For the fourth consecutive year, the global technology and payment processing company MasterCard will provide two students of gastronomy and culinary arts the opportunity to measure their talents and compete to obtain the first prize of the MasterCard Student Food Challenge. This initiative, developed by MasterCard, is part of its sponsorship of the gastronomic event Saborea Puerto Rico: A Culinary Extravaganza and seeks to promote the talent of future chefs on the island and expose them to this priceless professional experience.
It is important to note that this year MaterCard has made an alliance with Plaza las Américas, where the competition will be held Monday, March 31, starting at 11:00 a.m. The event will take place at the atrium right in from of the Puma store. That day, the two selected students will prepare their dishes live, after, a tasting of their dishes will follow. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship and second place will receive a pre-paid MasterCard card valued at $500. The winner will receive their prize and the priceless experience of participating with one of the guest chefs during the activities at Saborea Puerto Rico, to be held from the 3rd to the 6th of April, 2014 at El Escambrón, San Juan.
The finalists that will meet face during competition are students from Universidad del Este and the Escuela Hotelera de San Juan. At the moment, participants are being evaluated and selected by their teachers and mentors, who will determine who will represent them in the competition. Meanwhile, the jury shall consist of a renowned chef, representatives of MasterCard, Plaza las Americas, the Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association, and food and service industry professionals. The judges will evaluate the creativity, presentation and taste of the dishes made by the students. As a requirement for the competition, the future chefs will have to use as one of their main ingredients a typical Puerto Rican product. In addition, this year’s competition will feature an additional component, the votes from the public present at the event. The popular vote will then be added to the vote of the jury to determine the highest score and announce the winner.
“This competition gives students a truly priceless culinary arts experience as it exposes them to industry professionals and hundreds of people who will evaluate their talent. Also, part of MasterCard’s commitment is promoting the growth of the gastronomic sector, which undoubtedly encourages the Puerto Rican economy” explained Manuel Cathedral, MasterCard manager for Puerto Rico. “This year we wanted to give a new twist to the competition and give the public the opportunity to vote and participate in the event and what better way than at Plaza las Americas, the center of everything, to achieve the objective of the program,” said Cathedral.
Saborea Puerto Rico: A Culinary Extravaganza will be held on April 4, 5 and 6 at the beach at El Escambrón. It has support from MasterCard, who for seven consecutive years has been the exclusive credit card of the event. MasterCard cardholders can enjoy preferential access and other unique benefits during the event, including a $15.00 off the price of each ticket when purchased with MasterCard credit or debit cards.
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