Perhaps cooking and creating a dish out of a certain ingredient is similar to creating a painting where you show your creations to everyone but for this one, it's the palate that will decide whether it's good or not. So, gather in an event where ingredients from Lee Kum Kee are abundant and equipments are presents, these young chefs, budding restaurateurs, and aspiring culinarians from across the Philippines put their skills to the test and rose to the top of their game as they battled it out to earn the privilege of representing their country for an international culinary contest. Lee Kum Kee, the inventor of oyster sauce and a globally renowned Chinese sauce and condiment manufacturer, invited local aspiring chefs to compete at the first ever International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge (IYCCCC) - Philippines Qualifiers at Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Manila last week.

Since its inception in 2014, the IYCCCC has been a biennial contest providing an international exchange platform for the Chinese culinary industry. It encourages young chefs from the world to hone their skills and learn, while at the same time, promoting the inheritance of Chinese culinary skills and sustainable development of the Chinese culinary industry with the aim of enhancing the international standard of Chinese cuisines.


A star-studded judging panel, including Singaporean award-winning Chef Aaron Tan Kean Loon, Champion of Lee Kum Kee International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge 2016, Executive Sous Chef Intercontinental – Singapore, and Chef James Antolin, President of LTB Philippines Chefs Association, Ms Sandy Cu, Product and Business Development Director of Sysu International, and Mr. Ryan Cruz, Business Manager, Lee Kum Kee Philippines selected two winners from the Philippines Qualifiers. The top two talented contestants - Michael Lee Avisado from Vikings Group and Muhajiran "Pongky" Ijiran III from Kuya J Restaurant, earned the privilege to go on to the next level in the 4th IYCCCC in Hong Kong next year, competing with around 50 aspiring young chefs from over 20 countries and regions for the international championship. In the last contest, all three contestants from the Philippines won bronze awards.

The biggest winner during the IYCCC Qualifiers was Michael Lee Avisado from Vikings Group who aside from winning the coveted Gold award, also went on to win the Best Sauce Combination and the Best Presentation categories. Coming in second place with the Silver Award was Muhajiran "Pongky" Ijiran III of Kuya J Restaurant while the Bronze winners were Elier Maghanoy from King Chef Seafood Restaurant (who also won the Most Creative category), Jefferson Palma from King Chef Dimsum Kitchen and Janin Jayco from U-Rack Bar-B-Q & Wings.

The man of the moment, Michael Lee Avisado, has been in the culinary industry for 9 years already and has been with the Vikings Group already for 2 years. He is currently the Executive Sous Chef, as well as the Officer-in-Charge of the restaurant’s Mall of Asia branch. He is partial to Lee Kum Kee for his unique creations as the flavors blend well while retaining each ingredients’ distinct taste. His winning recipe, Shrimp Royale, uses Lee Kum Kee’s iconic XO sauce as its base.

Mr. Leslie Lau, Managing Director - South Asia of Lee Kum Kee said, “With the mission of ‘Promoting Chinese Culinary Culture Worldwide’, Lee Kum Kee is committed to nurturing Chinese culinary talents worldwide. The IYCCCC is an optimal platform for young Chinese chefs from around the world for culinary exchange. In the 3rd IYCCCC, we had representatives from the Philippines for the first time. This year, we are going even further to host the first-ever Philippines Qualifiers. I wish the two talented winners all the success in the finale in Hong Kong next year, representing the Philippines to fight for the championship.”

Renowned for the invention of oyster sauce and its premium quality with over 130 years of history, Lee Kum Kee, is one of the world’s most recognizable names for Chinese sauces and condiments across the globe. Lee Kum Kee first entered the Philippine market with Sysu International Inc as the sole distributor back in the 1980s and has since been one of the trailblazers in the industry, furthering its efforts to promote Chinese culinary culture, and nurturing future local culinary talents.

For more details, please visit www.LKK.com, follow Lee Kum Kee on Facebook (@LeeKumKeePh) and use the hashtag #LeeKumKeePh.

About Lee Kum Kee
Lee Kum Kee was established in 1888 by its founder Mr. Lee Kum Sheung. With its sustainable development in 131 years, Lee Kum Kee has become a well-known household name of Chinese sauces and condiments, as well as an international brand and “a symbol of quality and trust”. Spanning over three centuries, Lee Kum Kee is a globally renowned Chinese multinational corporation offering over 200 choices of sauces and condiments to over 100 countries and regions. Please visit www.LKK.com for further details.



About Lee Kum Kee International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge

Since its inception in 2014, the Lee Kum Kee International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge has been a biennial contest that demonstrates the Group’s mission of promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide, setting an international platform for young Chinese culinary chefs from around the world to hone their skills and exchange experiences with their counterparts.

