Sangka sa Kaha

CEBU, Philippines - Dubbed as “The hotel in Cebu that stands for Cebu,” Cebu Parklane International Hotel has again been successful in starting an activity that further promotes Cebu’s rich heritage.

Together with the Province of Cebu and Unilever Food Solutions, Parklane Hotel kicked off “Sangka sa Kaha,” a friendly cook-out competition which aims to feature the best dishes and specialties of towns in the Northern and Southern parts of Cebu.

The competition commenced in the town of Ronda, southwest of Cebu city, which is famous for their Humba (braised pork belly).

Humba is a pork dish seasoned with soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, spices and sweetened with sugar.

Mayor Mariano “Noni” Blanco of the Municipality of Ronda shared that Humba is a common dish in houses during small or big celebrations. He revealed that it has been tagged as a delicacy in their municipality because the taste has been perfected by residents who serve it with a unique and delicious twist.

Five top chefs in the town joined the competition and were given limited time to cook and present the food to a panel of judges.

Judges were Kevin Cook – publisher of Cebu Review, Chef Armand – executive chef of Manuel’s restaurant of Cebu Parklane International Hotel and Mr. Adolf Aran – president of Food and Events Specialists, Inc.

Mrs. Lucia Ypanto, the only woman among the five participants, got the nod from the judges.

She will have the chance to cook for Parklane Hotel’s new restaurant, the Kan-anan, and her version of the Humba will be featured as the main dish for the month.

Kan-anan is a new restaurant in Parklane which is primarily dedicated in showcasing the best Cebuano cuisines such as Labtingaw, Ginabot, Kinusi-kusi na Nukos, Nilaw-oy, Madonggada and the like. It will be a culinary journey where locals and tourists are able to experience what Cebuano cuisine is like from Bantayan Island down to Santander. They will also be showing off the colorful festivals of the different towns and cities of Cebu province on a regular basis.

The aim of the cook-out is to establish camaraderie among cities and municipalities while learning to adopt techniques on how to cook their specialty dishes and delicacies.

The event was attended by Cebu Parklane International Hotel General Manager Cenelyn Manguilimotan, Ronda’s Mayor, Honorable Mariano “Noni” Blanco, and Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale.

Magpale commended Parklane Hotel’s vision in promoting Cebu’s culture.

“Cebu is not only a destination of the sea, the sand and the sun but there are a lot of things that could be found in it and one of these are the scrumptious foods of every town,” she said.

She added that only Parklane Hotel promotes Cebuano culture and with more events lined-up, it would surely attract more local and foreign tourists.

Magpale further pointed out that visitors would develop more interest in Cebuano dishes, as well as be enticed to visit the different towns.

Aside from the cooking competition, Parklane Hotel also has other projects to showcase Cebuano heritage, like the diorama or miniature scale model of Cebu’s tourist spots found inside the hotel, which can also serve as a reference for tourists who want to visit Cebu’s attractions such as the Kawasan Falls, Tops, Taoist Temple, etc.

They also have themed murals on each floor landing which will be completed by the middle of the year.

The hotel displays Cebuano-inspired framed photos in their hotel rooms, as well as photos, paintings and jewelry made by Cebuano artists and craftsmen.

Parklane hotel organizes concerts and gala dinners featuring Cebu’s successful talents in the theater and music industry.

Furthermore, on June 24,2012 , Parklanel Hotel will once again sponsor a fun run dubbed as “Hunat Sugbo 2”, a sequel to the first run that th e hotel did last May 2011. The run will have 3k, 12k and 21k categories.  (FREEMAN)