Filipino Cuisine: The Next Big Thing in Singapore
Chef Michelle Adrillana (standing at the center) and Ambassador to Singapore Joseph Del Mar Yap (third from right), together with Embassy officers and guests from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic corps, during the opening of the Fiesta Filipino food fest at Mandarin Orchard. (Dazzelyn Zapata photo)
SINGAPORE 12 July 2019 — The Philippine Embassy in Singapore's Sentro Rizal Singapore, in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Mandarin Orchard, Mama Sita’s, Philippine Airlines (PAL), and Arc Gin, successfully organized Fiesta Filipino, a showcase of Filipino cuisine on 22 to 30 June 2019 at the Triple Three dinner buffet of Mandarin Orchard.
Fiesta Filipino is part of the year-long celebration of the 50 years of friendship between the Philippines and Singapore.
The food fest featured Filipino chef Michelle Adrillana with her signature trendy rendition of traditional favorites, such as sisig, oxtail kare-kare, adobo paella with foie gras and crab fat.
Her passion to promote Filipino cuisine has taken her to many countries, such as Australia, China, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Germany, South Korea and now Singapore.
The event had a grand opening on 22 June 2019 that brought together invited guests from the diplomatic corps, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, media representatives and influencers, together with the regular hotel patrons to Triple Three restaurant.
“The Filipino cuisine, like other cuisines from our partners in Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the wider Asia-Pacific region deserves a rightful place in taste buds of the Singaporeans and the international community,” Ambassador to Singapore Joseph Del Mar Yap said in his opening speech.
Ms. Adrillana declared, “Filipino cuisine is not just the next big thing. It’s World Food and we are here to stay.”
After the cocktails, there was a live performance by the internationally-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers (MADZ) at the Mandarin Orchard's lobby, where they performed the Filipino pop song “Ikaw” (You), Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” and the Brazilian hit song, “Mas que Nada,” that enthralled the invited guests and the general public.
Guests then proceeded to Triple Three where they were treated to a sampling of the various dishes prepared by Chef Michelle and made even more special by Mama Sita’s mixes, sauce and other special products.
Aside from promoting Filipino cuisine, the event was an opportunity for the Embassy to make a pitch for Philippine companies, such as Mama Sita’s, PAL and Arc Gin, which was served during the cocktails. The Triple Three restaurant was adorned with posters showing Philippine tourist spots while piped in Filipino songs filled the air to complete the fiesta atmosphere. END
Ms. Adrilla serves her signature Beef Sisig. (UNTV Singapore photo)
Clockwise from left to right: pansit pusit, saffron arroz caldo, laing lobster thermidor, and aligue fried rice were just among the dishes served by Chef Michelle complemented by Mama Sita’s products. (Michelle Adrillana photo)
Left photo: Mama Sita’s products are prominently displayed at the dinner buffet as part of the Embassy’s economic diplomacy efforts. Right photo: Ginataang Seafood was among the delicious creations of Chef Michelle. (Michelle Adrillana photo)
On 23 June 2019, Ms. Adrillana conducted a free workshop for the culinary students of the Filipino Overseas Worker in Singapore (FOWS) at the Philippine Bayanihan Center. The Filipino chef taught the students the proper way of cooking and preparing Filipino dishes like kaldereta and lumpiang hubad, as she also shared many kitchen and cooking tips that the students found useful. Ms. Adrillana's guest lecturing stint is part of the commitment of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to make its cultural diplomacy programs more accessible to regular Filipinos overseas. The cooking class is among the Skills Training Programs regularly offered by FOWS. (Gonaranao B. Musor photo)
For more information, visit https://www.singaporepe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSingapore.