Sabores de Visayas highlights heritage cuisine

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Celebrating the rich culinary heritage of Western Visayas, the 10th edition of Sabores de Visayas is set to take place with a grand degustation dinner on Saturday, July 27, at the Grand Xing Imperial Hotel.

The event offers a unique opportunity to experience the rich flavors and traditions of Western Visayan cuisine, crafted by some of the country’s most esteemed chefs.

Founder and organizer Chef Rafael “Tibong” Jardeleza Jr. is bringing together some of the most renowned and respected chefs from across the country to collaborate with local Ilonggo cooks.

The event will feature esteemed chefs such as Sandy Daza, Margarita Forés, Myke Tatung, Panky Lopez, Mikel Zaguirre, Kalel Chan, and Patrick Go. They will join forces with Iloilo’s culinary talents, including Jose Wilson Esperancilla, Maridel Uygonco, and Jardeleza himself.

Adding to the local flavor, these celebrated chefs will work alongside local chefs Frances Aimee Tiu Villanueva, Ariel Castañeda Jr., Andrea Valdez Gorriceta, Karl Jason Hibionada, Jeff E. Ticao, Aaron Pastilloso, Keith Warren Apurado Bianson, Paul Frias, and Paul Aligaen.

“This will be a work of 40 hands—20 chefs in total. We are introducing our way of cooking, our ingredients, and our culture,” Jardeleza said.

Through the collaboration, he hopes that the recipes and ingredients showcased at the event will find their way back to restaurants in Manila, promoting both Ilonggo and Western Visayan heritage cuisine on a broader scale.

“Sabores de Visayas is just an instrument. This is about our local cuisine,” Jardeleza added, emphasizing that the event serves as a platform to celebrate and elevate local culinary traditions.

The 10th Sabores de Visayas will be held in partnership with the Iloilo MICE Alliance, led by Nat Lim; the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI), headed by Allan Ryan Tan; the Western Visayas regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT-6), Philippine Airlines (PAL), Iloilo Business Park of Megaworld Corp., MORE Power, and La Filipina Uygongco.

Jardeleza is an Ilonggo heritage cuisine advocate and an award-winning author of the Iloilo cookbook Flavors of Iloilo, which was recently named the Best Cookbook in the 41st National Book Awards by the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle.

He is also the man behind branding Iloilo as the “Food Haven of the Philippines,” a purveyor of Ilonggo heritage cuisine, and a third generation cook from Familia Jardeleza of Jaro, Iloilo City.