BBQ Profile - Krizzia Deguzman
In the world of culinary competitions, few titles are as fiercely contested as that of the best Filipino BBQ. Krizzia Deguzman, whose skill and passion for Filipino cuisine have set her apart, won as the first champion of the Filipino BBQ Cooking Competition. Krizzia’s journey to the top is a story of dedication, creativity, and a deep love for the rich flavors of her heritage.
Join us as we sit down with Krizzia to learn more about her inspirations, the challenges she faced, and the secrets behind her award-winning BBQ.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in cooking?
I moved three years ago from the San Francisco Bay Area with my wife and dog.
I learned how to cook from my mom, who taught me a lot of skills and techniques. When I was little, I loved watching and helping her cook Filipino dishes, especially my favorite ones.
Since moving away from my family, I missed my mom’s cooking. I try to recreate Filipino dishes with my mom through FaceTime, but it’s a little difficult since she doesn’t use exact measurements. “Tantya tantya lang,” she says, which means “just estimate” in Tagalog. This was a challenge because I wasn’t sure how much of the ingredients to add. However, this “technique” helped me out a lot because I rely on my taste buds rather than measurements when cooking.
2. What inspired you to participate in the Filipino BBQ Competition?
Filipino BBQ pork skewers is actually one of my favorite things to eat and I’m fortunate that my family’s recipe is really good. I’ve been making a lot of it since moving to Texas. I usually make Filipino BBQ when family or friends come to visit and it’s always a hit! People have told me and my family that it’s the best Filipino BBQ they’ve had!
I saw an ad on Facebook for the competition and I was hesitant to join, but my wife encouraged me to. She had a lot of faith in me and the BBQ recipe!
3. Could you walk us through your winning dish from last year? What makes it special?
After submitting my application on the Adobo Throwdown website, I was so nervous because I’ve never competed in a cooking contest before! However, I was so excited to see what others, besides family and friends, thought of my food.
I practiced making BBQ a handful of times before the competition in preparation of the contest. My wife and cousins really enjoyed that part as they were my taste testers! After many trials, I had to logistically figure out how I was going to prepare, grill, present before noon and keep the food warm while I travel 45 minutes to Schertz.
All the planning and practice paid off in the end as I won first place!
4. What was the biggest challenge you faced during the competition, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge I faced was food presentation, knowing that appearance is 25% of the criteria in the contest. Coming from an art background, I thought this would be easy, but food plating is its own art form that I’ve never really had to do.
To overcome this challenge, I did some research on food presentation by watching cooking shows, looking up pictures of food online and even making a vision board. Produce and goods in the Philippines really inspired me— I used banana leaves, pineapple and bamboo as part of my presentation. Overall, I was really happy on how it turned out!
5. Do you have any tips or advice for participants in this year’s competition?
My advice for participants is to have fun and be proud of your dish, win or lose! The participants are all so talented in their own ways!
6. What are your future plans in the culinary world? Any upcoming projects or goals you'd like to share?
I’ve been thinking about opening a food stand at the Buda Farmer’s Market where I’d sell my award winning Filipino BBQ skewers and other Filipino dishes. In the future, please be on the lookout for Sarap Buhay Filipino Cuisine!
