Junior Masterchefs Innovate on Regional Dishes at the Batangas Food Festival

Filipinos love food. Any and every opportunity we can, we find reasons to eat: at office meetings, at get-togethers, trips out of town, even "food trips" from street food stalls to special restaurants.

November 3, 2012 was such a day to celebrate the pleasure and sustenance food provides, with Matabungkay's first Batangas Food Festival. Over a hundred guests came to watch Junior Masterchefs Jobim Jalbuena and Tricia Baylosis prepare Batangas specialties, but with their own twist. Jobim made Binarakong Baka a beef stew using kapeng barako. Paired with kimchi and garnished with tapioca pearls, the dish is certainly not common, but full-flavored, sour-spicy, and hearty nonetheless. Tricia's dish was kalderetang kambing, also a meat stew braised in tomato sauce and cheese, and paired it with couscous rice – a Mediterranean twist. Dishes they prepared will be featured on Matabungkay's menu for a limited amount of time.

But what is a meal without a sweet ending? Magnolia's Chef Manny also struts his stuff with his sizzling ice cream – ice cream served on a sizzling platter with lambanog and caramel. In a word? Mmmm!

Matabungkay Beach Hotel hopes to make the Batangas Food Festival a yearly event to feature the uniqueness and deliciousness of the province's food.