WangFu resident chef brings home an international culinary victory

MANILA, Philippines – There was once a time when Elmar Ruelo worked as a dishwasher in local restaurants. He worked his way up the ranks and eventually found himself under the mentorship of several Hong Kong and Singaporean master chefs. 

Years later, Elmar is not just a chef but a bemedalled one – the resident chef of WangFu for over 6 years, Elmbar recently scored a Bronze Medal Award in the prestigious Lee Kum Kee International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge (LKKIYCCC), held in Hong Kong back in September 2018. 

“It is a great honor for me to bring home the Bronze Medal as the competition was very fierce,” he said. “This is not just a victory for myself and for WangFu, but for the Philippines as well. This inspires me to do better in my craft as we at WangFu continue to serve high-quality and authentic Singaporean-Chinese cuisine to every Filipino food lover.”

The two-day event gathered 42 aspiring young chefs from 17 countries around the world, with each chosen competitor labeled as their home country’s own multi-awarded culinary elite. 

The Iron Chef-like challenge was for Chef Elmar to create a Chinese dish using a secret ingredient only revealed to him on the day of the competition. Lo and behold, his winning original dish – Stir-Fried Chicken with Plum and Oyster Sauce – cooked in just 90 minutes and only with Lee Kum Kee sauces and condiments, blew the judging panel away. 

WangFu, founded by director Lester Pimentel-Ong, currently has 7 branches around Metro Manila. -Rappler.com