Filipina teams up with celebrity chef, wins $20K scholarship

LAS VEGAS – A Filipina culinary student won a $20,000 scholarship by being on the winning team at the third annual Chase Sapphire Preferred Grill Challenge, Saturday, April 25, during the ninth annual Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit.

Elsa Sabellano Jenstad, originally from Davao, and celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse won the grill-off hosted by Chase Sapphire Preferred®, a premier travel and dining rewards card from Chase, in partnership with Bon Appétit magazine.

Celebrity chefs and restaurateurs, Lagasse, chef-proprietor of Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House, Delmonico Steakhouse and more, and Michael Mina, James Beard Award-winning chef and Founder of MINA Group, faced off in the ultimate live grilling challenge.

The acclaimed chefs partnered with Sabellano Jenstad and Krista Burdick, two students from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas, during Emeril’s New Orleans Seafood Extravaganza at the MGM Grand.

With the chefs cooking alongside the lucky students, the teams prepared bouillabaisse, a traditional French dish. Emcee Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drinks sditor at Bon Appétit, turned up the heat when he announced black garlic as the “culinary curveball.”

Impressing the judging panel, Chef Mina and Burdick took a classic approach, preparing bouillabaisse with seared scallops and snapper. Meanwhile, Chef Lagasse and Sabellano Jenstad served the dish with lemongrass for a Filipino flare.

The sizzling competition came down to the palettes of three judges, including: Adam Rapoport, editor-in-chief; Alison Roman, senior food editor; and Rochelle Billow, associate web editor; all of Bon Appétit
After much deliberation, the panel named team Emeril the winners of the Grill Challenge.

Elsa Sabellano Jenstad received a $20,000 scholarship and runner-up, Krista Burdick, was awarded $5,000 to fund their culinary educations, courtesy of Chase Sapphire Preferred.

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