PH Consulate General in Jeddah Holds First-Ever Filipino Food Festival

Consul General to Jeddah Edgar Badajos (leftmost) leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the first Filipino Food Festival in Jeddah. Also in photo (from left to right) are Consul Mary Jennifer Dingal, Labor Attache in Riyadh Nasser Mustafa, Consul General Haji Sulaini Bin Hadi Said of Brunei Darussalam, and Mr. Hani from the Atallah Happy Land Park. (Jeddah PCG photo)

JEDDAH 08 April 2019 – The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah organized the first-ever Filipino Food Festival in Jeddah where a variety of Filipino cuisines and delicacies were showcased to members of the diplomatic corps, Saudi locals, and the Filipino community.

The Filipino Food Festival was participated in by 12 of the most popular Filipino restaurants and catering service providers in Jeddah. Held on 06 April 2019 at the Atalla Happy Land Park, one of the largest and oldest amusement parks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The restaurants served all-time favorite Filipino cuisines and delicacies such as adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, pinakbet, puto, and kakanin, among others.  

In a brief message to formally open the festival, Consul General to Jeddah Edgar B. Badajos urged the Filipino community in Jeddah to continue to promote the rich gustatory offerings of the Filipinos and preserve the rich Filipino culinary traditions, which is an intermix of cultures and influences that make up the uniquely Pinoy food experience. He also called on the hundreds of Filipino families in attendance at the event to take pride in our national food treasures despite being far away from the Philippines.

The first Filipino Food Festival in Jeddah had the theme: “Ang Sarap: Piyesta ng Pagkaing Pilipino”, and included cooking demonstrations led by Filipino-operated International Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management (ICCAHM), and food exhibits by some of Jeddah’s top Filipino restaurants such as Shawly, Toshi Restau, Pagkaing Pinoy, La Paz Batchoy, Mary’s Kakanin, and Filipino food chain Jollibee. 

The Filipino Food Festival in Jeddah is in line with the celebration of Filipino Food Month or Buwan ng Kalutong Pilipino in April 2019, per Proclamation No. 469, s. 2017. END

Consul General to Jeddah Edgar Badajos (second from left) urges the Filipino community in Jeddah to continue promoting the rich gustatory offerings of the Filipinos and preserve the rich Filipino culinary traditions. Also in photo are Vice-Consul Alfred Kristoffer Guiang (third from left) and Consul Mary Jennifer Dingal (fourth from left). (Jeddah PCG photo)

Jollibee mascot (second from left) with Consul General Edgar Badajos (third from left), Consul General Haji Sulaini Bin Hadi Said of Brunei Darussalam (leftmost), and officials of the Atallah Happy Land. (Jeddah PCG photo)

Filipino-operated International Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management (ICCAHM) demonstrates how to cook some of the more popular Filipino cuisines. (Jeddah PCG photo)

Consul General Edgar Badajos leads the guests in the tasting of Filipino cuisines. (Jeddah PCG photo)

For more information, visit www.jeddahpcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinJeddah/.