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Filipina chef Frances Tariga wins Morimoto's Sushi Master

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Don Tagala | TFC News New York

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7qFKGpIEPic?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Chef Frances Tariga did not only win the very first Ikouze Challenge.The former Top Chef contender also made history by becoming the first-ever winner of Morimoto&#x27;s Sushi Master on Roku TV.Her prize: $25,000 in cold cash and the bragging rights as &quot;Morimoto&#x27;s Sushi Master.&quot;&quot;We&#x27;re extremely proud of her,&quot; said Genevieve Zulueta, who hosted Tariga&#x27;s victory party. &quot;It&#x27;s honestly so amazing. When I see it, I get chills.&quot;Original Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto&#x27;s six-episode cooking competition series is said to be the first to focus on sushi.Tariga, who was a corporate chef prior to the competition, shared that she had to quit her job just to be on the show.&quot;My job before didn&#x27;t want me to compete,&quot; she said. &quot;So I quit. I&#x27;m like, trying to follow my dream. So this has got to be something.&quot;Tariga said when she was given the chance to compete in Morimoto&#x27;s Sushi Master, she grabbed it by the neck and never let go.&quot;My eyes were on the prize,&quot; she added. &quot;The whole time, they (contestants) would go out to eat at night. But I stayed in my hotel room, peeling cucumbers, practicing, so I was in a competitor mode that time.&quot;Tariga&#x27;s biggest competitor was another Filipino-American, &quot;Michelin Mike.&quot;Michael Collantes is the owner of Soseki, a Michelin-starred 10-seat modern Omakase restaurant that offers a multi-course tasting menu in Orlando, Florida.&quot;It [was] so nice to see two Filipinos in the finale,&quot; said Tariga. &quot;I think it would have been, &#x27;you and me&#x27; because he was the biggest competitor.&quot;For Tariga, sticking to her Filipino roots and being true to herself gave her the winning edge.As the winner of the competition, Tariga will co-host a dinner by Morimoto at the New York City Wine and Food Festival on October 12.The event will be held at the Tavern on the Green in Central Park, dubbed as an &quot;evening with two sushi masters.&quot;

The former Top Chef contender made history by becoming the first-ever winner of Morimoto's Sushi Master on Roku TV.