Who’s who: Cebuano chefs featured in ‘Street Food’
MANILA, Philippines— Four Cebuano heroes placed the Philippines on the culinary map anew after they were featured in Netflix’s new original series “Street Food.”
The new series, which started streamed globally in almost 200 countries last Friday explored the rich culture of street food in nine cities across Asia, including Cebu. It is from the makers of "Chef's Table."
The eight other cities featured are Bangkok, Thailand; Osaka, Japan; Delhi, India; Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Chiayi, Taiwan; Seoul, South Korea; Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and Singapore.
Episode 9, shot in the Philippines, did not just showcase the never before featured street food of Cebu but also the four hardworking locals who bring joy to their communities with their cooking skills and food.
WATCH: Philippine episode of ‘Street Food’ highlights Cebu’s culinary wonders |
These culinary masters namely Florencio “Entoy” Escabas, Leslie Enjambre, Ian Secong and Rubilyn Diko Manayon, recently flew to Manila for the launch of “Street Food” and shared their inspiring stories behind the local dishes they create daily.
Get to know them and their delicacies here:
Florencio “Entoy” Escabas
Entoy, known for his “nilarang bakasi,” or soured stew made with reef eel, managed to make his community a destination as he made this his specialties in his humble eatery. This also paved way for income not just for him and his family but also for fishermen.
During the launch, Entoy expressed hoped that bakasi will be known in Manila as he wanted to teach cooking it to younger generations.
Leslie Enjambre
When you think of Cebu, lechon is always a popular street food choice. Leslie’s mother started the lechon business in 1940’s and passed it down through generations since.
She said she maintained the consistency of the salty and juicy lechon Cebu by being hands on with her cooking business.
Ian Secong
Ian, a musician and cook, just wanted more people to learn and try a dish called tuslob-buwa. It is a thick bubbling gravy made with sautéed onions, garlic and pig brains that has been around Cebu for centuries.
The dish was historically eaten by those who couldn’t afford meat or fish.
Ian then decided to bring this new and hygienic version of tuslob-buwa to a popular restaurant, Azul, to reach wider patrons and younger generation.
“I didnt actually expect it to become this famous. I just want people to try the tuslob-buwa,” Ian told the members of the press.
“In Cebu, the tuslob-buwa is very hard to find. I [just] tried to bring it to the mainstream to let the people try,” he added.
Rubilyn Diko Manayon
Also featured in the food documentary series, is Rubilyn. She has a roadside carinderia in Cordova where she sells 18 various dishes.
Her best-selling dish, however, is her lumpia. It is a Chinese-style spring rolls stuffed with veggies.
The Chinese influenced the street food scene in Cebu after they introduced wok to Cebuanos.
Rubilyn was not initially part of the Netflix roster’s but her lumpia caught the attention of the production team.
What sets it apart from the Manila version is that it’s eaten with banana catsup.
RELATED: ‘Never been featured': How Cebu was handpicked for Netflix's ‘Street Food’ series
