Lucky Mallers who were at Centrio Mall at Cagayan de Oro last April 18, Saturday were treated to a 3-in-1 day-long celebration of the food, music and film of Spain through The Gastronomy Festival, a celebration of the arrival of Madrid Fusión in Manila.
All set for the screening of 18 Comidas
Spain’s most important international gastronomy event for progressive haute cuisine, Madrid Fusión Manila runs from April 24-26, 2015, at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, the first time ever it is being held outside Madrid, through the efforts of the Department of Tourism as part of their ‘Visit Philippines 2015′ project.
Ayala Malls partnered with DOT’s Flavors of the Philippines (a part of VYP 2015) to highlight the fusion of Fil- Hispanic flavours and instil in the participants a better appreciation of the Spanish culture, especially how its culinary heritage is reflected in our own cuisine.
Flamenco Dancer
The Gastronomy Festival started off with the rendition of a Flamenco dance, an art and music genre originating in Andalusia, southern Spain by Centrio Mall mixed dance instructor Malou Boluhan, as an introduction to the Film Screening of “18 Comidas”, a feature film in partnership with Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan Center for Culture and Arts and the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines. The second feature film by Jorge Coira, “18 Comidas” features an unusual series of interconnected stories and improvised dialogues centered on the meals of the day.
The film screening was designed as a prelude to Pelikula, a Spanish Foodie Film Festival that depict the rich art of gastronomy which is now being screened until April 26 exclusively at Greenbelt 3 cinemas in Makati City.
The second part of the festival dubbed Fiesta! was a food and music fest that brought together the colorful worlds of gastronomy and music.
COHARA Exhibit highlighting the fresh ingrediants needed for SINUGLAW
The Capitol University Dance Troupe rendered a spirited rendition of La Jota Moncadeña, a famous interpretation and adaptation of the Aragonese Jota dance (better known to the people of Moncada, Tarlac as Jota Florana) originally meant to accompany a bereaved family to the burial of a loved one. The Jota Moncadeña is similar to other Filipinized versions of the Spanish jota, combining Spanish and Ilocano dance steps and music. Later in the program, the CU Dance Troupe also rendered their version of Lanceros de Tayabas, a dance originating from Tayabas (now Quezon province) that figured in their komedya performances. The name is a reference to the knights and lancers of King Arthur’s court and the dance was originally performed in palace ballrooms.
Fiesta!s centerpiece was a prelude to the Cagayan de Oro Hotels and Restaurant’s (COHARA) Sinuglaw Festival, which officially kicks off Kumbira 2015, the largest culinary event outside Metro Manila.
Cocinas Viajeras Host Owen Jaen annotates Seda Chef Jimmy Nuvali's Bacalao
VIP Hotel Chef Isidro “Titing” Sobriano conducted a demo on how to prepare this unique Kagay-anon delicacy, after which 16 other COHARA establishments also exhibited their own versions followed by a food sampling by lucky spectators as classical guitarist Joshua Arrabaca rendered Spanish songs.
Sinuglaw is a combination of sinugba and kinilaw. Sinugba refers to the grilled pork sliced into bite-size pieces which is already a dish in itself, while Kinilaw is the raw fish soaked slightly in sweet tuba and marinated with merged with onions, suwa (native lime), tabon tabon fruit, ginger, and salt.Tabon-tabon and Suwa gives the Kagay-anon Sinuglaw its distinctive taste and aroma.
The participating COHARA establishments included Ah Fong Asian Cuisine, Apple Tree Resort and Hotel, Barkadahan Grill, Bigby’s Café, De Luxe Hotel, Duka Bay Resort, Hotel Conchita Kagayanon Restaurant, Limketkai Luxe Hotel, Mapawa Nature Park, N Hotel, Seda Centrio, Thai Me Up and The VIP Hotel.
The people behind the success of the 1st Centrio Gastronomy Festival pose for posterity at the VW Kombi Cocina Viajara
Not the least, the festival wound up with Cocinas Viajeras (the Traveling Kitchen) features Seda Centrio Chef Jimmy Navajas’ Bacalao; Monster Kitchen Chefs Leonilo Mercado and Rodney Seraspe with their Pollo al Chilidron and White Bean, and Chorizo Chard Bruschetta; and Culinary Institute of Cagayan de Oro Chef Anthony Troy Morales and his rendition of Paella Valenciana and Jamon Croquettas with Boneless Bangus Tinapa.
As an aperitif and digestif for the food sampling following each demo, the Xavier University Dance Troupe rendered their own version of Sayaw-sa-Cuyo, a dance which originated at the St. Augustine festival, celebrated in the municipality of Cuyo, the old capital of Palawan.
Vintage VW Kombi epitomizes the concept of the Cocinas Viajeras (Traveling Kitchen)
Madrid Fusión Manila 2015 is a joint undertaking of the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DoT) the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Madrid Fusión organizers Foro de Debate and Arum Estrategias de Internacionalización. For more information on Madrid Fusión Manila, visit madridfusionmanila.com.
The first Gastronomy Festival was sponsored by the Department of Tourism Region 10, COHARA, Monster Kitchen Academy, Culinary Institute of Cagayan de Oro, AFC, Embajada de España en Filipinas, Food Network, Seda Centrio, Travel Channel, Xavier Center for Culture and Arts and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan.
¡Buen provecho!
-INDNJC-