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Sablan is 2017 SPAM cookoff winner
Spam Cookoff judges Marilyn Marron of D&Q, Jose Tenorio of Joeten Susupe, and Glen Policare of Kanoa Resort pose with the winners and participants of 2017 Spam Cookoff held last June 10, 2017, at Joeten Susupe. (BEA CABRERA)
The 3rd SPAM Cookoff was held last June 10 at Joeten Susupe, with Sonnie Sablan walking away with the top prize after besting five other participants.
In fact, one of the judges, Glenn Policare of Kanoa Resort, now has a more nuanced understanding of what can be made with SPAM.
“I was blown away by the variety of the dishes presented to us. My impression of SPAM has always been served at breakfast and nothing extravagant like this,” he said.
Sablan, who impressed the judges with his SPAM shrimp pesto, said: “I wanted to try something different so I did pesto spaghetti. I cut the SPAM to look like noodles, made homemade pesto sauce, heavy cream and shrimps. I then threw them all together and partnered the dish with garlic cheese bread.
Second placer Gary Sword was no less impressive, with his Island Smoke concoction that blew the judges away.
“I smoked and barbecued a whole can of SPAM and mixed it with smoked marlin, coconut milk, and cilantro,” he said.
Third place went to Jean Ballesteros, who presented judges with a stylized SPAM Poke. “I love poke, but instead of using fish, I used SPAM and my kids instantly liked it.”
The winners took home cash prizes and their recipes will be archived by D&Q, which is the distributor of SPAM in the CNMI.
“The SPAM Cookoff is a partnership with Joeten in the celebration of their 68th anniversary. This is the third time we partnered with Joeten. The first was during their 65th anniversary, the second was the opening of the Joeten Superstore and now Joeten’s 68th anniversary,” said Marilyn Marron, sales manager for D&Q Saipan and Pacific Islands.
Marron said that SPAM is considered the islands’ steak, an everyday dish on the islands. “Yet it’s something else when it is cooked creatively,” she added.
Marron said the recipes they got from the entries will be used to promote different ways and means on how to cook SPAM.
Jose Tenorio, supermarket manager of Joeten Susupe, said, “We are really happy with the turnout today and we are looking forward to another event like this.”
