Kicking off the activities for the first-ever Tanduay Rum Festival in Bacolod are exciting culinary and mixology contests!
Mixology experts such as Victoria Beckley, Benedict John Uy, Nico Millanes, Don Angelo Colmenares and Sammy Nuarbe will judge the contests of the said festival.
Beckley is the events director of the World Gourmet Summit. She is responsible for bringing together top international chefs in one of the much-awaited gastronomy events in Singapore.
On the other hand, Industry veteran and multi-awarded chef Benedict is the owner of Planta Hotel, Daily Skillet and East Bites restaurants in Bacolod. An Enderun alumnus, Nico is the owner of three restaurants—Terrasse Bistro and Portiko Café & Lounge, both located in Bacolod, and Catch of the Day at the Podium in Ortigas.
Meanwhile, Don is the owner of Berbeza Bistro and has been a featured guest chef in various culinary expositions in the country, while Sammy is the owner of Great Harvest, a Bacolod-based culinary school.
The contest, dubbed as Culinaria Competition, will be held on August 17 with two categories: Savory and Dessert or “Postre,” as they call it in Negros. Contestants will be challenged to create their rum-infused dishes using locally-sourced ingredients.
Aside from the Culinaria Competition, a mixology contest where participants will get to show off their skill in bartending and cocktail mixing is also happening on the festival. One of its three judges will be mixology expert Ricky Paiva, whose 16-year career in the industry includes managing airport bars and opening a World’s Top 50 bar.
The winners of the culinary and mixology contests will receive the following: P25,000 for the champions; P15,000 for the first runners-up; and P10,000 for the 2nd runners-up.
