A Filipino culinary student will join the Young Chefs Olympiad (YCO) in India this February.

Jasmin Buensalida of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (SHRIM) at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB) will compete against student chefs from over 50 countries in four rounds of cooking that will test a contestant’s mastery of skills, innovation and speed.

The YCO, organized by India’s International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), tests the culinary talents of the participants and introduces them to a global network of celebrity chefs and industry professionals.

Launched in 2015 as an all-India event, it has expanded its reach to talents worldwide who battle it out in cook-offs.

Buensalida is busy perfecting her game. She says that each entrant is assigned only a limited work area, while cooking equipment and utensils are expected to be the most
basic.

In the first round, contenders will prepare an omelet, chicken fricassee, and a recipe to be handed out on the day of the event. The second part is a black box challenge, where the students will create a dish from ingredients to be provided them. The third will cover desserts and a competitor’s own recipe.

Only students with the highest cumulative scores in the first three stages will advance to the finals.

The top 10 finalists will compete in the championship.

Aside from the title, the winner gets a $10,000 cash prize.

In last year’s Olympiad, a CSB student ranked 11th overall after the initial three segments. Daniella Germond of Niagara College, Canadian Food and Wine Institute won the title.

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