PH Culinary Tour in Scandinavia: Chef Margarita Forés Wows Stockholm’s Michellin-Starred Chefs
(Joel Bagon and Maria Elena P. Algabre photos)
STOCKHOLM 25 September 2018 — The best of Philippine flavors were featured during a Filipino culinary tour in Scandinavia entitled “Philippine Flavors: A Culinary Tour” with Margarita Forés, Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2016.
Organized by the Philippine Embassy in Oslo, Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Stockholm, and the Cultural Diplomacy Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the event was held at prominent Pontus Frithiof Atelier 23, owned by multi-awarded Chef and Entrepreneur Pontus Frithiof.
Chefs from Stockholm’s top ten restaurants, notably Michelin-starred Chef Magnus Ek of Oaxen Slip and Krog, and Chef Rodrigo Perez of Ekstedt, graced the interactive dinner of Forés on 04 September 2018.
Chef Forés collaborated with Pontus Frithiof’s Group Chef Mikael Einarsson, himself an established name in Stockholm’s restaurant world, to provide the guests an interactive dinner.
The interactive dinner for the exclusive group of 20-plus guests from the culinary world intends to let them experience Philippine cuisine.
To start the dinner, Chef Einarsson presented guests with canapé-sized amuse-bouche, combining Swedish produce and flavors from the Philippines.
In presenting the first dish, Chef Forés demonstrated the preparation of kinilaw, a simple dish of fresh raw fish cured in vinegar, while narrating its origin predating Spanish influence in the Philippines.
The dinner continued with shrimp sinigang, the sour and savory stew or soup, followed by short beef ribs adobo, a well-loved dish with its distinct flavor of vinegar, soy sauce and spices.
The adobo was accompanied by the Filipino adlai rice, a healthier substitute for rice, and pickled papaya or atchara. Pinakbet, an indigeneous dish from northern Philippines, was served alongside the adobo.
The chefs in attendance represent Sweden’s hotspots such as Oaxen Slip and Krog, Ekstedt, Tak Restaurant, Berns Asiatika, Nosh & Chow, East, Wagamama, Broms Karlaplan, Handverket, Farang, and Pontus Frithiof’s group of restaurants. All of these chefs have authored best-selling and award-winning cookbooks.
Joining the top chefs were top officials of major food and non-food chain retail stores and food suppliers namely Gourmet Food, United Nordic—Axfood AB, ICA AB, and Thai Fong Food AB. The three chain retail stores cover about 70 percent of the market share in Sweden.
On her last day in Stockholm, Chef Forés was interviewed by Travel and Food Magazine editor Anna Noström. Forés elaborated on what Filipino food is, as well as the philosophy behind the Filipino food culture.
The culinary tour proceeded to Malmö, Sweden on 07 September 2018. END
For more information, visit www.oslope.dfa.gov.ph/ www.philembassy.no or https://www.facebook.com/philembassy.no.
(Joel Bagon and Maria Elena P. Algabre photos)
(Joel Bagon photo)