Philippine Cuisine Wows at Culinary Tour Launch in New York

New York Times Deputy Food Editor Nick Fox, Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega, Amy Besa (photo by NYPCG)

22 September 2017 NEW YORK – Any discussion on the Philippine Food Movement would not be complete without the husband and wife team of Chef Romy Dorotan and food scholar Amy Besa.

In the restaurant business for 22 years in the Philippines and New York, Romy and Amy embark on another culinary adventure with the North American Philippine Culinary Tour dubbed “Hidden Flavors of the Filipino Kitchen” from September to October 2017. Hitting four cities – Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, and Philadelphia, the tour will showcase the use of indigenous and often rare ingredients from the Philippines to create meals that truly reflect the flavors of the soil, water, and air of the Philippines.

Aside from Romy and Amy, Purple Yam Malate Chefs Rap Cristobal and Alvin Cruz will also join the culinary team in crafting dishes for the tour.

The tour kicked off with an exclusive launch for food writers, restauranteurs, food critics, and bloggers at the Lobby-Gallery of the Philippine Center in New York. Co-sponsored by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Consulate General in New York, the launch was held on September 19. The event drew raves from the guests who are either old fans of Philippine cuisine or are just discovering its many complex flavors. Guests from media outfits such as the New York Times, National Geographic, Forbes, and Buzzfeed came to the tasting.

Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega welcomed guests to the event and invited them to spread the word about the growing popularity of Philippine cuisine, acknowledged by many food critics and watchers as the emerging cuisine in the next few years.

Amy Besa likewise gave a short talk on the theme and ingredients used for the Culinary Tour, emphasizing the use of rare ingredients such as Philippine vinegars, condiments, different varieties of heirloom rice, among others.

The tasting menu was compliment by a coffee station set-up by Mountain Province Café, a Filipino-owned coffee house serving Mountain province coffee and Philippine desserts. The café is located in Brooklyn New York.

The Culinary Tours events in different North American cities are nearly sold out proving that Philippine cuisine is indeed on the food radar. END

For more information, visit www.newyorkpcg.dfa.gov.ph/ www.newyorkpcg.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinNY/

Chef Romy Dorotan assembles fresh lumpia for the guests (photo by NYPCG)

Chefs Rap Cristobal and Alvin Cruz at the food stations (photo by NYPCG)