Bay Area Fil-Am Chef Charleen Cabaay of Kainbigan Restaurant recently won the New Year’s Eve edition of Food Network’s cooking competition show “Chopped”. Chef Charleen showcased inventive Filipino dishes using surprise ingredients to win a cash prize of $10,000. News story from ABS-CBN News.
Born in the Philippines, Cris Comerford (U.S. FWN100™ '12, Global FWN100™ '14) attended the food-technology program at the University of the Philippines and began her career as a “salad girl” in Chicago hotels. In 2005 she beat over 450 applicants vying for the Executive White House Chef position during the Bush administration.
Cris Comerford (Global FWN100™ '13) broke the glass ceiling for women chefs when she became the first woman and first Filipino to hold the coveted title of executive chef of the White House. With increased opportunities abroad and the culinary school boom (led by prestigious French cooking institution Le Cordon Bleu) in the Philippines, it's likely that we'll see more rockstar Filipina chefs like Cris heading kitchens and satisfying palettes across the world.
