Since 2009, the year when I set up this blog, I have been writing about Korean dishes and my experiences with Korean cuisine. From my Korean lunch favorites like soondae, altang, mandu, and buddae-jjiggae, to desserts like hotteok and patpingsu, the flavors of these Korean dishes and delicacies would once more dance in my mouth when I blogged about them.😋
And whenever I was home in the Philippines, I would also write Pinoy delicacies that I missed when I was away from home: chicken inasal, bibingka, Manapla puto, batchoy, and those famous Silay delicacies.
I guess being home now in the Philippines has allowed me to discover the Pinoy cuisine, not just the different flavors of our favorite dishes, but also the history and the evolution of Pinoy food. Thus, this better understanding of our cuisine provided me with a different perspective on how to write about it.
And on November 22, 2023, I flew to Manila to attend the awards luncheon at Chef Jessie Sincioco's Place in Makati City, Philippines. I told myself I had to attend as this may be my first and last time to win.😁
It was the right decision to travel to Manila because I met the food writers extraordinaire and chefs behind the Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Awards: Ms. Micky Fenix, head, Mr. Alfred 'Krip' Yuson, Chef Myrna Segismundo, Chef Datu Pendatun, Ms. Ana Ozaeta, Ms. Maya Besa, Mr. Ige Ramos, and Ms. Nina Daza-Puyat. Ms. Felice Prudente Sta. Maria and Chef Jessie Sincioco were out of the country that day. Mrs. Clara Reyes Lapus, representing the Mama Sita brand of food products, was also there to share some Mama Sita goodies with the winners. We're grateful to these individuals who organized the DGF in honor of Doreen Gamboa Fernandez, and at the same time, for championing Pinoy food!😋
I was able to meet my fellow winners, Reynadel Cayetano (1st prize) and Kaye Leah Cacho-Sitchon (co-3rd prize), while Jeanne Jakob-Ashkenzi (2nd prize), based in Spain, was not able to attend.
Before I received my award, Mr. Alfred Yuson, one of the judges and a Palanca hall-of-famer, read an excerpt from my winning essay. Having a legendary writer read my written words is an honor and a highlight of my years of writing.😎Thank you, Mr. Yuson!🙏
With treasured book prizes like the Flavors of Iloilo by Chef Rafael Jardeleza, The Ultimate Filipino Adobo by Claude Tayag, Sangkap, Table for Ten, and the brilliantly conceived, bilingual book, Ang Alamat ng Lumpiang Shanghai written by Ms. Nina Daza-Puyat, I am inspired and encouraged to continue writing about our Pinoy food and cuisine, lending my words to the efforts of preserving and promoting our culinary heritage.😊
The link below is the Facebook page of the Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Awards. The deadline for the essay and short video competitions is March 31, 2024.😍
The awards luncheon was even more memorable with special dishes whose flavors my palate still remembers. The charcoal-grilled lemongrass chicken and the milkfish belly roll were amazing! And the ube panna cotta was sublime! These were all curated by Chef Jessie herself. Thank you, Chef Jessie!😀
Here's the clip where Mr. Alfred Yuson reads an excerpt from my food essay. I was over the moon with pride and honor as he was reading my piece.🙏
Mabuhay ang Pagkaing Pilipino!🍴😎
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