A cooking revolution at the Manila Food & Wine Festival

MANILA, Philippines - The Manila Food & Wine Festival (MFWF), which is supported by the Department of Tourism, will be held from Feb. 22 to 25 at the grounds of SM Mall of Asia complex, Pasay City.

The MFWF asserts the Philippines as a culinary destination, that Filipino food can match the world’s best, and that Filipino chefs are among the finest there is.

The festival will kick off on Feb. 22  with a “Food Truck Challenge” that will pit the best-of-the-best Filipino chefs in an event designed to test their culinary prowess, culinary skills and, of course, their food in a fun yet fierce battle for culinary honor.

Days two to four of the MFWF will have participating restaurants offering their specially designed set meals at discounted prices for lunch and dinner. Choose from these four tempting treats:

1. Gourmet deals. Fine-dining outlets within the metropolis will open their doors for three days and offer their set signature and specialty menus at a discounted rate of P999. Complete meals — including soup, entrée and dessert or more depending on package — will be served with a glass of red or white wine.

2. Buffet steals. With the MFWF, buffet deals will be priced at almost half the regular price.

3. Ninoy meal. For only P500, get a full meal that you can enjoy with friends and family.

4. Snack attack. Priced at P99 and below (to cater to the Filipino’s penchant for merienda), the snack will be served from 3 to 5 p.m. of participating restaurants and establishments.

During the food festival, guests and participants can also participate in culinary, pastry and coffee classes, which will be offered by various institutions.

As a culminating activity, the MFWF will host an AFC gala dinner at the Makati Shangri-La on Feb. 25.  It will showcase the best of the best — in all fields of culinary, hospitality, entertainment, culture and, of course, Filipino talent.   The MFWF and the AFC gala dinner will highlight the Philippines as the next must-visit destination for food and hospitality.

Together with the Culinary Education Foundation, which has a vision to fulfill dreams by implementing projects that would encourage culinary education to the majority of Filipinos, all proceeds from the MFWF 2013 will be forwarded to a scholarship fund that will help 500 poor but deserving students earn a degree in culinary education.