La Flamme Bleue Wins Silver at the First One Pampanga Culinary Cup

LFB Editorial Team

Oct 8

6 min read

La Flamme Bleue Center for Culinary Arts, the award-winning culinary school in Tuguegarao, won a Silver Award (2nd place) in the Modern Kapampangan Cuisine category at the inaugural One Pampanga Culinary Cup, its second competition podium of 2026. The competition was held on 16 to 17 September 2026 at SM City Clark. Chef Dianne Camayang and Chef Kris Umblas were the only team from Region II among 12 competing teams. Both teach the 12-month Diploma in Culinary Arts.

Kapampangan cuisine's home is Pampanga. So when two chef instructors from Tuguegarao entered the Modern Kapampangan Cuisine category at the inaugural One Pampanga Culinary Cup in September 2026, they knew exactly what they were walking into: Kapampangan chefs, Kapampangan judges, and a Kapampangan crowd at SM City Clark.

Despite that, they proved their creativity and versatility by securing second place. For La Flamme Bleue (LFB), Region II's only dedicated culinary arts school, the result adds a regional title to the national results the school's instructors won at the Philippine Food Expo in April. Here is how an award-winning culinary school in Tuguegarao earned its place on Pampanga's podium.

What Did La Flamme Bleue Win at the One Pampanga Culinary Cup 2026?

Award: Silver Award (2nd place)
Category: Modern Kapampangan Cuisine, one of eight competition categories
Event: the first One Pampanga Culinary Cup, 16 to 17 September 2026, The Event Centre, SM City Clark, Pampanga
Team: Chef Dianne B. Camayang and Chef Kristopher (Kris) T. Umblas, competing as a pair
Coach: Chef Martin Bower, Academic Director of La Flamme Bleue Tuguegarao
Field: 12 teams of schools, hotels, restaurants and caterers, including Holy Angel University, Park Inn by Radisson Clark and Best Western Metro Clark Plus Hotel

The One Pampanga Culinary Cup opened a week of culinary events in Clark, staged with the support of the Clark Development Corporation to raise the profile of Kapampangan cooking nationally. Certificates were presented on 17 September 2026.

Why Was Kapampangan Cuisine Such a Hard Test for a Team From Region II?

Of the 12 teams in the category, La Flamme Bleue was the only one from outside Pampanga, and the only one from Region II. The judges were Kapampangan chefs too. Chef Dianne and Chef Kris describe the pressure plainly:

"We knew some Kapampangan dishes, but we did not have the same level of exposure and familiarity with the cuisine as the local chefs. We had to be very careful with the flavours, ingredients, techniques, and traditions we used, because we were presenting the cuisine in front of people who were deeply familiar with it."

They also had very little time. "Honestly, we didn't expect how busy we would be, so we only had two weeks to prepare," they explain. Week one was research: documentaries, food vlogs, and a study of Kapampangan ingredients, traditional dishes and cooking techniques. Week two was R&D and practice, tweaking flavour, texture, technique and presentation until the three dishes worked as one menu.

What Was on the Plate? The Three Dishes Behind the Silver Award

The team built a menu to show three sides of Kapampangan cooking: one smoky and traditional, one reworked with classical technique, and one kept close to its heritage form.

Pulutok sa Ensaladang Pako

Pulutok was chosen for its traditional fire cooking and smoky character. The team modernised it by serving it in crisp rice kropek cups with ensaladang pako (fiddlehead fern salad), tomato and shallot in a sweet vinaigrette, finished with a salted egg yolk tuile.

Traditional Bringhe

Bringhe, the Kapampangan celebration rice, was kept closest to tradition to honour the cuisine's heritage and festive side: coconut-infused glutinous rice with chicken and vegetables, cooked in banana leaf and garnished with crisp adobo flakes.

Morcon Wellington

Morcon's rich, familiar flavours gave the team room to apply the classic Wellington technique. Kapampangan morcon was layered with a sisig-mushroom duxelles and encased in puff pastry, then served with morcon and spiced cream sauces, vinegar-poached shallots to cut the richness, and crisp sisig.

What Did the Judges Say?

According to the team, the judges rated their bringhe the best among the teams that prepared the dish, and noted how well the three plates complemented each other. They described the overall interpretation as unique and elevated while still true to tradition, and acknowledged that a team from Tuguegarao had executed and presented Kapampangan cuisine successfully.

Which Techniques Taught at LFB Made the Difference?

Asked which skill mattered most on the day, Chef Dianne and Chef Kris named two: laminated puff pastry for the Wellington, and the socarrat, the crisp caramelised rice crust, on the bringhe.

