Festival promotes food tourism

CEBU, Philippines — To promote food tourism, a festival showcasing the skills of local cooks from Cebu province was held yesterday.

The participants came from Alegria, Argao, Badian, Catmon, Samboan, Sibonga, and City of Naga.

Provincial Tourism Officer Joselito "Boboi" Costas said the LGUs were represented by local cooks, not trained chefs and students.

Among highlighted ingredients were the native pig and the camias, which is locally known as iba. Each of the cooks had to prepare a dish using the ingredients based on the culinary style of their respective towns.

Aside from the competition for the main course, there were also contests for the best welcome drink, best appetizer, and best pasalubong. There were also non-food categories, namely best in table setting and best welcome lei (garland).

The event was themed “Local food for local prosperity”. Costas contextualized that promotion of local delicacies can be a magnet for tourists and not only a means to add to the identity of a place. Winners will be announced today, December 13.

To help the other local government units to improve in the field of promoting their culinary, the PTO also held a forum which talked about how to brand and package local products.

Since 2015, the provincial government has been doing food festivals to promote local food. Costas said that he hopes more local government units will join in the next run.

“We do not select the participating LGUs. In fact, we invite all,” Costas said.

The food festival is just one of the many activities prepared by the provincial government in time for Christmas season.

While the culinary battles were at the Capitol dome, an agricultural trade fair is also simultaneously done at the back road of the executive building. It will run until December 14.

The fair features local produce from the cities and towns of the province. Of the 53 local government units in Cebu, 20 sent delegation. On top of that, 43 more private exhibitors joined. Most of them were cooperatives of farmers while the other one is from the province of Bohol.

Unlike in the previous years, Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Roldan Saragena said that more processed agricultural products are displayed this time. He added that it is a reflection of the continuing drive of the provincial government to capacitate the farmers to be able to process their own products and earn better.

The Capitol has partnered with other government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry for the undertaking.

“Go into product processing para mas dako ang ginasya sa mga farmers,” Saragena said. (FREEMAN)