DUMAGUETE CITY, Oct. 2 (PIA) — Over P70,000 is up for grabs for local culinary talents who will join the Lutong Garbo competition in Negros Oriental’s Buglasan Festival on October 19 at the Provincial Agriculturist Office, along the North national Highway, this city.

The Lutong Garbo Committee continues to accept entries from different local government units (LGUs) in the province after Committee Chair Sylvia Uy declared that the cooking contest be reset to October 19 instead of October 12. 

The move aimed to give ample time for competitors from LGUs and other institutions to join and prepare for the contest. 

Winners for this competition will receive P10,000 for the 1st  prize;  P7,000 for 2nd prize; and the 3rd placer will get P5,000 plus a trophy each. 

A consolation prize of P2,5000 in cash and certificates of appreciation will be awarded by the Lutong Garbo Competition committee to non-winning participants. 

Uy said the food festival promotes Negros Oriental’s native cuisine in celebration with the Buglasan Festival which showcases what the province has to offer to tourists.

The Lutong Garbo is open to all Negrenses who are duly endorsed by the local executives or head of an institution.  

The contestant is required to cook a recipe good for ten persons.

All participants must wear appropriate white cooking attire with hair bonnet and provide his/her own cooking utensils and equipment.  

These will be inspected including the ingredients before cooking time.

The main dish or recipe entry must feature ingredients indigenous to the area represented as part of the criteria of the contest.

The use of ingredients such as monosodium glutamate, canned goods, imported products, and artificial seasonings are not allowed. 

Contestants are given 30 minutes to prepare, marinate, and set up ingredients and an hour to cook and present each main dish.

Food preparation will be judged based on the following criteria: palatability, 30 percent; 40 percent for originality; 10 percent for texture; 10 percent for dish presentation; and 10 percent for cost of the dish.  (rmn/JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)