There are many reasons to travel to the beautiful province of Iloilo, from its rich history to its food. And adventurous foodies will surely enjoy each town’s traditional cuisine, which will be highlighted in the annual three-day celebration in April called “Namit!” April is Filipino Food Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 469, issued...
Category: Food
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Solidarity is also served at Palestinian Filipino food line
After attending the Veneration of the Cross at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Parish of the Holy Sacrifice on Good Friday, I went straight to Our Little Gaza Kitchen in Don Antonio Heights, Quezon City. The event was announced online a few days earlier and shared by over 100 within hours. It was pegged...
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What’s cookin’, Juday?
Viber beeps a message: “Can you take a call?” I reply: “Who is this, please?” A few minutes later, Viber beeps again: “Hello, Mr. Farmer. Can I call?” I realize who it is. Ext. Seashore. Early morning. The scene opens with a man preparing to cast a fishing net into the sea. Another man is...
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There’s a Slow Food revolution in Boracay
Boracay, once a small island community of fishers and farmers, has become the “crown jewel of Philippine tourism.” But amid the global acclaim for its stunning natural beauty and vibrant nightlife, questions arise on what truly sets it apart, particularly in terms of its food culture. While there is an array of international cuisines to...
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‘People who love to eat are always the best people’
That Julia Child dictum of wisdom has guided me late in life, especially in this holiday season when one moveable feast after another in Baguio City, where I live, summoned me and my bottomless appetite. The feasting began early as balikbayan friends from the United States trooped to professor emeritus Delfin Tolentino’s art-filled abode in...
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A delish swing through ‘sisig’ country
It was in 2021, while watching an episode of chef Sandy Daza’s TV show “FoodPrints,” that I planned to one day visit Pampanga and try the seeming to-die-for dishes offered by some of the restaurants he featured. I was finally able to travel to the culinary capital of the Philippines early this December, accompanied by...
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Netflix’s ‘Chef Chico’ offers delicious viewing experience
“Replacing Chef Chico” is a taste test of how far Filipino creatives can satisfy the international audience. And from the rave reviews and positive feedback it has been receiving since it was released globally last Nov. 24, it looks like the first Filipino-produced series on Netflix has passed the test. As of this writing, the...
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Living his dream and not working a day in his life
Sandy Daza hosts three food shows on TV and writes a column, making him one of the most recognizable chefs in the Philippines. He co-owns kiosks bearing his name that sell empanada and siopao in malls across Metro Manila. And he wears another hat: as a guide of culinary tours in Japan that he considers...
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Food, friendship and more on a tour with a chef
FUKUOKA, HIROSHIMA, OSAKA—We came here to savor food that popular Filipino chef Sandy Daza has taste-tested and pronounced “exceptional” (for him, “good” is simply “not enough”). But the “Daza Japan Food Tour” of the three cities and their namesake prefectures on Oct. 20-25 offered participants more than just food. It also included visits to fish...
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When food tourism in US colonial period spurred fight for Filipino cuisine
The adventurous palate of foodies and their #willtravelforfood motto are interesting phenomena. The trend mentioned in a recent lecture intrigued me and moved a university student in the audience to ask Dr. Kristine Michelle L. Santos if Filipinos of yesteryear inherited their fondness for food from the Americans during the colonial era. Santos, an assistant...
