Island Pacific Supermarket at the Kulinarya: A Filipino Culinary Showdown

Six (6) Finalists shopped for ingredients at the Island Pacific Union City

Island Pacific Supermarket participated in as one of the sponsors of the recently concluded Kulinarya : A Filipino Culinary Showdown held at the Metreon in San Francisco last December 4, 2010. Organized by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco along with the various government agencies, namely, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Philippine National Police with the goal of increasing the awareness and appreciation of Northern California residents on Filipino cuisine. 

 

Consul General Marciano Paynor Jr with the hardworking staff of the Philippine Department of Tourism San Francisco headed by Rene Delos Santos, Debbie Gallano and Gabby Agcaoili.

 

Kulinarya, which means culinary or cuisine in Tagalog, started in 2005 as a cultural tourism program of the Philippine Department of Tourism . Dubbed as Kulinarya Filipina, the program introduces Philippine flavors to domestic and international tourists to promote the country as a culinary destination. Travelers practically eat their way around the country as they visit destinations that are well-known for their food. There are Kulinarya tour packages that are being offered now to various parts of the country and each region has its own culinary treasure to boast. 

-The 6 finalists shown here with Consul General Marciano Paynor, Jr along with the staff of the Department of Tourism San Francisco. Also shown in photo are the judges composed of notable chefs, food critics and foodies; and volunteer culinary students from  CCA and USF.

 

 

Kulinarya : A Filipino Culinary Showdown was organized to discover and showcase the talents and expertise of Filipino chefs and foodies. A total of 6 finalists competed -- 3 in the Amateur Division and 3 in the Professional Division--- in cooking regular meal items that included an appetizer/salad, adobo and another Filipino entree, and a Filipino dessert. The judges consisted of notable culinary experts, professional chefs and food critic such as Chef Thomas Weibull-- an accomplished chef for over 25 years and who has worked in numerous three star restaurants in the Bay Area from One Market, Aqua, Rubicon and Plouf;  Chef Kelly Degala--Executive Chef at the Academy Café at the California Academy of Sciences; Lynne Char Bennet- SF Chronicle Staff Writer and Food Critic; Nancy Freeman, President of the Asian Culinary Forum; June Belen-- writer for SFoodie, SF Weekly’s widely read food blog and has been featured at Saveur Magazine's "The Best of the Web"; and Mrs. Tess Paynor, wife of Consul General Marciano A. Paynor.  Winners were selected according to the cohesiveness of menu, presentation, creativity; and taste/flavor.

The 8 gift baskets consisted of various Filipino food products

The six  (6) finalists shopped for their ingredients at the Island Pacific Supermarket in Union City. Each finalists were given $100 Gift Certificate that they've used to purchase their ingredients needed for their recipes. On hand to assist them was, Arnel Macaspac, the store manager of Island Pacific Supermarket in Union City. Aside from the Gift Certificates, Island Pacific Supermarket also donated some food items for the gift baskets that were given as a token of appreciation to the seven (7) notable judges in the Culinary field and to Franco Finn, who hosted the competition. The food items consisted of VuQo Premiuim Vodka-- the first and only vodka in the world that is made of coconut--, Mama Sita sauces and cookbook; R & M dried mangoes and Magnolia Quezo De Bola courtesy of Asian Commodities, the largest food distributor of Asian products; and Simply Calamansi -- a bottled ready to drink calamansi juice.

The finalists after shopping at Island Pacific Supermarket Union City accompanied by two (2) staffs from the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco. Also shown in the photo are Arnel Macaspac, Store Manager of Island Pacific Supermarket Union City and Charina Carrera, Marketing & Communications Director of Island Pacific Supermarket.

 

Kulinarya: A Filipino Culinary showdown also featured some Filipino restaurants in the Bay area that showcased their dishes through a food sampling.  Over all, Kulinarya was a huge success attended by  over 500 people who came to witness the finals of the cook-off.

Island Pacific Supermarket will continue to support this type of undertakings that would help promote Filipino culture through its native cuisines. Go and visit an Island Pacifc near you with branches in Southern California located at Cerritos, Canoga Park, North and South Vermont in Los Angeles, Panorama City and West Covina;  Union City and Vallejo in Northern California.Check out the website at www.islandpacificmarket.com. Stay connected with them on Facebook @island pacific market, follow them on Twitter @islandpacificUS and  Blogger @island pacific market. Presyong Sulit... sa Island Pacific.