NEW YORK — A bigger and more bustling “Taste of the Philippines” returned to the iconic Reading Terminal Market for the second year last 11 November, showcasing the best of Filipino cuisine in the iconic food hall in the center of downtown Philadelphia.
Organized by the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce-Pennsylvania and South New Jersey, and the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, eightReading Terminal food merchants joined the festival, giving their own take of Filipino classics.
During the opening ceremony, PACC President Rommel Rivera welcomed the guests, noting that Taste of the Philippines is the centerpiece event of PACC-PA & SNJ.
Consul Khrystina Corpuz Popov congratulated the PACC-PA and SNJ for a successful event, and thanked the host, Reading Terminal Market for “providing the space to share our Filipino cuisine. Food is central in our culture, and when we share with you our food, we share with you our heart.”
Tourism Representative Susan Del Mundo was also at the event to represent the DOT and invited 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 world’s best islands in the world.
More than a thousand guests registered for the event, and started lining up for the festival way before the doors opened.
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).
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.
