CAC marks Christmas fest
The candidates of the Ms. Big & Beautiful Look
EVEN before Philippine bet and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach uttered the hashtag-worthy “confidently beautiful with a heart” answer that she gave in the final interview of the pageant, candidates at the Culinary Arts Centre’s (CAC) 10th Christmas Festival Competition showed how to be one.
CAC held its annual search for Ms. Popularity and Master Chef 2015 and its first Ms. Big & Beautiful Look (BBL) at the Regal Hongkong Hotel in Causeway Bay on December 13, 2015.
Kata was one the event’s sponsors, giving two units of i3s phone to the winner of Ms. Popularity and Ms. BBL. Hong Kong News was also among the event’s sponsors.
Besides showcasing the talents of CAC students, the event also raised funds to be donated to various church-based charities in the Philippines, said Chef Jay Dator, CAC Programme Director.
“The purpose of this pageant is for charities. We are raising funds for this. Down to the last centavo, ibibigay namin iyan sa lima o anim na charities in the Philippines,” Dator had previously said.
Another milestone for the event is that for the first time in its history, an Indonesian candidate – Trisusanti Nurul – has joined the search for Ms. Popularity. Nurul is a Hotel & Restaurant Management (Sunday) student at the CAC.
Elisa Angcaya, a Wedding Planning (Saturday) student, bagged the title of Ms. Popularity. First princess was Cherry Policarpio (Hotel & Restaurant Management,Sunday); second princess, Biscel Aspacio (Cakes & Icings, Sunday); third princess, Penafrancia Dichoso (Basic Baking, Sunday); and fourth princess, Hazel Ebuiza (Asian & Western, Sunday).
Candidates for Ms. Popularity showcased their talent while wearing costumes representing their CAC courses. Some wore dresses made of uncooked pasta noodles, while others danced with dresses made of baked bread, and icings, among others.
Arguably, the scene-stealers of the whole-day event were the candidates, all plus-sized women, for the Ms. BBL.
Before the event, Dator told Hong Kong News that the Ms. BBL search wants to show that plus-sized women need not feel unworthy of being called beautiful.
“It is not how big you are, but how you develop or how you present yourself . Ang mga Pilipina kahit na gaano sila kataba, maganda pa rin sila,” Dator had said.
Blossom Opina, an Agribusiness (Sunday) student was named Ms. BBL. First runner-up was Norma Sigua (Meat Processing, Sunday). Geraldine Lete (Basic Baking, Sunday) was second runner-up; and Rosalie Valiente (Asian &Western, Sunday), third runner-up.
These plus-sized women confidently showcased their talent in costumes representing their province/region in the Philippines.
They also paraded wearing elegant Filipiniana dresses. They were even game enough to share their sometimes hilarious, and sometimes interesting insight about being on the heavy side.
“We really want our winners to be ambassadors of goodwill. We are really focused on the creativity of their costumes based on the courses that they have taken up so far,” Dator had said.
Judges of the event were Paul Tsang, Tak Lung restaurant owner; Vinson Gonda, marketing director at Gen-Ex Cargo; Didith Mallot, model and make-up artist; and Lourdes Diana Dator, leasing manager of the Music Museum Group Inc.
Other sponsors of the event were Tak Lung Restaurant, Gen-Ex Cargo, Prime Credit, Destine Joy Travel & Tours, and employment agency Jobs Are US.
CAC has been training students, mostly Filipino domestic workers in the territory, for more than 16 years now. The Dator family leads CAC, with Jimmy Dator as administrator, and Sonia C. Dator, the head instructor.