TGIFridays pride, Jholan Peñafiel, shook things up at the world bartending stage when she was adjudged 2017 Grand Champion at the recent TGIFridays World Bartender Championship held in Dallas, Texas.
Peñafiel bested her competitors from the USA, Latin America. United KIngdom, and Europe.
First runner-up honors went to Michael Ressureccion of Pennsylvania, USA while Russell Ward of Sheffield, UK was named 2nd runner-up.
Peñafiel wowed everyone and earned their admiration in the Compulsory Round which she also won, an intense competition that tested the skills of the contestants when it came to mastery of recipes and speed and accuracy of pouring drinks down to the last drop.
The Freestyle Competition was no different, with Peñafiel expertly mixing and serving drinks while tossing, juggling, flipping and catching bottles mid-air! It was indeed a visual spectacle. To say that it was exciting would be an understatement!
Peñafiel is the second Filipina bartender to win the world championship, the first being Rizza Umlas who won the title in 2015 also in Dallas, Texas.