Filipino chefs battle it out for culinary supremacy in 'Iron Chef Thailand vs Asia'

MANILA, Philippines – Is the Philippines on its way to having its very own Iron Chefs? If the performance of Team Philippines in the Netflix show “Iron Chef Thailand vs. Asia Season 2” remains consistent, this possibility just might translate into a milestone achievement for the country.

Team Philippines — made up of Chefs Mia Yan, AC Agra, Maverick "Mav" Javier, and Sonny Mariano — is off to a good start.

In Episode 1, which aired on October 10, Chef Sonny was the first to battle it out against a member of national teams coming from South Korea, China, Indonesia, and host country Thailand. He made Duo of Ube and Mango Passion Fruit Champorado well within the time limit, plated it beautifully, and had the distinguished members of the Board of Judges taste it. It was an awesome take on the classic Filipino champorado, which Chef Sonny transformed into a more complex and more rewarding treat with Thai jasmine rice, topped with pulvoron, and combined with cheddar puff pastry and sweet potato chips, finished with Kaffir lime rice cream. After an agonizing but confident wait, the judges gave top spot to the Philippine creation, sending Chef Sonny jumping up and down for joy and the whole Team Philippines erupted into cheers of triumph.

More is in store on “Iron Chef Thailand vs. Asia Season 2,” as battle upon battle take place in the kitchen in the quest to crown the best in the finale slated on December 12. Showing worldwide, except in the United States and Canada, the show has become the platform for the members of Team Philippines to showcase their culinary talent, skills, experience under pressure, and battle readiness.

The four talented chefs representing the Philippines were chosen and trained by LTB Philippines Chefs Association based on their talents/skills, passion for cooking and for excellence, and experiences in both global and local competitions.

Chef Mia Yan, 50, works as the executive sous chef of Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant and is an expert in Western, Asian and Japanese cuisines. Chef AC Agra, 40, is the executive chef of the Antonio’s Group of restaurants and works wonders on innovative, contemporary and vegan food. Chef Maverick "Mav" Javier, 39, is the corporate executive chef of Rekado Global Food Solutions Inc. and his areas of expertise are Western and Filipino cuisines.

For his part, Chef Sonny works as chef consultant for several restaurant, café, and food brands under his own SJM Consultancy Services. All four participants bring with them extensive experiences in both local and international culinary competitions, including the annual Philippine Culinary Cup in the Philippines and the international FHA Singapore and HOFEX Hong Kong.

The Philippine team's appearance on “Iron Chef Thailand vs. Asia Season 2” is positioned not as a standalone achievement, but as proof that Filipino cuisine is comparable to the best in the world and that, in the hands of talented and extremely competent Filipino chefs, it is only a matter of time before Filipino cuisine is acknowledged as one of the best in the world.

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