San Ignacio Resort Hotel’s 1st Signature Dish Cook-Off

On January 22nd 2014, San Ignacio Resort Hotel decided to try out something new. In order to have a little fun (a lot actually!) and foster creativity, San Ignacio Resort Hotel introduced the 1st Signature Dish Cook-Off competition to test our kitchen staff’s cooking talents!

All competitors, 6 in total, were given a balance of BZ$25 to buy all additional ingredients, and 30 minutes to prepare and cook their signature dish (talk about cooking under pressure!). However, this time constraint did not place a burden on our kitchen staff… who were visibly excited about this surprise contest and speedy as can be—rushing from one extreme to the other.

We have to say, the outcome was DELICIOUS! Literally. All dishes had a unique taste  that were very much different from each other. Our Kitchen Manager, Mareli Bedran, says that this Cook-Off, “Showed what the staff can do and their potential . . . they put their all into it.” 

As for the judging part, 4 judges were given 3 minutes to rate each dish contestant anonymously based on Cleanliness & Hygiene, Presentation & Appearance, Creativity & Originality, and Taste & Texture. It was not an easy task…in fact, they went through the voting process twice as they have difficulty deciding which one they liked best! In the end, the winner was Samuel Salam with an exquisite lobster dish called Lobster a la Mia: a blend of pan sautéed lobster drizzled with a mouthwatering cilantro garlic sauce, mashed coco with coconut milk, and sautéed vegetables on the side.

Samuel Salam’s Lobster a la Mia—the winning dish!

Craving this delicious dish? It’s your lucky season! Samuel’s Lobster a la Mia will be our featured specialty dish for the next few months. So c’mon over to San Ignacio Resort Hotel’s Running W Steakhouse and indulge on this delicious course.

Click here for a photo album of images from the 1st Signature Cook-Off