PR – 46 - 2019

(17 June 2019, Honolulu, Hawaii) – The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu organized the inaugural Filipino Food Week in Hawaii from 9-15 July 2019 with the help of its corporate, media, and community partners. Fifteen (15) restaurants from Oahu and five (5) in Maui participated during the Filipino Food Week, majority of them are non-Filipino restaurants. Participating establishments include Cafe Julia at YWCA, Chef Chai, Dana’s Restaurant and Catering, Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi, Elena’s Home of Finest Filipino Foods, Haleiwa Beach House, Joey’s Kitchen, Lineage, Mariposa at Neiman Marcus Ala Mona, Max’s Restaurant, Merriman’s Honolulu, Restaurant XO, Stage Restaurant and Amuse Wine Bar, Star Noodle, Tante’s Island Cuisine, Tiano’s Restaurant, Tin Roof, Tiki’s Grill & Bar, Won Kee Restaurant, and UBAE. The Consulate organized a Restaurant Crawl to visit all the participating restaurants in Oahu and in Maui, including the pop-ups by Minasa Hawaii and Papa’s Lumpia at the New Wave Friday at Art & Flea at Ward.

The event is part of the efforts of the Consulate to introduce Filipino cuisine to a broader audience as well as provide a platform to promote Philippine food products in Hawaii. Companies such as Asian Food Trading Co., Bleeding Heart Rum, East West Marketing Inc., Mama Sita’s, Philippine FoodTrade Co., and Seafood City gave away sample products for restaurants to try. The Consulate hopes that by introducing these items, more restaurants and chefs in Hawaii will use these products in making their dishes. One of the event’s corporate partners, Mrs. Clara Reyes-Lapus, President of Mama Sita’s, flew in from the Philippines to show her support for Filipino Food Week. She met with many of the restaurant owners to promote their company’s products as well as Filipino ways of cooking.

For this year, Filipino Food Week highlighted dishes which use coconut as an ingredient. Restaurants were asked to feature at least one coconut offerings, either appetizer, entree, dessert, or drinks. Some of the coconut-based dishes that were offered during the Filipino Food Week are variations of kinilaw, binakol, bicol express, ginataang isda, pork binagoongan, chicken curry, adobo with coconut milk, halo-halo, coconut-drizzled crinkles, coconut cake, coconut-based cocktails.

At the end of the week-long event, Stage Restaurant sold the most number of their Filipino Food Week Special. As the Filipino Food Week Top Selling Restaurant, they were awarded two (2) roundtrip tickets to the Philippines courtesy of Philippine Airlines and a special culinary tour provided by the Department of Tourism. Joey’s Kitchen and Mariposa at Neiman Marcus round-up the top three bestseller list and was awarded the Mama Sita’s Special Culinary Prize. Other contest winners include Hawaii’s Best Kitchen who won the Flypal Social Media Promotion for garnering the most number of reactions on social media for their post related to FFW. One lucky diner, Kathie Heap, won a round trip ticket to the Philippines for winning the raffle draw for the Filipino Food Week Diner Promotions. Ms. Elizabeth Obod-Frilles was recognized as the Most Active Diner Award for dining in the most number of participating restaurants during the Food Week. All the winners were announced last June 21 during the FilAm Courier Community Hour at KNDI Radio.

A number of Filipino community organizations came out to promote the Filipino Food Week by encouraging their members to patronize the participating establishments. FAUW held their monthly membership meeting at Mariposa. The Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Hawaii had a gathering at Max’s of Manila. The Filipino Junior Chamber meanwhile helped promote the kamayan dinner at Dana’s Restaurant. Meanwhile, members of FAMES Hawaii had an intimate dinner at Merriman’s Honolulu. Alumni of the Filipino Young Leaders Program took part in the Restaurant Crawl organized by the Consulate visiting Elena’s Home of Finest Filipino Foods, Restaurant XO, Tiki’s Grill & Bar, Haleiwa Beach House, Mariposa, Stage Restaurant and Amuse Wine Bar. The editorial team of FilAm Courier met at Chef Chai. The Bicol Club of Hawaii and a group of Filipino community leaders also met at Tiano’s Restaurant during the Food Week.

