The Dominican Republic was a finalist in the semifinal competition of the Global Chefs Challenge for the Americas.
Global Chefs Challenge is a culinary competition of the World Association of Chefs Societies, known as Worldchefs. The Americas semifinal, held in Chile, chose the competitors from the region who will go to the finals in Singapore in 2024.
The Dominican Republic was represented by three students and a professor from the Tourism and Gastronomy program of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM). In the junior category, the team composed of Carlos Galarza and Yelian Estévez came in second place. And in the senior category, the team of Martín López and Alejandro Aponte was the third finalist.
Upon announcing the results of this international competition, PUCMM chef professor and team coach, Alejandro Abreu, highlighted the importance of having achieved an outstanding participation in this international gastronomy competition because of the tourism potential it represents.
“This achievement as a team and as a university is incredible. It is the first time that the Dominican Republic attends this type of event and we are positioning ourselves at a level that allows us to continue growing and climbing steps, to promote and elevate our gastronomy to another level,” said Abreu.
In this competition, the young participants between the ages of 22 and 26 exhausted an arduous three-month training process, which included sessions with award-winning chef and coach George Castañeda, who was visiting the country to share his experiences with PUCMM students.
Abreu noted that the competition was a hard day, with little sleep. “There wasn’t even time to eat, preparing all of us for the big day, but it paid off. The work is hard, but it’s worth it,” the coach emphasized. The competition was held in Santiago, Chile, from May 23 to 26.
Source: listindiario.com
