Prize Dinner for Food and Friendship: The Japan Philippines 65th Anniversary Online Cooking Contest Winner

On October 27, 2021, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines hosted a prize dinner for Ms. Ana Liezl Quibrantar for winning the Food and Friendship: The Japan-Philippines 65th Anniversary Online Cooking Contest, at the Ambassador’s residence.
 
Ambassador KOSHIKAWA Kazuhiko, together with Chef SUZUKI Daisuke, welcomed Ms. Ana Liezl Quibrantar at his residence. During the dinner, Ambassador Koshikawa awarded Ms. Quibrantar a Certificate of Appreciation for her victory in the competition and praised her winning dish named “Shirashi in Tempura Taco Nori.” Inspired by Japanese and Filipino cuisines, the dish combines elements of the classic Japanese dish chirashi and prepared with marinated fish similar to the Filipino kinilaw.
 
The winning dish was served as part of the entrees prepared by Chef Suzuki during the dinner. Prior to the dinner, Ms. Quibrantar had the privilege to talk to Chef Suzuki about her dish and was able to witness him prepare her recipe.
 
Ambassador Koshikawa applauded Ms. Quibrantar’s recipe, calling it a symbolism of the cultural and human connections of Japan and the Philippines. He noted that Ms. Quibrantar’s dish and triumph in the contest is a reminder of the rich friendship between Japan and the Philippines and its potential to grow further. Meanwhile, Chef Suzuki explained that the dish won because its unique preparation technique and artful presentation made it stand out above the rest.
 
The Food and Friendship: The Japan-Philippines 65th Anniversary Online Cooking Contest was launched by the Embassy of Japan, as part of the year-long celebration of the 65^th anniversary of the friendship between Japan and the Philippines. The online competition featured photo and video submissions from Filipino contestants that focus on Japanese cuisine and/or Filipino-Japanese fusion cooking. The entries were judged on criteria such as presentation, recipe, and photo (first round) or video (second round) quality.
 
The winning entry was determined by Chef SUZUKI Daisuke, who was awarded with the 2019 Foreign Minister’s Commendation for Excellent Executive Chef. Chef Suzuki commended the finalists’ creativity in combining elements of Japanese and Filipino cuisine and their interpretation of classic recipes.