The Filipino Food Week is an undertaking which gathered different stakeholders from government, private sector, media, and the Filipino community under the Spark*Connect*Empower Platform. The Department of Foreign Affairs through the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu spearheaded the event with the assistance of the Philippine Trade and Tourism Offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Corporate partners such as Philippine Airlines and Mama Sita’s provided promotional prizes while L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and various community organizations organized events to promote FFW. TFC US, KIKU TV, FilAm Courier, and KNDI Radio provided tri-media (TV, print, and radio) coverage. Orig Media and Photoluxe Event and Services, meanwhile, helped generate content for the event.

By organizing the Filipino Food Week, the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu hopes to generate more awareness and interest among locals and restaurants to try and feature Filipino food as well as explore the rich culinary heritage and landscape of the Philippines. The Food Week is part of a US-wide effort of the Philippine Embassy in DC and various Consulates in the US to promote Filipino cuisine and culture, riding on the strengthening of the Filipino Food Movement across the country (END).

PRESENTED BY

PHOTO RELEASE

Consul General Joselito A. Jimeno with owners of participating restaurants and representatives of corporate, media,

and community partners during the Opening Reception of Filipino Food Week at the Cupola Gallery

 

Vice Consul Andrea Christina Caymo awarding the Top-Selling Restaurant Award to Chef Ron de Guzman

and Michael Moore together with Soledad Solleza of Philippine Airlines

 

Awarding of Mama Sita’s Special Culinary Prize to Mariposa at Neiman Marcus Ala Moana.

Joey’s Kitchen in Maui also won the same award for being part of the Top 3 Restaurant Bestsellers for Filipino Food Week

 

With Mr. Darell Chock of Hawaii’s Best Kitchen, winner of FLYPAL Social Media Promotions for garnering the post with the most reactions on social media

 

Deputy Consul General Angelica Escalona with Mr. Emerson Ribao, owner of Café Julia at YWCA

 

Chef Chai (center standing) together with Deputy Consul General Angelica Escalona (center sitting), Clara Reyes-Lapus, President of Mama Sita’s (second from left sitting),

the owners of Elena’s (Mellissa Cedillo, fifth from left standing) and Haleiwa Beach House (Leni Knight, fourth from right standing), and business contacts of the Consulate

 

Lunch with Mama Sita’s and FYLPRO at Elena’s Home of Finest Filipino Foods

 

Kamayan dinner at Dana’s Restaurant with Chef Manny Camacho (right standing) and friends from Frolic Hawaii, Nan Inc., Mason Architects, and RLB

 

With Chef Randy Bangloy at Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguch

 

Consulate staff and Filipino Young Leaders Program Alumna, Elizabeth Obod-Frilles dining at Haleiwa Beach House

 

Philippine Consular Team with Chef Joey Macadangdang at Joey’s Kitchen in Napili

 

Philippine Consulate Staff together with representatives from Immigrant Services Division of the Country of Maui celebrating FFW at Lineage

 

Members of the Filipino Association of University Women celebrating Filipino Food Week at Mariposa

 

Members of the UP Alumni Association of Hawaii celebrating FFW at Max’s of Manila

 

Members of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii celebrating FFW at Max’s of Manila with Mrs. Clara Reyes-Lapus, President of Mama Sita’s

 

Members of FAMES Hawaii celebrating FFW at Merriman’s Honolulu

 

Members of Hawaii Consular Corps, FYLPRO, and Chef/Owner Kenneth Lee (center standing) and Chef de Cuisine Harry Ines (right standing) at Restaurant CO

 

Dinner at Stage Restaurant with social media influencers Lanai Tabura (second from left) and folks from Frolic Hawaii. Photo Credit: Mellissa Cedillo (rightmost), owner of Elena’s Home of Finest Filipino Foods

 

Enjoying halo-halo and kinilaw with Chef Abby Ferrer of Star Noodle

 

Consulate staff with Chef Tante Urban and family at Tante’s Restaurant in Kahului

 

Members of Filcom with Chef Joel Navasca gathering at Tiano’s Restaurant in Kunia

 

Bicol Club of Hawaii at Tiano’s Restaurant

 

Members of the Filipino Young Professionals Network at Tiki’s Grill & Bar

 

Awarding of Certificate of Appreciation to Chef Marvin Magno of Tin Roof

 

Lunch with Ms. Yan (Center) of Won Kee Restaurant

 

Courtesy call of Mrs. Clara R. Lapus. President of Marigold Corporation and Ms. Melody Calisay, President of East West Marketing to Consul General Joselito A. Jimeno