BONTOC, Mountain Province – A cook fest titled “Mangan taku: MP Edition 2024,” organized by the Office of the Provincial Tourism Officer, in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry-Mountain Province (DTI-MP), was conducted at the Provincial Plaza on December 17, 2024.
The event was participated in by chefs Chad Gonta Sadcopen of Filig Cafe, Bontoc, Jaypee Lawilao of Silverwood Cafe, Sabangan, and Kenneth Andaya of Happy Tea Pot, Bauko.
Meanwhile, the event was facilitated by tourism operations officer Tyronne Glenn C. Lawey. Each participant was given 30 minutes to prepare and cook their menu before presenting them to the judges for evaluation!
Sadcopen was assisted by his sister-in-law, Krys Ivonne Soria, in preparing the “Pinikpikan in Savory Strawberry Gourmet.” According to her, it is served with a healthy salad in honey lemon sauce topped with locally made goat cheese from Masferré Restaurant. It is a fusion of a local and international dish. As we go global with our products, we also need to preserve our culture.
Lawilao, on the other hand, prepared a menu which he called “Sinigtimang (fermented rice wine) pinikpikan with smoked etag roll.” It is a local Igorot dish, pinikpikan with etag cooked slowly with sigtim to enhance the taste of the pinikpikan. Then rolled carefully with rice like sushi.
As for Andaya, he served his specialty KIMBUNGANAY. In his statement, “It is a pinikpikan fusion adding four important ingredients as part of the desire to innovate the dish. Kimchi, Malunggay, Bugnay and Sabunganay or Banana Blossom are added for value and more nutrients. Through this, I coined the name KIMBUNGANAY. This dish also brings me a wonderful memory of my childhood and my grandmother, who lovingly prepares pinikpikan every time we visit her. I hope to bring the same wonderful experience as well”
The prepared and served dishes were judged by DTI-MP Provincial Director Mabel B. Banggawan, Engineer Tom B. Baldo (Food and Business Management, in charge of training for food handling and preparation), and Chef Ruben P. Fattarao (owner of Alex Station).
Sadcopen was judged as first place receiving a PhP12,000.00 cash, Lawilao came in second with an award of PhP9,000.00 and Andaya was third who received PhP7,000.00. Each participant was given a certificate of recognition besides the cash awarded. Sadcopen will be representing Mountain Province in the upcoming Mangan Taku Regional Cook Fest to be conducted by the Department of Tourism–Cordillera Administrative Region on April 2025. By MP-PIO via TFF
