By Holly McGuinness
Burnside Heights resident Anthony Herrera is inching closer to his dreams as he competes this weekend among the top five finalists for the Australian finals of the World Food Championships.
The competition will hold a knockout round for the top five finalists with the final three winners cooking again on the day, the final champion of the day will receive a golden ticket and be sent on their way to represent Australia in Dallas, Texas.
Herrera, originally from the Philippines has grown up passionate about food and cooking for the ones he loves but never expected to get this far in the competition. “It’s a major, major, life changing experience for me,” said Herrera.
He stumbled across the competition via a Facebook post searching for entrants and has made it past hundreds of other applicants. He’s excited to share his culture with the world and represent Australia’s multicultural community through what he does best.
“I’m blessed to be able to represent the talents and gifts that I have to raise the banner of Australia you know, especially if I’m given the chance to more or less, show how diversified our culture is and to show that to the world in Dallas, Texas, if given the chance”
“Food basically connects people. It’s a major life changing experience for me to be honest” said Herrera.
Herrera has lived in Burnside Heights for almost ten years, opening his restaurant ‘Enelssie Cafe Bar & Grill’ in 2019. He will be making one of his signature dishes from the restaurant on the national stage on Saturday and told the Star Weekly he will be making it “extra special.”
