Embassy Chefs representing Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Republic of Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Iraq, Jamaica, Republic of Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Principality of Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Republic of Moldova, Kingdom of Morocco, Nepal, Panama, Peru, the Philippines and Slovak Republic all came together on May 17th to battle for the title of best dish!
The 10th Annual Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge brought together diverse chefs, inspiring diplomats, DC foodies, and incredible live entertainment to celebrate food and culture during the month-long Passport DC celebration. We had an incredible time savoring hors d'oeuvres, sampling unique desserts, and sipping delicious beverages that were inspired by nations from all over the world at the beautiful Ronald Reagan Building.
A panel of celebrity chefs and food critics helped in selecting the winners of the Judge's Choice Awards, and attendees casted their ballots for the People's Choice Awards at the event.
The judging panel consisted of:
Andy Shallal, Busboys & Poets
Major Garrett & Arden Farhi, CBS News
Lauren Bernstein, The Culinary Diplomacy Project
Chef Tim Ma, Kyirisan
Nycci Nellis, The List Are You On It
Executive Chef Xavier Deshayes, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
Daniel Nasaw, The Wall Street Journal
Maura Judkis, The Washington Post
Chef Cynthia Verna, 2017 People’s Choice Champion representing the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti
Chef Moja Fedal, 2017 Judge’s Choice Champion representing the Embassy of Morocco
Chef Abigail “Abie” Sincioco-Mateo’s showcased incredible Filipino flavors in her Pork Sisig Plate, which won her both the Judge’s Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award! Pork Sisig is a classic Filipino snack, consisting of chopped and fried pig's head, liver, and belly mixed with chili peppers, calamansi, eggs, onions, and mayo!
The full list of winners consisted of:
Judges’ Choice Award Winner, 1st Place:
Chef Abigail “Abie” Sincioco-Mateo representing the Embassy of the Philippines
Dish: Pork Sisig
People’s Choice Award Winner, 1st Place:
Chef Abigail “Abie” Sincioco-Mateo representing the Embassy of the Philippines
Dish: Pork Sisig
Judges’ Choice Award Winner, 2nd Place:
Chef Francis Otoo representing Embassy of Ghana
Dish: Lamb Jollof Rice.
People’s Choice Award Winner, 2nd Place:
Chef Francis Otoo representing Embassy of Ghana
Dish: Lamb Jollof Rice.
Judges’ Choice Award Winner, 3rd Place:
Chef Jouvens Jean from the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti
Dish: Kabrit Kreyol served with Haitian Cinnamon Water.
People’s Choice Award Winner, 3rd Place:
Chef Alex Salgado representing the Embassy of Colombia
Dish: Coconut Shrimp with Pancetta and Heart of Palm Ceviche.
The culinary showdown also added two new awards to the Embassy Chef Challenge: Best Beverage and Best Dressed. I was so happy to see that my favorite drink of the night, the Drunken Bajan Lemonade, created by mixologist Philip Antoine and Chef Creig Greenidge won Best Beverage! I instantly felt like I was in Barbados when I took my first sip.
Best Beverage Award Winner:
Mixologist Philip Antoine and Chef Creig Greenidge representing Embassy of Barbados for their Drunken Bajan Lemonade
Best Dressed Award Winner:
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco
Although they didn’t win, my favorite dessert of the night came from the Embassy of Belgium. Chef Dries Molkens presented an incredibly unique dessert, created with raspberries, white chocolate, and strawberries with a basil dressing. This dessert made me want to incorporate basil into more of my desserts at home.
The Tenth Anniversary Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge presented by TCMA and Cultural Tourism DC was a success! All of the chefs who participated in the event created impeccable dishes that showcased unique flavors from their home countries. I wish we could eat foods prepared by these embassy chefs all the time! Until next year…
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