Melo Villareal
Last week, I was invited by Asian Food Channel for the grand launch of their newest Travel and Culinary Show. Together with other foodie bloggers, members of the tri-media, Department of Tourism Officials, AFC officials and other guests, we sampled some of the Philippines most famous dishes according to region.
Amazing Food Challenge first episode
On March 11, 2014 Tuesday at 9pm, the Asian Food Channel (AFC) will premiere its latest original production, Amazing Food Challenge: Fun in the Philippines – their newest Culinary and Travel Show. The show was produced in collaboration with the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, the 13-part series will be broadcasted regionally across 12 territories in Asia.
In this Culinary and Travel Show, 10 individuals from all over the world was carefully selected by Asian Food Channel to travel across the Philippines and compete for USD 50,000 worth of prizes! Waiting for them is a set of tough physical and culinary challenges – from living with the indigenous natives to dishing up unfamiliar regional Filipino cuisines!
Contestants and the Host (at the middle)
Who will rise up to the challenge and become the first ever winner of the Amazing Food Challenge?
On the first episode, host Sherson Lian and the ten talented individuals visited Ilocos, the oldest surviving Spanish colonial city in the country. After a brief introduction by Sherson, the challengers are handed their first culinary challenge!
To truly understand the local flavors of Ilocos, they are tasked to replicate one of the region’s most popular street dishes. While it seems simple, the technique behind the dish is definitely much trickier than one would think!
At the end of the episode, one challenger will be eliminated from The Amazing Food Challenge. Who will it be?
Contestants in front of Paoay Church
Amazing Food Challenge: Fun in the Philippines travel and cooking reality show follows the journey of 10 intrepid contestants as they travel across the Philippines to compete for USD50,000 worth of prizes. Throughout their adventure, the contestants will encounter grueling physical and culinary challenges inspired by the Philippines’ dishes, culture, traditions and landscape.
Overseeing the culinary challenges will be Sherson, as well as the program’s resident judge, Chef Rolando Laudico, who is one of the most recognizable names in the Filipino culinary scene today. In each region visited, Sherson and Chef Laudico will also be joined by an expert guest judge who helps to assess the contestants’ performances. Those who underperform will be eliminated until three top contestants remain to compete for the grand prize.
For more information on the program, please visit www.asianfoodchannel.com/afcfoodchallenge following the premiere on 11 March 2014 for episodic synopses and trailers, contestant bios, experience diary entries, as well as photos. Viewers can also participate in contests and quizzes on www.facebook.com/AsianFoodChannel and stand win to their dream trip to the Philippines!
In the Philippines, you can watch it at SkyCable Channel 22, Dream Satellite TV Channel 27 and Cignal Channel 26. Go to www.asianfoodchannel.com for more information.
