Armed with their cooking skills and fueled by their passion for food, a cooking enthusiast and a culinary student bested other finalists on the most exciting culinary competition to date, “The Next Cusina Idol Cook-Off Challenge,” hosted by Melawares, the popular high-quality melamine tableware, and Urban Kitchen, the complete restaurant and food service solution.

Mercedita Madrona bagged the title in the Cooking Enthusiasts Division with her innovative fish recipe, Adobo Marinated Hito in Sisig Wraps, while Kimberly Jane Solejon emerged victorious in the Culinary Students Division after serving her winning dish Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast with Chinese Sausage Stuffing.

As the “Cusina Idol” champions, each winner received a total of P250,000 worth of kitchen showcase from Melawares, Perfect Dining, Bestware or Urban Kitchen. Meanwhile, the other finalists went home with P25,000 worth of kitchen showcase.

Serving as their cooking arena was the Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy in Pasig City, where other gastronomic dishes were featured. In the Cooking Enthusiasts Division, finalists whipped up Fish Tortilla with Mom's Most Requested Salad, Escalope Sea Bass with Celeriac Puree and Red Wine Sauce, Pan Seared Tuna with Cream Cheese, Tomato and Squash, and Crispy Fish Nest with Hoisin Chili Fillings. Finalists in the Culinary Students Division, on the other hand, brought to the table Pancetta-Wrapped Chicken Breast with Brussels sprouts and Mashed Roasted Squash, and Cheesy Chicken Tarts.

The Cusina Idols finalists were asked to cook and present their star dishes on the spot within one hour, and were judged based on the taste of their dishes (50 percent), cleanliness and preparation (20 percent), and plating and presentation (30 percent).

Before advancing to the final round, the competitors underwent a rigorous preliminary round, after purchasing P500.00-worth of Melawares, Bestware, Perfect Dining, and Urban Kitchen products and filling out an online contest registration found at the Melawares Cusina Club Facebook page.

Each contest participant was required to cook one original main entrée dish choosing between fish and chicken. Using Melawares, Perfect Dining, Bestware or Urban Kitchen products for the final plating, they took photos of their entries and posted it to the Melawares Cusina Club Facebook page. Winners were chosen based on the plating, cleanliness and preparation, and number of Facebook shares.

“It is no secret that Filipinos are foodies at heart, with some of our best chefs making waves at the international food industry. However, while the culinary talents of our Filipino cooks are unquestionable, food presentation poses a challenge to most. Fortunately, Melawares and our other lines are now making it easier to serve not only genuinely delicious food, but beautiful and appetizing-looking as well. With the Cusina Idol Cook-Off Challenge, we are excited to see the best and brightest culinary stars in the Philippines,” said Chriselda Chua, Marketing Manager of CDC Manufacturing Corporation, makers of popular tablewares brand Melawares and other quality tableware since 1969.   

From a company that sourced its products through importation, CDC Manufacturing Corporation now carries four brands, namely, Melawares, the classic brand that carries high-quality melamine tableware products, Bestware, its affordable line of tableware products, Urban Kitchen, the company’s modern brand that carries food service products outside of melamine tableware, and Perfect Dining, the company’s exclusive brand for the SM chain that carries high-end melamine products, on top of being the leading manufacturer of customized dinnerware for Quick Service Restaurants serving the biggest names in the food industry.

For more information about the Cusina Idol Cook-Off Challenge, visit www.melawares.com.

Thank you for always being here amazing peeps! Hope it wouldn't take much of your time if I'd ask you to

When it comes to serving healthy meals for your family, using safe and quality tableware is almost as important as the quality of food you put in it. It would be futile to spend time, effort, and money in cooking a nutritious feast if the plates and bowls you serve it with contain dangerous chemicals that can seep into the food, harming your family's health.

The importance of serving a completely safe and nourishing meal for the family is highlighted more than ever. CDC Manufacturing, the makers of Melawares, Perfect Dining, and Urban Kitchen, is at the forefront of educating mothers on the role of safe tableware in ensuring complete nutrition.

"When it comes to making healthy food choices for the family, investing in safe tableware is equally important. Because mothers are commonly the most involved in the process of preparing and serving every meal that goes on the table, we hope to arm them with this knowledge," CDC Manufacturing Marketing Manager Chriselda Chua said.

In making sure that its melamine tableware is made of premium quality and safe for the family, Melawares only uses imported and 100 percent melamine in each of its products. Other plastic tableware, on the other hand, may use urea -- a material of substandard quality. "Why is melamine considered safer than urea? When melamine sets, it does not migrate to or contaminate the food that we eat, while urea mixes with the food and may cause health hazards particularly in the digestive and respiratory systems," Chua explained.

Apart from being safer, melamine is also durable and resistant to stains and heat unlike urea, which is vulnerable to stains, less durable and less heat-resistant. "Serving hot food with substandard plastic tableware may cause it to chip or melt and become deformed, " Chua added.

With more than 30 years’ experience in designing and producing outstanding tableware for the home, office and commercial food service establishments, CDC Manufacturing Corporation has built a solid reputation in safety, quality and durability.

To further generate awareness on the importance of safe tableware for the family, the company is conducting the "Mommy and Me" mall tour series at different parts of the country. In partnership with ELBA Philippines, San Miguel Purefoods, Monterey, Magnolia, Nestle Maggi and SM Homeworld, the "Mommy and me" event is packed with activities that foster bonding time between moms and kids. The event features a cooking demonstration for easy-to-prepare recipes for both moms and kids.

Moms can also spend time at the face painting station with their kids and have matching face decor. There is also a Vintage Party Station set up for little girls who want to play tea time. Kids can also unleash their creativity in designing their own plates in the Design Your Own Plate Station. The winning design will get produced and the winner will get to have his / her own set of the design. And, since bonding moments will not be complete without keepsakes, guests can visit the fun photo booth station, ready to take the best mommy and me shot!

CDC Manufacturing Corporation's mall tour series is set to visit SM branches and various locations in Batangas, Laguna, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos. To know more about their events and activities, simply like Melawares Cusina Club and Urban Kitchen Philippines on Facebook.