CANBERRA, Australia – Local and international food connoisseurs will get to experience Filipino cuisine as Australia’s iconic food and wine festival brings the spotlight on Filipino cuisine at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF) on 08-24 March 2019.
Photo credits: www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au
In a series of events that will feature and celebrate Filipino cuisine, top chefs from Manila, New York and Melbourne will serve Filipino food and conduct masterclasses during the MFWF.
Chefs Jordy Navarra, Nicole Ponseca and Yasmin Newman will prepare a one-off ‘BARRIO’ dinner series with Ross Magnaye, head chef of Rice Paper Sister Restaurant, on 12 and 13 March 2019. This is part of the Global Dining Series of MFWF.
Navarra runs Toyo Eatery in Manila, crowned with the Miele One to Watch Award 2018 among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Ponseca is behind New York City’s Maharlika and Jeepney, while local food and travel writer Newman is the author of the critically acclaimed cookbook, 7000 Islands: Cherished Recipes and Stories from the Philippines.
Drawing on their Filipino heritage, these gourmands will co-create an exclusive BARRIO menu, providing the entrée for MFWF visitors to immerse themselves in the Philippines’ rich culinary heritage.
Other events at the MFWF include The House of Food and Wine which will host the masterclass with Jordy Navarra, Nicole Ponseca and John Rivera on 10 March. Rice Paper Sister will showcase Asian Street Food Filipino style on 09 March. Rivera is the San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year and executive chef at Restaurant Lume.
Melbourne-based Entrée.Pinays, a group of Filipino female entrepreneurs is the force behind ‘BARRIO’. They aim to raise greater awareness and celebration of Filipino food and culture. The Philippine Trade and Investment Centre in Sydney is working with Entrée.Pinays to mainstream Filipino cuisine in Australia. Special Trade Representative Alma Argayoso said, “We also have a Very Important Buyer Program and Fly-in-Journalist Program where we sponsor food importers and journalists to fly to the Philippines to see, taste, experience and source Filipino food at IFEX Philippines, an international food exhibition showcasing the freshest produce and finest food and ingredients that the Philippines can offer.” END
