THE who’s who of Manila’s culinary scene were quite surprised to find out that Madrid Fusion Manila will not be pushing through in April this year (though some reports say that it will push through on a later date). Change came this year as the international culinary conference was replaced by something a lot closer to home: Buhay Carinderia… Redefined, by Marylindbert International, Inc., with the help of the Tourism Promotion Board(TPB) and the Department of Tourism (DoT).
The program is aimed at small to medium enterprises, aimed, to “improve the carinderia’s image, help the entrepreneurs behind them and present their unique style of cooking to a wider audience,” said in a press release.
From this moment on until June, the caravan will be touring the Philippines, beginning with northern Luzon, to find the best that the regions have to offer, culminating in a culinary exposition in Vigan in June. After this initial phase, the caravan will go all around the country, and each tour will be punctuated with culinary expositions of their own, with a final one in Metro Manila near the end of the year.
Said TPB Chief Operating Officer and sometime actor Cesar Montano in a speech during the launch earlier this month at the Rizal Park Hotel: “We, from the Tourism Promotions Board and the Department of Tourism, we believe that Philippine culinary… is not limited to the people who can afford it. This time, Buhay Carinderia…. Redefined will reach out [to] the grassroots.”
Meanwhile, Erlinda Legaspi, president of Marylindbert International (who has been staging the program since 2011, albeit on a smaller scale), said: “It’s going to be bigger, and will include all of the regions in the Philippines.”
Experts will also mentor culinary students during the program, and Ms. Legaspi said that they plan to come up with a star system à la the Michelin Guide. — JLG

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