Previous Story
Powerhouse Kaneshi sisters bag another ‘Taste’ cookoff title
|
Posted on Sep 02 2021
Nataline Kaneshi Borlaine poses for a photo following her win during the 22nd annual Taste of the Marianas Escabeche cookoff last Friday. (KIMBERLY B. ESMORES)
The Kaneshi sisters—Nataline Kaneshi Borlaine and Mercilynn Kaneshi Palec—showed once more that they are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Taste of the Marianas cookoffs after bagging their third win last weekend.
Borlaine, the head chef, was the mastermind behind the duo’s winning Escabeche dish that left the judges wanting more. Her sister, Palec, served as her sous chef and support system throughout the competition.
When asked how she felt about bagging their third cookoff title, Borlaine said it was a shock, especially since she went up against veteran chef Samson Tan who has over 30 years of experience in his arsenal. Tan was named Borlaine’s runner up, followed by third place winner Smoked Out, and finally, Andrew Songsong in fourth place.
“I was really shocked. I beat my good friend and former co-worker. I’m so shocked because I honestly expected him to beat me,” she said.
When asked how she did it, Borlaine said she put a lot of her heart and soul into the dish as it has always been one of her favorites and was also one of her grandmother’s specialties.
“Escabeche is one of my favorite dishes and I taught myself how to cook it because it was something I really loved. My grandmother also made it all the time,” she said.
Palec said it wasn’t the pair’s first rodeo. In fact, together, the sisters took home the cookoff titles at the Taste of the Marianas 2017 and 2019 but, in the end, what matters is the bonding experience they share throughout the competitions.
“This isn’t [our] first time competing. We competed back in 2019 for the barbecue chicken competition and we won first place. We also competed for King of the Grill in 2017 and we won that as well. We’re used to winning. We do this yearly because we really enjoy it. It’s a sister-bonding experience,” said Palec.
Taking first place in the Kadun Pika competition was team Smoked Out, followed by Pika Me to Win, and completing the top three was Samson Tan.
Meanwhile in the bunelos eating competition, George Cabrera finished first place after consuming over two lbs of sweet potato bunelos. He was followed by Ramon Rejano and completing the top three was Regino Ben.
