Gordon Ramsay’s halo-halo challenge brings out Filipino creativity
In front of a packed Newport Performing Arts Theater on Jan. 20, Gordon Ramsay declared Filipino cuisine the “sleeping beauty of Southeast Asia.” The celebrity chef, who was in Manila to celebrate the success of his first Philippine restaurant, Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill PH, and announce three more upcoming ventures, then decided to wake up the crowd with a surprise that transformed the stage into an iconic MasterChef set. Known for his love of layered ice cream desserts like the British Knickerbocker Glory, Ramsay challenged our chefs to reimagine our beloved halo-halo in just 10 minutes.
Ramsay’s admiration for Filipino cuisine is evident in his actions and words. He has expressed his love for sisig and recently praised food content creator Abi Marquez’s innovative fusion of his signature beef Wellington lumpia, showing how Filipino creativity can transform familiar favorites. Now, four talented chefs were ready to take on his halo-halo challenge: CCA Manila culinary student Danica Lucero, social media favorite Ninong Ry, actress-chef Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, and Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill PH head chef Bea Therese Qua.
“I love all the different nuances,” Ramsay noted as each chef prepared their secret ingredients. “They’re not going to look the same. But, just like on MasterChef, the exciting part is the taste, right?” And what a taste test it would be, setting the stage for what would become quite the sugar rush for the celebrity chef.
The sourness of kamias
Each contestant brought something unique to the dessert table. Lucero approached her creation methodically, explaining, “I used a simple base of coconut cream and evaporated milk, with a mixture of nata de coco, sago, macapuno, leche flan, and the kamias compote.” Her focus on balancing traditional ingredients with our beloved sour twist caught Ramsay’s attention.
When discussing her choice of kamias, she offered a deeper insight into Filipino palates: “The Philippines has an ingrained flavor of sourness, or as we call it, asim.” Her understanding of this fundamental aspect of Filipino cuisine and her technical skill impressed Ramsay. When asked about her competitiveness level, she confidently answered, “11 out of 10.”
Sweet notes of coco jam
Ninong Ry chose coco jam for its perfect harmony with dairy components. “I think it goes very well with dairy and all the other ingredients,” he explained. When Ramsay playfully asked if the recipe came from his grandmother or mother, Ry laughed and insisted, “No, it came from me.” Even when pressed about his parents’ influence, he maintained it was his creation, drawing laughter from the crowd. When it was time to taste, Ramsay exclaimed, “I can feel my arteries jamming up.” Ninong Ry replied matter-of-factly, “That’s what it’s supposed to do,” highlighting how Filipinos love their sweet desserts.
Black sesame and polvoron
Santos-Agoncillo presented a black sesame halo-halo featuring nata de coco, leche flan, cheese cubes, and jackfruit, layered with evaporated milk and coconut milk ice. Her special touch was a black sesame polvoron strategically placed on top of the dessert, creating a delicate balance between salty and sweet. Fresh from completing her professional culinary arts program at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies, Santos-Agoncillo’s approach was refreshingly surprising. As a long-time Ramsay fan who “watches his shows with her kids,” her participation added a heartwarming touch to the competition.
Rare salt from Bohol
At the start, Ramsay, with characteristic wit, turned to his head chef Bea and warned: “You cannot lose this. If we lose this, we’re screwed.” Qua brought something truly special to her creation—asin tibuok from Bohol. When she presented the artisanal sea salt, Ramsay was immediately intrigued: “It’s incredible, like a mini World Cup, isn’t it?” His excitement grew as Qua explained its heritage: this rare salt is produced by only one family in Bohol. “That is beautiful,” Ramsay remarked, clearly impressed by the salt’s history and fruity and smoky flavor. Her combination of mango ice cream and panutsa (cane sugar) resulted in what he praised as a “nice salty caramel.”
Ramsay’s increasingly animated reactions marked the competition’s finale. By the last tasting, he declared himself “high as a kite now with all that sugar,” even joking about feeding halo-halo to his son Jesse James “for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” Capturing the playful spirit of the event, Ninong Ry later quipped on social media, “Binigyan ng diabetes si @gordongram.”
In the end, Ramsay chose Lucero as the winner, praising her creation’s “edge” in “contrast and balance.” Her masterful use of kamias compote and understanding of Filipino flavors earned her the win and a coveted signed chef’s jacket. “That was an extraordinary 10 minutes,” Ramsay announced. “There’s no lows, it’s all highs.” While the competition crowned one winner, seeing Filipino creativity at work was the real victory.
Each contestant brought something uniquely Filipino to the table—kamias, coco jam, black sesame polvoron, or rare tibuok salt. In just 10 minutes, they showed how our traditional ingredients and flavors could come together in new ways while staying true to what makes halo-halo special.
As the sugar high settled and the laughter died down, one thing was clear: Filipino cuisine, with its wealth of ingredients and flavors, continues to surprise and delight—even a world-renowned chef with a notorious sweet tooth.
It wasn’t just about winning a 10-minute competition. Through his earlier message to culinary students about “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Ramsay encouraged us to keep pushing the boundaries of our cuisine. From trying a lumpia beef wellington to getting a sugar rush from our halo-halo variations, his visit reminded us that we have so much to be proud of in our culinary heritage. Sometimes, it just takes a fresh perspective—and a 10-minute challenge—to see it.
