CHERYL TIU-SNYDER

Journalist, content creator, World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Bars Tastehunter and co-founder, Proclamation Gin

Through her exciting passion and field of work, Cheryl TiuSnyder has managed to shine a bright light on many deserving foods, flavours and finds. She says this didn’t come overnight. “It involved many years of writing about and promoting the Philippines, travelling overseas for events, talking about the Philippines and our food, and organising Filipino food events and pop-ups,” she shares.

There’s a devotion to these islands that gives her body of work both depth and personality; it helps that she uses her platform to highlight the new yet deserving. “I like to shine the spotlight on the non-commercial, to introduce an audience to a small business or a cultural aspect not known in certain parts of the world,” she says

Not only has she been recognised internationally as a writer and host, but she’s also the co-founder of Proclamation Gin, a local spirit brand that capitalises on sampaguita as its main botanical. She is also the founder of Cross Cultures, an events and consultancy agency that promotes food culture. “There is so much creativity in our country, I think that once lockdown is lifted and it is safe to travel again, we will have a lot more people willing to try and explore not just our cuisine but [also] what Filipino chefs and Philippine-based chefs are doing.”

“Having a purpose or mission of doing a ‘greater good’, one where [I sought] to help out others instead of [myself], often motivates [me] to keep pushing even when the going gets tough,” Tiu-Snyder concludes.