Once again Kwento Ni Toto bring forth the happenings at SM Hypermarket's Master Chefs.  As for this year they're making it more big and more extravagant.

If Chef Marvin Agustin is a dish I would say his mother really knows the ingredients very well. A right amount of time, a chunkful of love, a sprinkle of teachings and a pack of Knorr for an exquisite bonding moment. Stir with understanding, perseverance, and talent plus a glassful amount of happiness will make a Chef Marvin Agustin.

I’m so delighted that I was able to attend one of the cooking demo of the SM Hypermarket Master Chef Marathon at SM Clark, Pampanga. Good thing that it’s just near. Aside from us bloggers who were invited to cover the event, HRM students from different colleges in Angeles City were also invited to watch and learn in the said event. Everyone was very eager to know and taste the recipe that is going to be cooked by one of the Chef.


The guest chef during that time was Chief John Paulo Sia, one of the known chefs in the metro. Chef Sia has worked for C2 Classic Cuisine, the Linden Suites and he has also set up his own catering business and is now the corporate sous chef for Unilever Foodsolutions. He has also been into a cooking show in one of the local TV Network.

When Chef Sia started his demo, most of us were so eager to see and know what he will be cooking for that day. He even asked anyone who would like to be part of the cooking demo as his assistant, more likely of a sous chef for a certain dish. One fortunate and brave guy took the apron and stand beside Chef Sia.



Chef Sia created two menu for the day but he has noticed that there so many students and spectators he decided to add one more to the list. The cuisines are Menudo Tapa's Version, Beef Adobo, and Beef and Mushroom in Oyster Sauce (I forgot what Chef Sia named this one). All of the ingredients came from SM Hypermarket so it would be much easier to look for the ingredients and of course to cook it as well. One of the main ingredients is the products of Knorr.


Some of the students were able to taste Chef Sia’s cuisines and as I see it they were all nodding their heads, perhaps they were agreeing with the great taste of the menu. Of course they are not the only ones who tasted the food but me and the rest of bloggers as well. The good part is that the three dishes were laid to us. Great! My favorite was the Beef and Mushroom in Oyster Sauce. The taste is very much enticing.



It was really great tasting those foods, wish to get a taste of the other chefs as well.

By the way this cooking event is part of the 10th Anniversary of SM Hypermarket.

Last August 26, under the unpredictable weather a blogger barge in deep somewhere in Makati. It was easy but an unfamiliar area. The blogger headed at Walter Mart and straight up to the 5th floor. Thank goodness there’s an escalator functioning. 5th floor is 5th floor, especially if you came from work and went through a lot of exhausting effort just to be there.


The event was held at the Magsaysay Institute for Hospitality and Culinary Arts or coned as MIHCA. The institute is indeed walking what they are talking. Part of their name is the HOSPITALITY and they really know how to be hospitable with their guests. The blogger was amazed because it started by simply showing to them their seats. They even explained to the blogger the food that he was about to eat and also ask if the blogger like to have one of it or not. After experiencing this, the blogger just hope that MIHCA could encourage more people to learn in their institute and spread the true Filipino hospitality.


While the blogger is having a very great time with his food, the charming Chef Jeremy Favia were already making a cooking demo of one of the recipes. It is an easy-to-cook succulent culinary delight with Doles line of tomato sauce. As a background, at first the blogger were amazed because for him Dole was all about pineapples and now they are lining with tomato sauce. The recipe that Chef Jeremy demonstrated was called the Cherry Tomato and Eggplant Ragu Penne. Yummy! Pasta is the bloggers favorite and Penne is just another kind of pasta. The cooking demo was easy simple enough for the guests to memorize. So after the demo five guests were invited to be part of the Clash, a Culinary Clash.








Five were chosen err who got the guts to be part of the clashing Chef to bes, good for them because they will have the chance to be judge by Chef Jeremy. It was Jeman, Lariza, Enzo, Ryan and John Doe (the blogger didn’t get his name). With guts they will sure have the glory afterwards. After some few minutes of chopping and tossing the ingredients in the sauce pan they all finally finished and even made a very good plating of their dishes.


Five plates were aligned in the bar area. Same dish, same ingredients, different styles, and different cooks! One by one and plate by plate a taste was done. Thinking, murmuring and at last the judges made a final decision and Chef Jeremy with a little bit of explanation of why finally pinpointed the plate of the victorious Chef to be, it was Enzo! Enzo of Juan Manila was announced winner of the Great Dole Cook-Off!


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If you want to know more about the recipes that check out Kwento Ni Toto’s Kwentong Pagkain.