The coconut stars in DC foodfest
THE PHILIPPINE EMBASSY
in Washington, through the Office of the Agriculture Attaché, showcased the best of Philippine coconut products in the first Taste the Philippines DC Filipino Food Festival held at the District Wharf on June 22.
More than 10,000 visitors gathered at the District Wharf to try out unique Filipino dishes catered by various Filipino restaurants, tabling organizations and vendors from all around the DMV area.
In addition to the excellent lineup of Philippine cuisine, cultural presentations and musical performances by YO-YO Inc., SNRG, Mabuhay Inc., Aira Renee Curameng, Pinaktay Arnis, SUAV and the Migrant Heritage Fil-Am Dance Ensemble provided entertainment to the audience.
Among the products that were sampled at the Philippine embassy booth are Magnolia macapuno ice cream sourced from Ramar Foods by Tito Al’s 2A Marketing; Trader Joe’s coconut water with pineapple juice; Kirkland coconut water sourced from the Philippines; NUCO coconut wraps of original, moringa, turmeric and cinnamon flavors that can be purchased from organic food stores such as Wegman’s in Alexandria; Ludy’s coconut jam, Florence coconut jam and Lady’s Choice tuna spread that were best paired with the coconut wraps; NUCO coconut crunch cereals; butter cream macaroon flavored biscuits; and North Star’s buko pancit. Free samples of Carrington Farms’ virgin coconut oil ready-to-go packs sourced from the Philippines were given out to the festival visitors.
Visitors to the Philippine booth were encouraged to post photos of themselves enjoying the Philippine coconut products, or any dish with coconut ingredients from the participating restaurants, for a chance to win a $100 gift card from Kaliwa restaurant.
Some of the dishes by participating restaurants that also made use of coconut were Kaliwa’s pastry with coconut and ube, and Kuya Ja’s lobster laing.
“National Coconut Day is celebrated in the United States every 26th of June, and the DC Filipino Food Festival was an excellent platform to raise awareness and promote the Philippines’ very own coconut products and other agricultural exports that are readily available in the US market,” said Agriculture Attaché Josyline Javelosa.
“We consider this as an important means to support the 3.5 million coconut farmers in the Philippines,” she added.
“The success of the first-ever Taste the Philippines DC Filipino Food Festival and the overwhelming reception for Filipino food and food products is proof that Philippine cuisine is slowly making a name in the US mainstream. We are delighted to introduce and showcase our very own coconut products in this event,” said Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez.
Taste the Philippines DC Filipino Food Festival was organized by Kaliwa restaurant, Mindset Communities and the Philippine American Foundation for Charities. Participating restaurants include Purple Patch, Daikaya, Tigerfork, Ekiben, The Game Sports Pub, Timothy Flores, Kuya Ja’s and Kaliwa.