1 July 2013 – Over 200 members of the Filipino community in Moscow attended an informal get-together at the Embassy premises to conclude the week-long food-inspired Independence Day celebrations.
After the successful Philippine Food Week from June 17 to 21 at the Swissotel Krasnye Holmy, where celebrity chef and Lifestyle Network’s “Curiosity Got the Chef” host Sharwin Tee and Moscow-based chef Ronnie Reduta dazzled Muscovites with their interpretations of traditional Philippine cuisine, it was the Filipino community’s turn to showcase their very own versions of native specialties.
In keeping with the Independence Day theme of “Ambagan Tungo sa Malawakang Kaunlaran”, the Embassy organized a potluck where food contributions from the Filipino community also served as entries to a friendly competition judged by the guest professional chefs.
The event sought to encourage Filipinos in Russia to prepare Philippine food for their friends, colleagues and employers in order to help promote awareness of Philippine cuisine as well as its various ingredients.
The potluck-cum-competition allowed members of the community to express themselves through their entries and take pride in their home region’s rich cultural heritage.
Chefs Tee and Reduta were inspired by the creativity of the entries and were amazed by the sheer diversity of Filipino regional food. The twist made the traditional Independence Day salu-salo much more interactive and engaging as both regional pride and “bragging rights” were at stake.
Fiesta staples such as kare-kare, kakanin, pancit and the Embassy’s own lechon, as well as exotic delicacies like pinikpikan, dodol and pinuneg were featured in the buffet.
The program opened with the singing of the national anthem, brief remarks by Philippine Ambassador to Russia Alejandro B. Mosquera and the reading of the respective messages of President Benigno S. Aquino III and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario on the occasion of the 115th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence. Games and performances by representatives of the different Filipino associations ensured that guests were entertained throughout the day. END