FILIPINO-AMERICAN Chef Tom Cunanan of the celebrated Washington, D.C., restaurant Bad Saint will be one of the speakers at the three-day international gastronomy conference during Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM) 2018.
Nominated for the much coveted James Beard Foundation award for Best New Chef (mid-Atlantic) in 2017, Cunanan’s culinary expertise, and Filipino menu at the restaurant he coowns with fellow Fil-Ams Genevieve Villamora and Nick Pimentel, has been winning a lot of praise from renowned food critics since it opened in 2015.
Bad Saint, named after the place where Filipinos originally settled in the United States, Saint Malo, Louisiana, was named the second Best New Restaurant in the US in 2016. New York Times headlined its review of Bad Saint in 2016 as “Filipino food worth the wait.”
Cunanan attended the MFM last year at his own expense, and mingled with foreign and local chefs.
This time as a presenter, Cunanan will be joined by another celebrated Fil-Am chef, Paul Qui, a James Beard awardee for Best Chef Southwest in 2012, when he was at Uchiko.
Qui became known to Filipinos when he became a contestant on and won Top Chef Season 9 in 2011. He was supposed to be a presenter at last year’s MFM, but his domestic troubles forced his absence. He closed his last restaurant, Kuneho, in November 2017.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) took to the stage at last week’s Madrid Fusión at the Palacio del Congreso to invite the former participants to the MFM 2018.
In a statement read by MFM 2018 Project Director Pamela Samaniego, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo said: “Madrid Fusión Manila has effectively bound government agencies, private sector, media, academe and local communities together. We are rallying behind one common goal of establishing the Philippines as a center of gastronomy on this part of the world. We are making great headway. And for this, we are thankful to all of you.”
With this year’s theme “Innovating Tradition,” the DOT hopes to sustain higher awareness and attendance to the much-awaited Philippine culinary event, which banners the country’s competitiveness as a gastronomical destination in Asia. MFM 2018 is held in partnership with Foro de Debate, owner of the Madrid Fusión franchise.
In a news statement, Samaniego, for her part, shared: “Three years ago when we were starting this project, the world barely knew about the cuisine and ingredients the Philippines had to offer. Today, food forecasts name Philippine cuisine as the next big food trend. With your help, we can look forward to an even more successful Madrid Fusión Manila 2018.”
The formal announcement of the Manila event was graced by Philippine Ambassador to Spain Philippe Lhuillier, Foro de Debate’s Lourdes Plana, along with some of this year’s presenters Iñigo Lavado (Restaurante Iñigo Lavado), Susi Diaz (La Finca) and Gorka Txpartegi (Restaurante Alameda), and featured chef for the Philippine reception JP Anglo (Sarsa).
Chef Jordy Navarra (Toyo Eatery), chef-presenter for the Philippines in the Madrid edition, received much applause for his presentation on fermented dishes like buro and bagoong.
The Philippine booth, strategically situated at the ground floor of Palacio del Congreso just at the entrance to the exhibit area, successfully drew attendees to sample Filipino products, such as sweets, snacks and freshly cooked Filipino comfort food like beef sinigang, chicken arroz caldo and chicken adobo.
Also served were favorite merienda snacks, such as suman, ube halaya, champorado, bibingka, kutsinta, puto and others. Visitors to the booth were told of the origins of each Filipino delicacy, how these were prepared, and the top destinations in the Philippines where these dishes could be enjoyed.
Madrid-based Filipino flair bartender Dennis Barela Adiuba also lured visitors to the booth with his throwups, twists and flips of liquor bottles.
Other Spanish chefs who will be presenting at MFM 2018 are Javier Estevez (La Tasqueria), Diego Gallegos (Sollo), Pepe Solla (Casa Solla) and Roberto Ruiz (Punto MX). Other foreign chefs participating in this year’s Manila event are Matt Abergel (Ronin, Hong Kong), Akrame Benallal (Akrame, Paris), Curtis Duffy (Grace, Chicago), Maria Fernanda Di Giacobbe (Kakao Bombones Lab, Valenzuela), LG Han (Labyrinth, Singapore), Mingoo Kang (Mingles in Seoul), Aitor Jeronimo Orive (Igg’s, Singapore), Floriano Pellegrino and Isabella Poti (Bros’, Italy), and Hajime Yoneda (Hajime, Osaka).
Local chefs Anglo, Patrick Go (Black Sheep) and Nicco Santos (Hey Handsome) complete this year’s MFM lineup.
Madrid Fusión Manila 2018 will be held from April 19 to 21 at the SMX Convetion Center in Pasay. Aside from the gastronomy congress, there will be a food fair and exhibit of Spanish and local food products, wine and liquor, ingredients, and kitchen equipment. (Check www.madridfusionmanila.com for updates.)