Tayag brings honor to PH

Claude Tayag is the world’s best chef? Food lovers from all nations who recently gathered in Washington D.C. seem to think so.

Tayag just this May 25 won for the Philippine Embassy the People’s Choice Award at the 8th Annual Embassy Chef Challenge in Washington D.C. Woohoo!

It was the first time the Philippines joined the competition, yet Tayag’s “Flavors of the Philippines” entry was an astounding hit.

The Philippines joined with the general theme “Flavors of the Philippines,” which is in fact a joint project of the Philippine Embassy, Philippine Trade and Investment Center and Office of the Agriculture Attaché in Washington DC.

To bring out the best of Philippine flavors, Tayag cooked bringhe, a classic Pampango delicacy.

“I was required to use Filipino ingredients available in the United States, especially heirloom rice and bangus. So I thought of bringhe because it is a fiesta rice dish. And while it is popular in Pampanga using chicken, it is also popular in Bulacan using seafood. It is very flexible, like paella,” he says.

There was also the challenge of presenting “the flavors of the Philippines.”

Tayag recalls, “I tried to incorporate flavors from different regions in that one bite. The result was a symphony of sour, sweet, salty, bitter, garlicky and linamnam (umami). But my secret ingredient—some don’t know—was taba ng talangka (crab fat).”

Wife Maryann Quioc shares: “Claude Tayag called it bringhe, though very unlike the bringhe that we know… The method of cooking is the same with some ingredients changed. He wanted to use Philippine ingredients from different regions that are available and sold in the United States to help promote our Philippine products: Cordillera glutinous black rice, Bulacan bangus, Bicol pili, Cebu dried mangoes, Pampanga talangka… Like the traditional bringhe, the rice was slow cooked in coconut milk and topped with bell peppers. The banana leaves were also heated to give the smoky nice flavor.”

Tayag’s bringhe bested the entries of 17 other embassies in the People’s Choice category.

The results were compiled through social media and hard copy ballot voting.

Chef Craig Greenridge, representing the Embassy of Barbados, took home the Judges’ Choice Award.

Of course it also helped that Pinoy New Yorker Enzo Lim joined in the fun and paired the bringhe with a mix of Philippine rhum, kalamansi, ginger and pineapple.

Tayag, humble man that he is, credits the win to all Filipinos and the current global trend of appreciating Filipino food.

“We have conquered the world with our cuisine,” says Tayag, after winning the award, “I really think it is our decade. Philippine cuisine has crept into the mainstream.”

“Winning the People’s Choice Award is a nod to the world-class quality of our cuisine, its strong appeal to international palates, and of course, to the talent of Chef Claude and Enzo. With this achievement, we hope to bring our culinary diplomacy to even greater heights,” adds Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr.

So it isn’t just Anthony Bourdain who loves Tayag’s cooking.

Apparently, D.C. food lovers and Filipinos the world over love his cooking, too!

Yet Tayag remains ever so humble.

He continues to insist, “I’m not a chef. I’m just a kusinero.”

Well, to our beloved El Kusinero, hats off to you!

And congratulations to the Philippine embassy for successfully presenting to the world our beloved Philippine cuisine.

Claude Tayag’s winning bringhe will be available at 1956 Downtown Cafe by Bale Dutung. The Quad at Nepo Center, Plaridel St. cor. Francis St., Angeles, Pampanga. Call 0917-5359198. Visit baledutung.com.

More from the author at margauxlicious.com. Follow @margauxsalcedo on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.