Mariano Marcos
State University

2025 Ilokano Food Innovation Cookfest winners to represent MMSU at Philippine Culinary Cup

By Brithney Nichole Raguindin, STRATCOM Intern

Mariano Marcos State University hosted the fourth edition of the Ilokano Food Innovation Cookfest on March 28, as part of the Women's Month celebration, to select the university’s representative for the Philippine Culinary Cup.

Eight teams from each college and laboratory school, consisting of four cooks and two table setting designers, competed to prepare three dishes: an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert.
The competition emphasized the use of local ingredients, with beef and carabeef featured in the main course, seafood and vegetables in the appetizer, and fruit-based, rice-based, and dairy-based ingredients in the dessert. Additionally, the table settings were required to incorporate elements representing women.

Held at the MMSU Covered Court and centered around the theme “Sustaining Ilocano Dishes for Global Presence,” the event featured a panel of culinary experts, business owners, hospitality professionals, and a Nutritionist-Dietician as judges, including Chef Peter Nic Rodriguez, Prof. Geremy Cacanindin, Ms. Christy Amor Viloria, and Mr. Bernard Joseph Guerrero.

The Laboratory High School–Laoag Campus won Best in Appetizer, while the College of Teacher Education (CTE) claimed Best in Main Dish and Best in Dessert. CTE was named the overall winner of this year's cookfest, followed by the College of Business, Economics, and Accountancy (CBEA), and the College of Aquatic Sciences and Applied Technology.

The winning dishes of CTE were crispy miki-wrapped sinuuban poppers, Ilocano-style bistek with creamy mashed pakak, and tupig blossom roll with peanut butter. As the winners, CTE will represent MMSU in the Young Chefs Team Challenge category of the Philippine Culinary Cup and the PhilCanEDUCON Magic 7+ Indigenous Knowledge System and Cultural Management Program-Food System and Culture.

The event was organized by the MMSU Gender and Development Focal Point System under the Planning Directorate, in collaboration with the CBEA, the College of Industrial Technology, and the Commission on Higher Education's Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Cultural Management Program, with sponsorship from the Philippine Carabao Center and Northland Gas Corporation.

📷 Rainzhel German (STRATCOM Intern) and Mr. Christian John Tarampi