‘Kaon Na’ food, travel festival underway in Cebu City
CEBU CITY — The “Kaon Na” (Let’s Eat) food and travel festival simultaneously opened in two Ayala Malls in Legazpi and in Cebu City on Friday, showcasing authentic Philippine cuisine.
The festival in the two cities will run until today, Sunday.
“Culinary tourism works,” Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in one of her sorties here.
She said food is always one of the things to consider in the places tourists visit, and it has always been a part of one’s travel itinerary.
Puyat cited the DOT’s Annual Visitor Sample Survey 2017 that spending on food and beverages comprises almost one-third of the tourist total expenditure and 93 percent of tourists have engaged in a unique food or beverage experience citing the 2016 Food Travel Monitor of the World Food Travel Association.
“This event will prove the country as a vibrant culinary tourism destination and create awareness of the richly-diverse Filipino cuisine,” Puyat stated.
“Kaon Na” gathered selected Filipino chefs from prominent restaurants, and hotels to serve their best Filipino recipes, including Bicol Express, Cebu lechon, kare-kare, Humba de ronda, and kinilaw.
Headlining the presentations were chefs Andhei Nacion of Oriental Hotel, Marc Milo Mercader, Edsel Falcotelo, and Edward Emil Eugenio of Lola Sayong Eco-Surfing Camp, Bong Aspe of First Colonial Grill, Ruel Legson of Misibis Bay Resort, Marica Buenaflor of Que Pasa and Enrico Calleja of Casa Simeon from Bicol.
In Cebu, chefs June Fernandez of Cebu Parklane International Hotel, Marlou Almasco of Golden Prince Hotel, Richard Hao of University of San Jose Recoletos, Deofrey Vistal of Radisson Blue Cebu, Vincent Caracut of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu and Anthony Choa of Ralfe Gourmet highlighted the local dishes of Central Visayas.
Succeeding Kaon Na! festivals will also be held at Ayala North Point in Bacolod on November 16-18; Abreeza Mall in Davao on November 16-18; Marquee Mall in Pampanga on December 8-10; Centrio Ayala in Cagayan de Oro on November 23-25 and Ayala Malls Solenad in Laguna on December 7-9, 2018. (Minerva BC Newman)