Lifestyle Network's First Filipino Celebrity Chef Is?

Lifestyle Network's The Clash of the Toque-en Ones has a winner! 

Who were you rooting for: Chef Sharwin Tee or Restauranteur Portia Baluyut? 


I'm a big Lifestyle Network fan and I can actually watch that channel the entire day without getting bored. 


However, it's also frustrating that in country filled with great food, we don't have our own Lifestyle Network celebrity chef. Our current own Lifestyle Network shows aren't really up to par with the foreign shows of the channel. 


I was so excited then when Lifestyle Network decided to run its own search for the First Filipino Celebrity Chef, "Clash of the Toque-en Ones." I was rooting for Chef Giney of Adarna Food & Culture but she sadly didn't make it to the final round. 


However, the top 2 contenders, Sharwin Tee and Portia Baluyut  also have the makings of a great celebrity chef. Just to refresh everyone's memories, here are their demo videos:


Watching these videos, I can't help but feel that both Portia and Sharwin have come a long way. So I was so ecstatic when I found free time to watch the Final Showdown of the Clash of the Toque-en Ones in Rockwell Tent yesterday. 

To start off the show, the four other "Toque-en Ones" were also called to the stage for recognition: Restauranteur Tina Pamintuan, Chef Francis Lim and Restauranteur Deanne Montoya and Chef Giney Villar. (Hi Chef Giney!)

The final showdown was divided into 2 parts: A 1 Hour Cook-off and a 15 minute Cooking Show with a Partner Celebrity. 

For the 1st round, they were tasked to make a main course and a dessert using the secret ingredients: coconut milk and mangoes respectively. 

Chef Sharwin took a 15 minute lead ahead of Portia and cooked a Filipino inspired rolled pasta laing dish bathed in coconut milk and topped of with burnt cheese. For dessert, he created a sticky rice ball dessert on a caramel sauce with mango toppings. 

Portia's Sous Chef

Restauranteur Portia, on the other hand, created a rice meal topped off with fish and drenched in salsa with drizzles of coconut milk. To end her meal, she made a hubad na suman with mango toppings. She impressed the crowd as she finished 15 minutes before her time was over. 

They were evaluated based on taste, technique, sanitation and presentation by well known chefs: Clash Chairman Chef Myrna Segismundo, Chef David Pardo de Ayala and two other chefs (sorry I didn't get all the names!).  

Both Sharwin and Portia's dishes tasted really good (at least that's what the chefs said since I didn't get to taste any) but both of them failed to use mangoes as the main ingredient in their dessert. 


Sharwin was also reminded to ensure the correct temperature for his pasta dish, while Portia was told to lessen the sugar of her salsa and use coconut milk as her main ingredient. 

For the 2nd round, our contenders were paired with a celebrity for their 15 minute cooking show. On this round, not only were they judged based on their technical skill but also on their visual appeal. Hence, two other ABS-CBN executives joined in to judge. 


Sharwin went first as he hosted his Kitchen Emergency with Phoemela Baranda. With Phoemela's famous "It looks good!" and "Yummy!", Sharwin was able to whip up a simple salad with a bagoong based dressing in under 15 minutes. He's a natural host and he cracked up the crowd with his "secret celebrity chef quick vegetable chopping technique." 


Portia, on the other hand, was paired with the handsome Rovilson Fernandez for her Rustic Heart cooking show. (first Mark Nelson, now Rovilson Fernandez? Yummy week!) With her family's permission, she shared her Lola's secret salad recipe and she made sure that Rovilson was busy in the kitchen with her. She did a great job and she was even likened to the famous Rachel Ray. She finished her segment in under 6 minutes. 

In the end, both of them did a fantastic job and showed great potential to be Lifestyle Network's First Filipino Celebrity Chef. However, only one could be the winner and our first Celebrity Chef is none other than Chef Sharwin! 


Yaaaay! Kiwee and I were also part of Team Sharwin but we were too shy to scream since his friends had banners and all. His friends actually came in late but they arrived just in time to to cheer for Sharwin as he received his award. 


Portia's side of the room was strong all throughout and they were all in pink. Even her boyfriend was in pink! Now that's what you call great moral support. :)


So watch out, Chef Sharwin will be hosting his own TV show on 2011. He's signed up for a total of 10 episodes and I can't wait to catch a glimpse of our own celebrity chef. I hope his show will be up to par with the other shows of Lifestyle Network. I believe Chef Sharwin's cooking and hosting skills can pull it off, so I hope the editing will be just as polished. 

Just to end this entry, I want to thank my friend Kiwee for staying with me throughout the show. We stayed there from 3:45-9:45 PM. Crazy right? And to think it'll only be shown for a maximum of 1 hour on TV. 


Admittedly, the event could have been better managed since there was too much dead air and waiting time. There were a lot of boo-boos as well, given that it was open to the public. But Sharwin and Portia made the event worth it. They're both amazing cooks and I'm looking forward to eating in Portia's restaurant, Isabelo, and watching Sharwin's Lifestyle Network show. 


Philippines, we have our first Lifestyle Network Celebrity Chef! 


~It's the little sweet notes everyday that matter. :)~