ANGELES CITY—Officials of Ayala Malls said they want to help boost tourism and businesses in North and Central Luzon with the holding of the third “Big Bite: The Northern Food Festival” at the Marquee Mall here over the weekend. Mark Sablan, Ayala Land senior division manager and general manager of Marquee Mall, said they helped more than 100 stalls showcase and sell their products at the three-day event which started on October 15.
“The stalls were asked to shoulder minimal fees for electricity and maintenance,” Sablan said. He added that there were “only” 80 stalls when the first Big Bite: The Northern Food Festival was held in 2013. “This year we even denied other stalls because the venue was already full,” he added. Sablan said each stall was expected to sell a minimum of P10,000 per day. He said 40,000 people visit Marquee Mall during weekends and that 8,000 more people were at their mall each day during the food festival. Big Bite showcased three of the best-loved northern flavors at the “Sisig Festival,” one of the main highlights of the event.
The Sisig Festival is an ode to the quintessential Pampanga dish. The festival featured three popular sisig variations from Pangasinan, Ilocos and the traditional Capampangan recipe. Chef Jackie de la Cruz whipped up the Ilocano version called dinakdakan, while Chef Danilo Maramba cooked the Pangasinan version, replacing pork with bangus, a popular catch from the region. Chef Sau del Rosario prepared the traditional Capampangan pork sisig. Big Bite also featured a food market offering 100 food concepts from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Each merchant showcased unique and local homegrown-food products such as coffee, jam, spices, condiments and native delicacies.
Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and his wife Herminia and Central Luzon Tourism Regional Director Ronnie Tiotuico graced the opening event, which kicked off with fireworks, marching bands, street dancing and cooking of sisig varieties.