Philadelphia foodies get a ‘Taste of the Philippines’

LocaLucho Latino Kitchen’s Chicken Adobo with Garlic Rice and Gandules was one of the biggest hits during the Taste of the Philippines. CONTRIBUTED

PHILADELPHIA – A bigger and more bustling “Taste of the Philippines” returned to the Reading Terminal Market for the second year on Nov. 11, showcasing the best of Filipino cuisine in the iconic food hall in the center of downtown Philadelphia.

More than a thousand guests registered for the event and started lining up for the festival way before the doors opened.

SALO Series Chef Yana Gilbuena offered cooking demonstrations of Salmon Kilawin and Mushroom Sisig, while Chef Johneric Concordia hosted a screening of his documentary Prison Food to capacity audiences in the afternoon.

Consul Khrystina Corpuz Popov (left) welcomes guests to the festival. Chef Yana Gilbuena adds the last touches to her Salmon Kilawin in front of an SRO audience. CONTRIBUTED

The participants and their featured dishes were Bassetts Ice Cream (Mango Ice Cream); Flying Monkey Bakery (Ube Cupcake); Loco Lucho’s Latino Kitchen (Chicken Adobo with Garlic Rice and Gandules); Molly Malloy’s (San Miguel Beer); Nanee’s Kitchen (Chicken Bicol Express); Sang Kee Noodle House (Seafood Palabok); Poi Dog Philly (Bibingka); and Genevieve’s (Lechon Kawali with Rice).

Organized by the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce-Pennsylvania and South New Jersey and the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, eight Reading Terminal food merchants joined the festival, giving their own take on Filipino classics.

PACC President Rommel Rivera welcomed the guests, noting that Taste of the Philippines is the centerpiece event of PACC-PA & SNJ.

Filipino and non-Filipino guests line up before the festival doors open for Chef Yana Gilbuena’s cooking demonstrations and Chef Johneric Concordia’s food documentary Prison Food. CONTRIBUTED

Consul Khrystina Corpuz Popov congratulated the PACC-PA and SNJ for a successful event, and thanked the host, Reading Terminal Market.

Tourism Representative Susan Del Mundo exhorted the attendees that after having a taste of the Philippine flavors, they should also experience more of what the Philippines has to offer – some of the best islands in the world.