Five San Antonio chefs to compete at inaugural Filipino Adobo Throwdown this Sunday

Fans of bold flavors can watch five chefs vie this Sunday to create the ultimate version of the Philippines' unofficial national dish at San Antonio's inaugural Adobo Throwdown Cooking Competition and Food Expo.

The event will feature an Iron Chef-style assessment of the chefs’ takes on Filipino adobo, which typically consists of meat or veggies marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns. The marinated goods are then browned and simmered in the resulting sauce.

If the word adobo sounds familiar, it’s likely because Texans are used to seeing it attached to Mexican and Spanish cuisine. According to food historians, Spanish colonists also used the term to describe the cooking method indigenous to the Philippines since the marinades were similar.

The competitors in the 2022 Filipino Adobo Throwdown are all from the Alamo City. They include:

• Chef Angelica Guzman of Kain Na Filipino Cuisine
  
• Chef Imelda Roberts of Sari-Sari Filipino Restaurant, Market and Bakery
  
• Chef Esperanza Robertson of Malabito Street Inc. Cha-a Teahouse and Catering
  
• Chef David Ritualo of Rock-N-RollsTx
  
• Chef Eulo Jimenez of Are’Cebu
  

The food expo part of the Adobo Throwdown will include vendors, kids' activities, dance and live music performances. All of the competing chefs are also vendors, so ticket holders have good chance of being able to taste the dishes that were part of the judging, event organizers said.

Both the contest and the expo will take place at the Schertz Civic Center, 1400 Schertz Parkway. Doors open at 10 a.m. and the main event begins at 1 p.m.

Proceeds from Adobo Throwdown tickets — available online for $10 — and merchandise will benefit the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce’s humanitarian campaigns.

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