Cavendish banana, top item in culinary contest

PANABO CITY, Davao del Norte  (Nov. 4)- Banana Cavendish became the primary ingredient during the Binulig Culinary Open Contest held last October 30, 2014 at the ARF Gym, Barangay New Pandan. The event was attended by nine schools in the Davao Region including Gabriel Taborin of Davao and STI Tagum.

The contest also included table skirting, table set-up, floral arrangements, and table napkin folding giving relevance to the festival theme, “Mabuligong abot, bunga sa nagkahiusang paningkamot. (Bountiful harvest, the fruit  of our united labor)”

Other participants were Hotel  and Restaurant Management students from University of Mindanao (UM), ACES Polytechnic College, and NorthLink Technological College (NLTC) while the secondary school category participants were A.O. Floreindo National High School, Little Panay NHS, Panabo NHS, and San Vicente NHS.

After hours of preparation, STI Tagum took home the first prize award besting other colleges. For the high school level, A.O. Floirendo’s dish attracted the judges which made it win the grand prize.

Meanwhile, the Bartending and Flairing took place using Cavendish banana as their concoction for the drinks.

According to  Dizon Namuag, president of the City Tourism Council, Banana is a good source of fiber and it is rich in potassium. Because of its flavor and health benefits, it has become a part of the cooking tradition in Filipino homes like grilled banana or ginanggang.

On October 27 Monday, the Binulig Culinary Contest Council of Women Edition had 12 participating barangays competing. The winning entree was the stuffed banana bell peppers of Barangay New Pandan while the Indigenous People chose to make a kakanin, Banana with sticky rice.

The holding of the contest was spearheaded by the Local Government Unit led by Mayor Jose L.Silvosa through the Chairman of the Committee on Tourism Hon. Renante Bangoy and the City Tourism and Investment Promotion Section (TIPS).

Panabo City is known to be one of the largest producers of export quality fresh Cavendish bananas. It is labeled as the Banana Capital of Southern Mindanao because of its natural fertile soil and tropical climate.  (CIO, Panabo City/MR)