A five-day festival of food in April this year will be a venue to honor the culinary excellence of Western Visayas while serving as a platform to celebrate the victory of this city as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City of Gastronomy in the Philippines.

“The first-ever festival is a feast for the senses, showcasing the best of Ilonggo cuisine through a diverse range of culinary experiences, from traditional dishes to innovative creations that highlight the region’s unique flavors and ingredients,” Salvador Sarabia Jr., director of the city government’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) office, said in a press conference on Tuesday.

The Iloilo City Festival of Food set on April 26-30 will have a daily showcase of culinary innovation with food tasting of Ilonggo delicacies prepared by local chefs, including La Paz batchoy, pancit molo, “tinuom” of the town of Cabatuan, buffet of mangoes from the municipality of Leon, and chevon fest from San Miguel town and desserts like baye-baye, biscocho and butterscotch, among others.

“We will likewise introduce coffee and cacao-based in some of the municipalities in Iloilo like Cabatuan. The cacao is being presented and the coffee and different coffee makers in Iloilo,” said Dr. Tina Sudario, faculty of the Iloilo City Community College helping the MICE Center mount the event.

The event will also include cooking demonstrations where home-grown chefs will showcase their skills and share tips and techniques for recreating authentic Ilonggo dishes and symposia covering topics like traditional cooking methods, ingredient sourcing, marketing, packaging and flavor pairings.

Sudario said municipalities have a role in sustaining Iloilo City’s title as Gastronomy City because raw materials are sourced from the province.

“We cannot do away with the involvement of the people our farmers because of the supply chain. We also need to introduce them likewise to support the city in terms of innovation of cuisines because all of these raw materials are mostly coming from the province of Iloilo,” she added.

Sarabia said they look forward to launching a food map in partnership with the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Arts during the event that will guide food enthusiasts in exploring the best dishes in the city. (PNA)