Reality holds Minas Gerais cuisine competition on the outskirts – 10/18/2023 – Food

Three stoves, family recipes and a backyard in the Santa Efigênia neighborhood, in the eastern region of Belo Horizonte, form the setting for a gastronomic competition inspired by reality shows like MasterChef.

But, contrary to disputes that strive to execute sophisticated dishes, the idea of ​​Mandraka Chef — Culinária Mineira de Quebrada It’s another: choosing who best represents Minas Gerais food from the outskirts among amateur cooks from the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte. The last of the nine episodes will be broadcast this Wednesday (18) on YouTube.

On the screen, ingredients such as cabbage, beans and corn appear, in a menu that includes recipes such as chicken with okra, bambá, angu pastel and oxtail — all fueled by stories told by the participants and jury.

With financing from the State Culture Fund, Mandrak Chef It was designed not only to rescue tradition, but also to stimulate creativity among residents of Belo Horizonte and the region.

After recording a video presenting a recipe linked to personal memories and stories, nine participants were selected to compete for the best cook award.

In the web series, the formality of professional kitchens gives way to the traditional cold beer on the edge of the stove. The challenges test the skills needed to make simple and tasty food: whoever can slice the onion thinner and also buy all the ingredients to create a new angu pastel filling for R$40 has the advantage.

In each episode, the presenter and his judges, three cooks, taste and choose who performed best.

By voting on Instagram, the public also decides who remains in the competition — without trying the dishes, the charisma of the participants counts points.

Rivalry appears in moments of tension, but the collective is present. In the program, Competitors can share utensils and ingredients with their colleagues — which is part of the routine of those who live in suburbs and outskirts.

In the final stretch between episodes, five participants created meals from foods seen as less noble.

In an hour and a half, while the cooks remembered family members, dishes such as gizzard with angu and taioba pesto, ora-pro-nóbis omelette and oxtail with vegetables with hominy couscous were prepared.

For the decision, the test will be more complex: the finalists will be challenged by Stanley Albano, the creator of the program, and his judges, to prepare a Minas Gerais banquet.

In front of the buffet Mandak Nega, Stanley learned a lot about food and ancestry from the women in his family. He also took advantage of the time he worked as a waiter to have more contact with production techniques and presentation of dishes.

Gastronomy reality shows also played a role in the cook’s trajectory, who liked to follow the disputes and execute his own versions of recipes with what he had at his disposal.

With the habit of asking family and friends to try his dishes and rate the dishes, Stanley decided to develop his own reality show.

“I thought about not going to a professional kitchen line, but to a peripheral food rescue side,” he says.