2026 Adobo Cookoff Winners | 7 Mile House
Meet the Winners of the 2026 Adobo Cookoff for a Cause
Another Adobo Cookoff for a Cause is in the books!
Six cooks brought six different adobos to 7 Mile House in Brisbane, California for a day of food, friendly competition, Filipino culture, community, and giving back. Each contestant came with their own recipe and story, but in the end, two adobos took home the top honors.
Artnelson Concordia won the 2026 People’s Choice Award with his Batangueño Beef Rib Adobo, while Elizabeth Thompson was named the 2026 Critics’ Choice winner with an adobo rooted in her family’s restaurant in the Philippines.
And together, our community helped us raise almost $4,000 in just two hours for SOMA Pilipinas!
People’s Choice Winner: Artnelson Concordia
For Artnelson Concordia, this year’s win was a long time coming.
Artnelson competed in our very first Adobo Cookoff in 2017. Nine years later, he returned with his Batangueño Beef Rib Adobo and took home the 2026 People’s Choice Award.
His adobo pays homage to his father’s roots in Batangas and the region’s long-standing cattle industry.
While many adobo recipes center around chicken or pork, Artnelson celebrates beef, a dish he has been making for decades, long before beef short rib trends took off. He slow-roasts the beef with the classic adobo combination of toyo, suka, and bawang.
The recipe is a tribute to tradition and family and remains one of his mother’s most-requested dishes.
After traveling all the way from Oxnard and arriving the day before the Cookoff, seeing Artnelson finally take home the People’s Choice win made the moment even sweeter.
Critics’ Choice Winner: Elizabeth Thompson
Our 2026 Critics’ Choice Award went to Elizabeth Thompson, whose adobo tells another story of a family recipe evolving across generations.
Elizabeth grew up with her family’s adobo recipe from their restaurant in the Philippines. Like many family recipes, it was never measured. It was simply “a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”
Over time, Elizabeth adapted the recipe to her husband’s sweeter palate. Made with pork shoulder and eggs, her version has become a staple at nearly every family gathering.
And when we say she was dedicated to her Cookoff entry, we mean it. Elizabeth was peeling eggs at 3 a.m. to get her adobo ready!
Her recipe is a wonderful example of how adobo can change with the people who cook it while still keeping its roots intact.
Six Adobos, Six Stories
One of our favorite things about the Adobo Cookoff is that there is no single story behind adobo. Every contestant brought something different to the table in 2026.
Daisy Collado set out to recreate the adobo she grew up eating after losing her father two years ago. Without a written recipe passed down to her, she relied on memories, trial and error, and the flavors that connected her to her family. Her journey reflects an experience familiar to many Filipino families, where food becomes a love language and a way to preserve the people we miss.
Peter Lentz learned the foundations of adobo from family and friends before adding his own touches inspired by the people and experiences that shaped him. His chicken, pork, and egg adobo has become his signature dish. Even his Filipino friends invite him to bring it to their gatherings. Finished with fried scallions and garlic, his version celebrates the way food creates community.
Romeo Yraola’s adobo is a tribute to his mother, who passed away when he was young. He learned to make the dish as a child and has continued adding his own touches while preserving the flavors that remind him of her cooking. Made with garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and egg, the recipe has become a favorite among his family and friends.
Ron Parilla learned adobo by watching his mother-in-law make the version everyone requested. Originally from Cavite, she taught him her techniques over time. After she passed, each batch became a way for Ron to keep her memory alive. While his mother-in-law preferred a deep-fried finish, Ron keeps the rich adobo sauce while adding his own touch.
Together with Artnelson and Elizabeth, these six cooks showed exactly why adobo is so much more than one recipe.
More Than an Adobo Competition
The Adobo Cookoff has always been about more than determining whose adobo takes home an award.
Since 2017, the Adobo Cookoff for a Cause has brought people together at 7 Mile House in Brisbane, just outside San Francisco, to eat, compete, celebrate Filipino culture, share stories, and give back to the community.
Each year, 100% of the proceeds from the Adobo Cookoff go directly to the nonprofit organization chosen as that year’s beneficiary.
For the 2026 Cookoff, our community raised almost $4,000 in just two hours for SOMA Pilipinas, this year’s beneficiary, in celebration of its 10th anniversary.
Since the Adobo Cookoff began in 2017, the event has raised more than $25,000 for local nonprofits.
Just as important are the connections made along the way. Our contestants stayed long after the competition was over, hanging out and enjoying the day together. Daisy, who was originally encouraged by her daughter to enter without really knowing what the event was all about, ended the day glad she participated and loving the experience.
Those are the moments that remind us what the Cookoff is really about: bringing people together through food, celebrating Filipino culture, and supporting a good cause.
Thank You to Our 2026 Critics’ Choice Judges
Our three Critics’ Choice judges had the difficult job of tasting their way through all six adobos:
Grand-O The Snack Sensei
James Brillantes from The Sarap Shop
Tony Fleming from Red Horse Beer/GKSkaggs
Thank you for helping us crown this year’s Critics’ Choice winner!
We also want to thank Red Horse Beer/GKSkaggs for sponsoring the Cookoff and helping make the day even more fun.
Most importantly, thank you to Artnelson, Daisy, Elizabeth, Peter, Romeo, and Ron for sharing your food, your stories, and your love of adobo with all of us.
And congratulations again to our 2026 champions, Artnelson Concordia and Elizabeth Thompson!
We can’t wait to see what everyone brings to the table next year.