A Filipino restaurant in Houston, Texas, held its second annual lumpia eating contest during the Independence Day celebrations on July 4.
The restaurant Be More Pacific: Filipino Kitchen & Bar hosted the competition with the aim of helping local small businesses recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, reported Click2Houston.
KPRC2 reporter Rose-Ann Aragon served as emcee for the event.
Chris Nguyen, who represented poke joint Seaside Poke, emerged the winner after successfully downing 52 lumpias.
According to Be More Pacific co-owner Giovan Cuchapin, the competition centered around the popular Filipino dish was created to generate support for the local restaurant industry affected by the pandemic by inviting people to enjoy Filipino food and culture.
“Last year, businesses were just kind of creeping out of COVID,” Cuchapin was quoted as saying. “We’re still kind of creeping out of there, especially with the restaurant businesses. We’re just doing our part to help everybody out and to get out of that funk and get everybody where they need to be.”
Featured Image via KPRC 2 Click2Houston
