Justin C. Legaspi, the new winner of a Sammic Scholarship

Last Friday we announced the winner of the last edition of Sammic Scholarships (BasqueStage project). The 2nd edition of Rising Stars will take place between the 1st of April to the 30th of June 2013, at Xarma, headed by the dynamic duo of Xabier Diez and Aizpea Oihaneder. Xarma (pronounced SHAR-ma) is a San Sebastián restaurant specializing in modern, product-driven Basque cuisine, founded in 2008 by the two chefs, who met while cooking at Arzak. Their cuisine is fresh, dynamic, natural and based on seasonal product. Using the market as their guide, they feature an everchanging menu for their 35-seat restaurant that embraces experimentation.

The winner of this 2nd Edition of Rising Star Scholarship is Justin Casimiro Legaspi. Justin Legaspi is a graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle.  He has several years of experience in kitchens under his belt, many of which include cooking at The Harvest Vine, an authentic pintxo bar in Seattle, Washington. His winning dish was a braised pork belly with calamari in a blood ink sauce.