by Alyson Ting and Wendy Mae Jubelag
The Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (COHARA) again hosted Kumbira 2011, the longest-running culinary show in the Philippines and the largest annual culinary event in Mindanao.
Kumbira, Cebuano for “food festival” and “banquet,” is a culinary festival featuring various food and beverage competitions, cooking demonstrations by experts in the food industry, as well as trade exhibits on hotel and restaurant equipment, supplies and services. It aims to promote healthy competition and camaraderie among the different hotels and restaurants and Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) schools.
On its 15th year, Kumbira 2011 tagging the theme: “15 Years of Culinary Innovation” kicked off last August 17-19 at the Atrium, Limketkai center. The event showcased the various skills and artistry of the food and beverage practitioners and professionals through 15 different live and display competitions in the Professional and Student Divisions.
Participating HRM and TLE students from the MSU-IIT garnered a number of awards. Rey Anthony Cabargada and Clarizza Paz Bastasa won the Silver Ribbon Award for their Little Mermaid entry in the Creative Cake Decoration competition themed “Fairytale.” Under the Fruit and Vegetable Carving category, Anelle Charity Pendang and Michael Abellana got the Bronze Ribbon Award for their “Filipino Carver” themed entry. The team composed of Ardy Canoy and Valerie Jestine Lozano received a diploma of recognition for their attempt at a Moroccan-inspired Table Setting with Centerpiece set-up.
MSU-IIT students also participated in the Artistic Bread Showpiece (theme: It’s Christmas), Dessert Flambe (theme: Tropicalia), Pantry Chef (theme: Salads and Sandwiches) and the Live Flair Bartending Tandem competition.
HRM practitioners and the aspiring teams took this year’s Kumbira as a learning experience even as they look forward to joining next year’s event.
Topics : hrm