Both hotels are proudly owned by Torre Lorenzo Development Corp. and managed by Dusit Thani International.
This year’s food and wine festival underscores Dusit Thani Davao’s commitment to nurturing local talent, supporting the culinary community, and championing Mindanao’s rich heritage, reinforcing the hotel’s role as a proud partner in elevating Davao as one of the country’s compelling culinary destinations.
(Visit www.dusit.com. Check out @davaofoodandwine on Instagram and Davao Food and Wine Festival on Facebook. )
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