By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
A TOTAL of 1,400 delegates are participating in this year’s edition of the Madrid Fusión Manila (MFM 2017), a three-day gastronomic event, which opened on Thursday at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo made this disclosure, saying this was the largest gathering of chefs, kitchen professionals, culinary instructors, restaurateurs, kitchen equipment and ingredients suppliers, food enthusiasts and the media since the event was first launched in 2015.
She said many of the MFM 2017 delegates are not only from the Philippines, but also from China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Taiwan, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well. “The delegates will have their plates full with the usual MFM offerings, like the International Gastronomy Congress, where they will engage with 19 celebrated Filipino culinary chefs and Michelin-starred culinary chefs from Asia, Europe and the Americas in “master classes” tackling culinary trends, technological innovations and revolutionary techniques in the kitchen.”
The popular epicurean event opened with remarks from Teo and Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jose Luis Calvo, both of whom celebrated the strong relations between the two countries. Then, dancers in native Mindanao attire gathered up rice and spices brought by Christians and other Western colonialists and put these in a large palayok (clay pot), the traditional cooking vessel of Malays, depicting the fusion of the East and the West.
Also present on Thursday was former Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr., who was personally invited by Teo to attend the MFM 2017. In her speech, she acknowledged Jimenez for having started the MFM and for his immense support to her organization of travel agents when she was still in the private sector.
The MFM enables the Philippines to grow its reputation as a culinary destination, Teo said. “Three years ago when we first started Madrid Fusión Manila, the world barely knew about Filipino cuisine and the country’s indigenous ingredients. But today, forecasts for 2017 name Filipino cuisine as the next big food trend. With many articles written by credible international [publications and food critics] about how the food scene in the Philippines is heating up, we can say that now is the right time to go full blast in promoting the country as a vibrant and flavorful culinary tourism destination,” she stressed.
Teo added the MFM has “undoubtedly [reawakened] our culinary industry, and many of our chefs and students have been inspired by the knowledge and techniques imparted to them by the best chefs in the world through this event.”
With the theme for the MFM’s third serving being “Towards a Sustainable Gastronomic Planet”, Teo explained that “sustainable gastronomy is the art of fulfilling gastronomic needs and wants while respecting environmental limits and preserving and enhancing cultural traditions”. She emphasized, “As a country whose natural and cultural resources are being threatened by overexploitation and harmful effects of climate change, it is, indeed, important to look at the sustainability aspect of food production.”
Calvo underscored the large contributions culinary tourism can make to the overall tourism industry. He cited that in Spain alone, culinary tourists account for 10 percent of the 150 million visitors to the country, generating about €50 million in receipts for the economy. “And to think, many years ago, there were very few who were visiting Spain,” he said, noting that the same could happen in the Philippines as the MFM focuses the spotlight on the country, helping bring in culinary tourists.
The MFM is the only Asian edition of Madrid Fusión, and is touted as the single most important international gastronomy congress in the 21st century. It is a joint partnership among the DOT, the Tourism Promotions Board and Madrid Fusión Organizers Foro de Debate and Arum.
Iñigo Cañedo, managing director of Arum, told the BusinessMirror the Philippines has two more years to host the MFM, after which, consultations will be held among all parties to decide whether Manila will hold the event for another five years. Sources said other Asian cities also want to hold the Madrid Fusión in their respective countries.
In a news conference on Wednesday to introduce the participating chefs in the Gastronomy Congress, Tourism Director Verna Buensuceso, MFM overall project director, said delegates and connoisseurs alike can once again savor and taste premium local and Spanish products, ingredients and fresh produce across 200 booths occupying over 600 square meters of the SMX Halls 1 to 3 during the Fusión Manila International Gastronomy Expo. The expo will be open to the public on Saturday, for a minimal entrance fee.
Jose Carlos Capel of Foro de Debate acknowledged the growing interest Philippine cuisine is getting over the last few years, relating “it is no coincidence that the Philippines and its development in cuisines is something people should keep an eye on”.
Image credits: Roy Domingo
2 comments
You need to improve the street food scene first. At the moment it is foul and disturbing. This is where the Thais, Vietnamese, Singaporeans, Malays excel, and we are so far behind.
How are you exactly going to improve the street food scene? In the Philippines, street food is more of demand-driven than cultural. If you’re pointing towards sanitation, that’s fine, but what is your guarantee that other SEA neighbors have strict rules and enforcement for it as well?