Foundation University students bested entries from seven other schools in Negros Oriental during the Inter-School Skills Competition last Sept. 18 at the Negros Oriental State University.

Cooking buffs Jethro Tan, Wendell Yungot and Jerome Mercado, all freshmen students at the School of Hospitality Management got the judges’ approval for their presentation of the contest dish—stuffed chicken.

The three future chefs took great care to prepare their product so if would stand out from the other stuffed chicken entries.

“The other contestants cut the breast open to debone the chicken, which destroyed its beauty.  I deboned the chicken through the butt so the cut wouldn’t show,” Yungot said.  Demonstrating his talent at using a paring knife, Yungot made a flawless cut.

From there, Tan stuffed the chicken with found chicken meat.  “I put pickles and sliced diced bread soaked in milk as extenders.  I also mixed eggs, chorizo bilbao, onion leaves and onions and, of course, salt and pepper to taste,” Tan said.

Now, the final challenge was I its presentation, which was Mercado’s task.

The other contestants delved into fruit carving and other techniques such as table-skirting.

But Mercado preferred a more natural way of presenting their dish.  He thought, “what would look best with chicken but a nest?”

With that, Mercado gathered Chinese pechay and made a nest.  Not only did the nest theme jive with the chicken dish but the delicious golden brown chicken served as a wonderful contrast to the green pechay leaves, giving it that winning look.

“I remembered the advise of our coach, Maybelle Cabcaban, not to cove the main dish with garnishing and it worked,” Mercado said.

Cabcaban, the latest addition to the School of Hospitality Management faculty, was ecstatic over their team’s victory.

Another contestant from SHM, Irvin Sargento, placed second in the cocktail and mocktail mixing contest.

“It was our first time to join a competition and we won!  We hope to keep it up,” Cabcaban said.