Sabores De Visayas Turns 10!
Rafael Jardeleza Jr., fondly called “Tibong” by friends, has been an advocate for Iloilo’s culture and cuisine for a long time, which paid off when the cuisine of Iloilo was recognized alongside a 2021 resolution officially declaring the city and province as “Food Haven of the Philippines.” Sabores de Visayas is a passion project of chef Tibong and it celebrated its 10th year this year.
This was my first time to attend one of these events, which was more like a dinner that over 25 chefs prepared. It was buffet style, but there was ample food for everyone who attended. Chef Tibong invited seven chefs from Manila to cook together with chefs from Iloilo.
The Manila chefs were Kalel Chan of the Raintree Hospitality Group; TV personality and restaurateur Sandy Daza; 2016 Asia’s Best Female Chef Margarita Forés of Cibo, Lusso, The Loggia at Palacio de Memoria, and Grace Park; Patrick Go of Your Local; Macroasia executive chef at Asian Development Bank Panky Lopez; Tatung Sarthou of Lore and Tindeli; and Mikel Zaguirre of Locavore and Bizarre Bar.
Established Iloilo chefs included Wilson Esperancilla, executive chef and owner of one of the foremost catering services in Iloilo, Alejandro’s; Maridel Uygongco of Maridel’s Desserts and Pastries and Louie’s Bakery, best known for excellent cakes like the Guava Cake and Snickers Pie; and Paul Frias, Karl Jason Hibionada, Aaron Pastilloso, and OJ Salazar.
Food in Iloilo is undoubtedly some of the best in the Philippines and was further validated last year when Iloilo City was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, the first in the Philippines to be included in the City of Gastronomy project, which is part of the wider Creative Cities Network. There are only 57 UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy worldwide.
The Sabores de Visayas Diez Edición featured several stations with the chefs offering their delicious dishes. Margarita Forés worked with Mai Mai Lechon for the Lechon de Cerveza Negra served with Capiz pu?o sa buri (sticky rice prepared with tuba and wrapped in woven buri leaves).
Panky Lopez roasted karnero, or lamb flavored with tanglad (lemongrass),and local souring agents batwan, and libas.
Mikel Zaguirre and Frances Aimee Tiu Villanueva presented humba, a selection of starters and salads, and kinilaw.
Patrick Go and Wilson Esperancilla produced an Ilonggo Arroz Valenciana with pulled native chicken adobo sa achuete and Guimaras mango and dilis chutney.
Tatung Sarthou and Jeff Ticao barbecued an assortment of chicken inasal, atay kag batikulon sang manok (chicken liver and gizzard), shrimp and squid in sinamak sa tuba, buri, and nipa.
Sandy Daza worked with Paul Aligaen on a huge slab of ribeye steak and beef tenderloin gravy infused with tabagak (salted fish), tablea tsokolate, and Emperador brandy.
Ariel Castañeda and his Richmonde Hotel culinary team made kalokalo (garlic fried rice), stuffed boneless Ilonggo chicken inasal wings, “vegan isaw” made with inadobong takway (the fine and thin tendrils of the taro root), dehydrated mushroom chicharon, and dehydrated onion and garlic peels. They also handled the “Sampaguita Pizza Bar” with toppings infused with sampaguita, such as smoked salmon, chorizo Ilonggo, carabao’s cheese, roasted sampaguita salt, and sampaguita honey.
Kalel Chan and Kieth Warren Bianson, sous chef at Hotel del Rio, collaborated on the callos, lengua con setas with vino tinto, and paella Negra with chipirones.
Andrea Valdez Gorriceta prepared her popular La Paz Batchoy ice cream.
Iloilo MICE Alliance head Nat Lim and Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. president and Iloilo Convention Center COO Allan Tan were acknowledged for their efforts in making this Sabores de Visayas a success, along with the Department of Tourism Region 6, Philippine Airlines, Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, MORE Power, Iloilo Business Park of Megaworld, Southwest Tour Boracay, and the La Filipina Uy Gongko Group.
Looking forward to more years of this annual Ilonggo culinary spectacle and, as they say “delicious” in Ilonggo, “Namit gid!”
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