When it comes to home cooks, Filipinos will definitely on the top list. Just look at the number of content creators who are cooking, baking and making wonderful creations inside their homes, right? No surprise Emborg, the number one brand for chilled
cheese in the Philippines, celebrated Filipino home cooks through a cook-off, the Emborg Cheesarap
Cook-off Challenge.
Held at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City last July 13, Emborg showcased local culinary talents and its commitment to providing a diverse selection of high-quality dairy products from Europe transforming Filipino meals into a joyful celebration of flavors and togetherness.
“The Philippines has a rich culinary history,
and many of our home cooks have created wonderful versions of beloved classics.
We hope that through the Emborg Cheesarap Cook-off Challenge, we can encourage
everyone to ignite their passion, get inspired, and fall in love with cooking
all over again,” says Gerson Garcia, Emborg’s country manager in the
Philippines.
The Emborg Cheesarap Cook-off Challenge
The challenge started when Emborg asked Filipino home cooks to
share online their most unique and original Filipino culinary creations using Emborg Shredded Cheeses. From hundreds of entries, 30 winners were chosen each week in
June and awarded cash prizes. Each week's three best home cooks were selected
to compete live at the Emborg Cheesarap Cook-off Challenge in Glorietta.
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| Team Jujumao |
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Team Abi
 | | Team Bestfriend |
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Out of all the participants, only 12 passionate cooks from the different parts of the Philippines, including Batangas, Bulacan, Rizal, Sorsogon, Laguna,
Marikina, and Parañaque, competed in three teams, each guided by a
distinguished mentors namely renowned food creators Jujumao, Abi Marquez, and Foodie Fred. Also present at the cook-off are esteemed judges including Erwan Heussaff, a renowned food content creator and creative director of FEATR; Nik Michael Imran, a Malaysian-Australian culinary icon known from MasterChef Malaysia; and Hans Madlos, a Filipino food scientist and culinary innovator with over a decade of industry experience.
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| The Judges |
Under the expert guidance of these mentors, the teams showcased their
creativity and skills by crafting various everyday Filipino dishes. They
elevated the flavors and excitement of their creations using Emborg’s
high-quality dairy products, spanning across a wide variety of cheeses, creams,
butter, milk and fresh frozen fruits and vegetables.
The competition was divided into three rounds,
each focusing on a specific course: appetizers, main course, and dessert. Each segment is faced with Mystery Box, where they will find the ingredients of the dish they will prepare. Unknown to what there boxes keep, this further tested teams' creativity and skills as the mystery
box contained a mix of surprise ingredients and Emborg products. The home cooks
had to quickly craft delicious dishes from these ingredients, aiming to impress
the judges on taste, originality, presentation, and teamwork.
In the appetizers round the teams prepared two
dishes: baked tahong and Pinoy nachos. The home cooks used a variety of Emborg
Shredded Cheeses, including Mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and 3
Cheese Bake, to enhance both dishes. The cheeses contributed with own unique
qualities to the dishes such as depth, saltiness, meltiness, stretchiness,
sharp flavor, and creaminess. In a stroke of creativity, teams added Emborg
Black Lumpia Fish Caviar to the Baked Tahong, elevating it to a more gourmet
level.
The challenge continued with teams preparing
their unique versions of caldereta
- Baked Lasagna version, Baked Spaghetti and Penne versions for the main
course. The home cooks used a selection of Emborg shredded cheeses, cooking
cream, milk, and butter. The dairy products worked together to create a smooth,
creamy texture and a balanced flavor profile that enhanced the richness of caldereta.
Lastly, in the dessert round, the teams
created traditional mango refrigerated cakes using Emborg Cream Cheese,
Whipping Cream, and Mascarpone. Emborg’s products gave the dish volume,
stability, and a richer flavor.
Emborg Cheesarap Cook-off Challenge culminated
with Team Jujumao as the grand champion. Team Abi was awarded first runner-up,
while Team Fred was second runner-up. Foodie Fred was also given the Best
Mentor award.
Members of Team Jujumao received coffee
machines worth P11,800 and a bundle of Emborg products worth P5,000. Meanwhile,
the members of Teams Abi and Fred received air fryers worth P6,500 and a bundle
of Emborg products worth P5,000.
More Cheesy Way to Enjoy Cooking
Emborg Cheesarap Cook-off challenge
underscored the joy and creativity of home cooking, making it a memorable
celebration of Filipino culinary traditions. Besides watching teams test their
creativity in the kitchen, the audience enjoyed interactive activities that
added to the day’s excitement. Emborg offered visitors free samples of various
cheeses, helping Filipinos explore the vast world of cheese beyond of well
known Cheddar, Mozzarella, and Parmesan, and bringing these diverse flavors to
their tables.
The cook-off challenge reflects Emborg’s
commitment to providing quality European dairy products to Filipinos. It also
highlights the brand’s mission to inspire everyone to transform their everyday
Filipino ulam dishes into mouthwatering creations for family and friends,
celebrating the rich culinary heritage of the Philippines.
For more information, please visit https://www.emborg.com/ph/.
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