InterContinental® Presidente Mexico City Hotel and Universidad Anahuac Culinary School Win InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Cooking Competiton Second Year In A Row

First place student wins $5,000 scholarship from the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand

ATLANTA – InterContinental^® Hotels & Resorts is proud to announce the InterContinental Presidente Mexico City hotel and Flora García Corella, a culinary student at Universidad Anahuac and Le Cordon Bleu, as the winners of the third annual Ultimate Culinary Clash, which took place on Tuesday, May 17 at the InterContinental Presidente Mexico City hotel. With the assistance of Chef de Cuisine José Luis Castro from the hotel’s Café Urbano restaurant, Corella received top honors while competing against three other culinary students who were paired with top chefs from InterContinental properties in the United States and Mexico.  With the assistance of Sous Chef Isadora Rivera, a fellow student of Universidad Anahuac and Le Cordon Bleu, Corella won a $5,000 scholarship from the InterContinental brand.

Gerardo Murray, Vice President, Brands and Marketing, Mexico, Latin America and The Caribbean, IHG, said: “When dining at an InterContinental hotel, travelers can expect fine dining inspired by local flavors and global innovation. With many of our properties offering signature bars and cocktails, Michelin-starred chefs and celebrity restaurateurs, the InterContinental brand is proud to be a part of the Ultimate Culinary Clash. We know these talented future chefs will continue to shape and evolve the InterContinental dining experience.”

Part cooking competition and part scholarship fundraiser, the Ultimate Culinary Clash brought together the winners of four regional Culinary Clash competitions to face-off against each other. Each student chef finalist presented a small plate of their winning entrée from the regional Culinary Clash to an esteemed group of judges, composed of a special group of hotel executives, media and renowned chefs. Each dish in the competition was judged and scored on seasonality, taste, creativity and presentation. Winning student Corella impressed the judges with her entrée: red wine and berries mole with beef steak, plantain, garlic ashes tamale and candied nuts with chiles. Her appetizer, ant larvae sope with avocado and pipicha leaf, was a clear crowd favorite.

This year’s competitors came from three hotels in Mexico and one hotel in the United States. All student chefs won their regional Culinary Clash competition, advancing them to the final Ultimate Culinary Clash in Mexico City:

• InterContinental Presidente Mexico City – Flora García Corella of Universidad Anahuac Norte and Le Cordon Bleu
• InterContinental Presidente Puebla – Ana Ramirez Aldama of Universidad Anahuac and Le Cordon Bleu
• InterContinental Presidente Santa Fe – Karla Casados of Universidad Anahuac del Sur and Le Cordon Bleu
• InterContinental San Francisco – Katy Osuna of International Culinary Center

The Ultimate Culinary Clash serves as an opportunity for the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand to showcase its commitment to culinary excellence. It began four years ago as a local annual cooking competition at the InterContinental San Francisco hotel’s Luce restaurant. The competition invited students from a local culinary school to compete for a chance to work with Daniel Corey, the restaurant’s Michelin-star chef, and showcase their own menu for one night in Luce.

About InterContinental^® Hotels & Resorts
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has 182 hotels located in more than 60 countries with local insight that comes from 70 years of experience. As a brand, we believe that superior, understated service and outstanding facilities are important, but what makes us truly different is the genuine interest we show in our guests. Our desire is to help guests make the most of their time. We connect our well-traveled guests to what’s special about a destination, by sharing our knowledge, so they enjoy authentic experiences that will enrich their lives and broaden their outlook. For more information, visit http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental, https://twitter.com/InterConHotels or http://www.facebook.com/intercontinental.