Corn Ice Cream From Mercado 3 de Noviembre Wins Cuenca's Eighth Reto del Sabor Cuencano
Corn Ice Cream Takes Top Honors at Cuenca's Eighth Reto del Sabor Cuencano
A corn-milk ice cream known as helado de choclo has claimed first place in Cuenca's eighth Reto del Sabor Cuencano, a local culinary contest that drew attention for its creative take on a traditional Andean ingredient. The winning dish, prepared by Elena Narváez, was recognized on September 25, 2026, during celebrations marking Ecuador's Día del Orgullo Ecuatoriano.
The contest took place at Mercado 3 de Noviembre, one of Cuenca's best-known traditional markets and a fitting backdrop for a competition centered on local gastronomy. Many observers note that pairing the event with a market setting reinforces the connection between everyday Cuencano food culture and the city's broader culinary identity.
The Winning Dish and Runners-Up
Helado de choclo transforms corn, a staple of Andean and Cuencano cooking, into a sweet, creamy dessert. Its selection as the contest's top entry highlights how a humble, widely available ingredient can be reimagined into something unexpected — a quality that seems to have resonated with judges and observers alike.
Second place went to Sandra Barros for her preparation of mote pata, a hearty traditional dish built around hominy corn, while third place was awarded to Carmen Lucía Chimbo for plato morlaco, a dish rooted in the culinary traditions of Cuenca's Morlaco identity. Together, the top three entries reflect a shared emphasis on traditional Cuencano and Andean ingredients, reinterpreted with varying degrees of creativity.
A Contest Rooted in Local Markets and Tradition
Now in its eighth edition, the Reto del Sabor Cuencano has become a recurring fixture in the city's culinary calendar, offering a platform for local cooks to showcase inventive uses of regional ingredients. Mercado 3 de Noviembre's role as host underscores the market's ongoing significance as a hub for Cuenca's food culture, connecting everyday commerce with cultural celebration.
The event was organized by the Municipio de Cuenca through EDEC EP, alongside other partner entities involved in coordinating the city's Día del Orgullo Ecuatoriano festivities. The collaboration points to a broader civic effort to tie culinary traditions to municipal cultural programming.
Civic Pride and Promotion of Ecuadorian Products
The contest's timing alongside Día del Orgullo Ecuatoriano situates it within a larger celebration of Ecuadorian identity, work, and a sense of national belonging. Local gastronomy, in this context, serves as one expression among several — including music and other cultural traditions — through which Cuenca marked the occasion.
Corporación Mucho Mejor Ecuador, a trade association promoting nationally made products, participated as a co-organizing partner and used the occasion to highlight Ecuadorian-made goods. According to a spokesperson for the organization, Mucho Mejor Ecuador represents approximately 700 national brands and an estimated 125,000 jobs. These figures come directly from the organization's own representative rather than independent verification, and are presented here as the group's stated claim about its reach and economic impact.
Why It Matters for Cuenca's Food Scene
Contests like the Reto del Sabor Cuencano offer a recurring opportunity to spotlight local chefs and the traditional ingredients that define the region's cuisine. For diners and visitors interested in Ecuadorian gastronomy, the event serves as a window into how Cuencano cooks continue to find new expressions for staples like corn, hominy, and other Andean ingredients.
A recurring theme among local food events of this kind is the blending of tradition with creativity, a pattern that the helado de choclo's win seems to exemplify. As Cuenca's culinary contests continue, they offer an ongoing lens into how the city's food culture evolves while remaining anchored in its market traditions.