‘Next Top Chef will also help in marketing NMI’

Empty Vessel Ministry Foundation director Rose Smith, fifth right, joins members of the organizing committee, composed of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands and EVM members, of the CNMI Next Top Chef for a group photo. (Jon Perez)

Organizers of the this year’s CNMI’s Next Top Chef is looking to have the winner serve as a representative of the Commonwealth in various international events, which in turn would also help in marketing the islands and attract more tourists.

Empty Vessel Ministry Foundation has organized the annual event for the past three years supported by local businesses. However, for the fourth edition, they will be partnering with the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands.

EVM director Rose Smith said that they plan to have the winner also supporting their various programs and activities. “This is our fourth annual competition and it has been a fundraising event for Empty Vessel.”

“This will be our first year to partner with HANMI after coming to an agreement with them. With HANMI we are able to realize our dream of doing a better competition,” said Smith, who added that the Marianas Visitors Authority will also be involved.

She said the competition also serves as EVM’s fundraising event. “We are so honored in partnering with HANMI, which made it into a fundraiser to support our programs and activities.”

“The chefs sharing their skills for a good cause makes us happy. The winner will represent our organization and will advocate its activities. It is also our wish that the winner will be sent off-island to market the CNMI aside from advocating what our organization does,” said Smith.

Catherine Rosario Perry Harris, who spoke in HANMI’s behalf, said they would like to help in making the competition one of the hotel group’s signature events. “It is something that we want to continue to do with them and HANMI is happy for the opportunity.”

“HANMI was supposed to celebrate its 30th anniversary last year but it got cancelled because of Typhoon Soudelor. Now this will be the 31st, Empty Vessel approached us if we could help in hosting the event. We saw it is a good opportunity to support and celebrate our 31st anniversary.”

Event organizers are still working on the details of the competition, but it will be open to all professional and amateur chefs, who will be competing in separate categories. “We may able to finalize the other details in another meeting next week,” said Harris.

The competition was supposedly set on Sept. 24 at the Pacific Islands Club, but they moved it to a still undetermined date in November, but this time at a bigger venue—the Saipan World Resort.

Organizers said it will be an extra ordinary culinary evening as each hotel chef will be asked to prepare a dish that will be part of the regular buffet and another that will be prepared on site. They added that Kagman High School’s culinary class students would be assisting the chefs.

Best Sunshine International, Ltd., Bridge Capital LLC, Triple J, Mariana Resort & Spa, IT&E, and KKMP are the other sponsors and partners of the competition.