The proposal submitted by Alatz Bilbao Teran and Ángel Latorre Bolado, from the Escuela Superior de Hostelería de Bilbao, has been the winner of the
V edition of ‘Cooking with Quescrem’, the culinary contest that we have been organizing since 2015.
, the culinary contest that we have been organizing since 2015.
Thirty hotel management schools from six different autonomous communities: Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, La Rioja and Navarra, participated in this fifth edition of the competition. After the preliminary phases, eight schools, four from Galicia and four from the Basque Country, fought in an exciting duel to win the grand prize on Thursday, February 20, 2020.
As the central theme of this year’s edition has been the brunch, the contestants had to present to the jury a innovative brunch menu consisting of 4 dishes and a beverageThis was the first time that contestants were asked to submit a drink, which has undoubtedly been the source of some of the biggest novelties in this edition of the contest. The competition, which rewards the efforts of students of hotel and catering schools and their centers, promotes innovation, creativity and collaborative talent of the next generation of chefs.
Participating schools and Final prizes
In addition to the Escuela Superior de Hostelería de Bilbao, competed in the grand final of ‘Cooking with Quescrem’: the IES Fragas do Eume (Pontedeume, A Coruña), the CIFP Paseo das Pontes (A Coruña), the Escuela de Especialidades de la Estación Naval de La Graña (La Graña, A Coruña), the IES Fragas do Eume (Pontedeume, A Coruña), and the CIFP Paseo das Pontes (A Coruña). ESENGRA (Ferrol, A Coruña), the IES Vilamarín (Vilamarín, Ourense), the Leioa School of Hotel Management (Bizkaia), the Galdakao School of Hotel Management (Bizkaia) and the Gamarra School of Hotel Management (Álava).
The winning couple, who defined their participation in the contest as “a unique opportunity to grow as cooks and meet students from other schools”, received a check for €1,500 and their school an additional €1,000 to invest in equipment. In addition, the Escuela de Hostelería de Leioa won a runner-up prize for the conceptualization of one of the dishes of its brunch menu, which was rewarded with €300. This elaboration consisted of a cheese board made from cream cheeses. On the other hand, the Escuela de Hostelería de Gamarra received another runner-up prize of the same amount for the sustainability of its proposals, made with local and locally sourced products.
The winning menu undoubtedly seduced the jury who highlighted its creativity, execution and innovative integration of cream cheese, and was based on the concept of the cow. Interactive, daring and comical, the menu was composed of the following elaborations: 1) The letter, 2) Which came first, the egg or the cow? 3) Old cow cheese, 4) Stool and flatulence vaccines and 5) Chisté (drink).
The jury of ‘Cooking with Quescrem’.
The final of ‘Cooking with Quescrem’ this year had an exceptional jury presided over by Sergio Martínez, Quescrem’s R&D&I Director, with the participation of the following members Hector Lopezexecutive chef of Quescrem and chef of the restaurant España (2 Soles Repsol) in Lugo; Celia JimenezShe is the head chef of the Celia Jiménez restaurant in Córdoba and the first Andalusian woman to be awarded a Michelin star; Alfredo MachadoTickets restaurant in Barcelona and Best New Pastry Chef 2020; and Carlos MaribonaHe is a food critic for the ABC newspaper and author of the blog Salsa de Chiles.
The two faces of flavor
At the end of the competition, the following day took place
“The Two Faces of Flavor
especially aimed at cooking professionals and students, with flavor as the main protagonist .
Attendees were able to enjoy and taste the live cooking of chefs Celia Jiménez and Héctor López, and pastry chef Alfredo Machado, who performed showcookings to showcase their most interesting gastronomic proposals, both sweet and savory.