"These are also techniques we extensively teach at LFB, where we focus on proper technique, precision, and consistency. Being able to apply them successfully under competition pressure showed how strong technical foundations and hands-on training can translate directly into actual culinary performance."

Both appear in the LFB syllabus. Socarrat formation is taught in the Spanish cuisine module through Paella Valenciana, and puff pastry is part of the pastry work that also forms the Certificate in Pastry and Baking. The duxelles, the sauces and the vinegar-poached shallots draw on the classical French foundations students build from the first term.

How Did Chef Martin Bower Prepare the Team?

Chef Martin Bower, LFB Tuguegarao's Academic Director, coached Chef Dianne and Chef Kris for the competition. Chef Martin knows this stage from the other side of the pass: he won a Philippine Culinary Cup Silver Medal in 2016 as Executive Chef of Crimson Hotel Alabang, after a career across Marriott, Mercure and Swissotel properties in the UK and Asia.

From Kitchen Services to Medal-Winning Student Instructor

For Chef Kris, the Silver Award caps a remarkable year. He joined La Flamme Bleue in the school's kitchen services department, moved into culinary training, and now works as a student instructor while completing his own Diploma in Culinary Arts at LFB. In 2026 alone, while still a student, he has placed 2nd in Healthy Pasta at the Philippine Food Expo and 2nd in Modern Kapampangan Cuisine in Pampanga.

Chef Dianne leads the LFB instructor team. Earlier in 2026 she won Champion in PINASarap Breakfast at the Philippine Food Expo with her student Antonino Chua, defending the title La Flamme Bleue also won in 2025. Read the full story in La Flamme Bleue Claims Three Podiums at the Philippine Food Expo 2026.

La Flamme Bleue's 2026 Competition Record

Philippine Food Expo 2026 (national): Champion, PINASarap Breakfast (Chef Dianne Camayang with student Antonino Chua)
Philippine Food Expo 2026 (national): 2nd Place, Healthy Pasta (Chef Kris Umblas with student Richmond Mayo)
Philippine Food Expo 2026 (national): 2nd Place, Creative Filipino Dessert Platter (Chef Phoebie Santero with student Vincent Barizo)
One Pampanga Culinary Cup 2026 (regional): Silver Award (2nd place), Modern Kapampangan Cuisine (Chef Dianne Camayang and Chef Kris Umblas)

What Does This Mean for Aspiring Chefs in Cagayan Valley and Northern Luzon?

For students in Tuguegarao, Cagayan Valley and across Northern Luzon, the result answers a practical question: do the chefs at this school still cook at the level they teach? Twice in 2026, panels of outside judges have said yes. The instructors who earned these awards are the same people teaching every batch of the 12-month Diploma in Culinary Arts at La Flamme Bleue.

Asked what an aspiring culinary student should take from the result, Chef Dianne and Chef Kris put it this way:

"Unfamiliarity should never become a limitation. Learn the cuisine, respect its roots, master the fundamentals, and have the courage to step beyond what is familiar. Being a chef is not about where someone comes from."

After their training in Tuguegarao, LFB students go on to on-the-job training with partners including Gordon Ramsay Bar and Grill Philippines, Marriott Hotel Manila and Shangri-La Boracay. Meet the full team on the LFB instructors page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did La Flamme Bleue win at the One Pampanga Culinary Cup 2026?

A Silver Award (2nd place) in the Modern Kapampangan Cuisine category, won by Chef Dianne Camayang and Chef Kris Umblas at SM City Clark in September 2026.

Is La Flamme Bleue an award-winning culinary school in Tuguegarao?

Yes. In 2026 its instructors won Silver at the One Pampanga Culinary Cup plus three podiums at the Philippine Food Expo, including a back-to-back PINASarap Breakfast title.

Who competed for La Flamme Bleue at the One Pampanga Culinary Cup?

LFB Lead Culinary Instructor Chef Dianne Camayang and student instructor Chef Kris Umblas competed as a pair. Academic Director Chef Martin Bower coached the team.

What dishes won Silver in Modern Kapampangan Cuisine?

Pulutok sa Ensaladang Pako in rice kropek cups, a Traditional Bringhe, and a Morcon Wellington with sisig-mushroom duxelles.

Can students at La Flamme Bleue learn from award-winning chefs in 2026?

Yes. Chef Dianne and Chef Kris teach the 12-month Diploma in Culinary Arts at LFB in Tuguegarao, Cagayan Valley.

Train With an Award-Winning Culinary School in Tuguegarao

Reservations are open for upcoming Diploma in Culinary Arts batches. See the admissions requirements and steps, or request a call from our team to talk through schedules and fees. Congratulations, Chef Dianne and Chef Kris.