Garnering three gold, one silver, and one bronze awards, Lemery Colleges (LC) claimed its first overall championship title in the college division during the 13th Batangas Food and Beverage Exposition (BAFBEX) held at the De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) Sentrum, Oct. 15 to 16.
In an interview with Jennalyn Richardson, the LC BS Hospitality Management Program Coordinator, shared that their win was unexpected as they only sought to acquaint their students with BAFBEX.
“This is our third year participating in BAFBEX, and our only goal is […] to expose our students to this kind of competitions, but we never really expected [that] we will be overall [champions] for this year,” added Richardson.
In addition, LC BS Tourism Management and Maritime Hospitality Services Program Coordinator Jennefer Presto mentioned the challenges they faced during training as the first-time competitors were not personally coached due to their seniors’ on-the-job training.
“We cannot give any messages or […] additional coaching for our students […] since we are onboard [with our other students’ OJT]. And […] since our students are first-timers, […] they have that kind of nervousness during the competition,” said Presto.
With the theme “Paggunita sa Tradisyong Batangueño, Pagsulyap sa Lutuing Makabago,” BAFBEX 13 Executive Chairperson Deanna Patriz Nitro mentioned that this year’s expo centered on a challenging concept yet to be explored–Modern Filipino.
“Nag-check kami sa lahat ng previous BAFBEX events, and wala pang nagta-try ng Modern Filipino, so we challenged ourselves. […] kasi it’s a combination of modern and […] yung older history ng Filipinos,” Nitro said.
As the event was nearly cancelled due to rising flu-like symptoms at DLSL, Nitro expressed her gratitude that their two-year long preparations for the exposition were not in vain.
“We [were] informed […] na magkakaroon ng cancellation of classes due to an infectious disease […] and […] hindi na matutuloy ang event, but thankfully, na-push through s’ya with the help of our heads,” said Nitro.
Gathering eight colleges across CALABARZON, the event opened with Cake and Cupcake Decorating, Food Styling and Photography, Quiz Bee, and Menu Planning and Costing contests, as well as Knife Skills, Food Carving, and Modern Filipino dance competitions the succeeding day.
All event proceeds will be allocated to the Herencia De La Salle, a scholarship program that supports Lasallian students.
