DOT’s culinary festival goes to Baguio!
The Department of Tourism’s (DOT) food festival Kain Na! was recently held at Ayala Technohub Baguio from October 11-13.
The culinary festival, which kicked off in September at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, is part of the department’s campaign in boosting farm and food tourism in the country.
Kain Na! featured food and farm tourism offerings of Ilocos, La Union and Pangasinan, Cagayan Valley and Northern Philippines Island Region and the Cordilleras. It has also invited food exhibitors and local chefs, regional farm tourism associations, farm owners and operators supported by partner agency, the Department of Agriculture (DA) at the three-day event.
“It is now the time for our regions up north to showcase their culinary prowess at the Kain Na! North edition,” DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said. “We are ever thankful to our partners and exhibitors in supporting our advocacy of promoting our food and farm tourism.”
The Kain Na! Ayala Baguio Technohub exhibitors were Green Pepper Dos, Forest House Bistro & Café, Café Yagam, Bistro Lokal, Cosmic Farm, Lihim Ni Maria, Vincent’s Place, Le Monet, and Upnorth Business Club from CAR, Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur, Marsha’s Delicacies, Dapuyen’s Vigan Empanada & Delicacies, Glory’s Empanada, Sangkap Ilokano Arts, Pangasinan Entrepreneurs Development Association Inc., and Nutridense Food Products from Region I and MJ’s Health Products, Z Bros Food Products, Abulug Dragon Fruit Association, C.E.C. Food Ventures, Lighthouse Cooperative, KTCM Enterprise, and DA-CVIARC Employees MPC from Region II.
Cordillera Administrative Region’s renowned chefs like Benjamin Munar of Upnorth Business Club, Miko Dy of Bistro Lokal, and Khen Ignacio of Vincent’s Place also held some food demonstrations of etag, kining smoked pinuneg, and mango vinaigrette.
While chefs from the Ilocos Region including Chef Ruben Ignacio will prepare Urduja’s Seafood Pinakbet and Pigar-Pigar Skewers, Chef Xavier Mercado will cook Okoy Tikyosko. On the other hand, Chefs Jasper Juliane Alinio and Yason Yadao Tolentino will whip up Rosangis Pasta, Poqui-Poqui and Pinakbet.
Completing the chef lineup from Cagayan Valley Region are Elizabeth Allam, Socorro Mabuti, and John Paul Guzman.
Organized in partnership with the Ayala Malls, Kain Na! will be held in various cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao on November 22-24 at Ayala Malls Centrio, Cagayan de Oro, with Regions 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN), and 13 (Caraga); and, on December 6-8 at Ayala Malls, The Strip, Iloilo City, with Region 6 (Western Visayas).
