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Hyatt wins first place in junior chef competition
Participating chefs in the annual Chefs Competition last Saturday included, from left, Imperial Pacific Resort’s Shivji Sasidharan, Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Tony Agulto, Grandvrio Resort’s Richard Meimban, Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan’s Vicente Montoya, Kanoa Resort’s Sonny Encarnacion, and Mariana Resort and Spa’s Roding Domingo. (Erwin Encinares)
Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Tony Agulto placed first in the annual certified Angus beef Chefs Competition last Saturday during the final leg of the 19th Taste of the Marianas Festival at Garapan Fishing Base.
Agulto, 25, was guided by Hyatt executive sous chef Zenn Tomokane for the competition. He prepared a dish that revolved around local produce such as plantains, sweet potato, and breadfruit along with a mango vinegar rub made from scratch. Agulto cooked steak with a chip medley and a tomato and passion fruit salsa.
“It’s a local style dish and I wanted to show what you could do with the ingredients from the farmers market in Garapan,” he said.
Agulto’s dish was inspired by the flavors that were within his reach. “The idea to utilize local fruits and vegetables was mine and everybody’s idea from the beginning. [Everything] was local except for the steak,” he said.
Agulto has been with Hyatt for three years and has been in the industry for about six years already.
Agulto won $500 as first placer, Kanoa Resort’s Sonny Encarnacion, 24, won $300 as second placer, and Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan’s Vicente Montoya won $200 as third placer.
Judging the dishes were Iliana Pacheco of Triple J, Samantha Nuyda of iHop, and Ken Stewart, the “Guam Food Guy.” When it came to judging, Pacheco and Nuydan agreed that there were a few standouts in the group.
“All of them had good plating,” said Nuyda.
“All of them had different presentations with the beef and there are certainly a few chefs that stood out. A few chefs perfectly cooked it, melt-in-your-mouth goodness,” said Pacheco.
According to Stewart, Saipan has always been coming up with the most creative and original dishes.
“[The participants] knew what kind of meat they were working with, but everyone came up with something totally different, so I found it very difficult to judge because all of them were splendid,” he said.
Six hotels participated in the cookoff, including Imperial Pacific Resort, Mariana Resort and Spa, Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan, Kanoa Resort, Hyatt Regency Saipan, and Grandvrio Resort.
