The Department of Tourism (DOT) aims to satisfy the cravings of foodies, tourists, and non-tourists alike with the fourth hybrid serving of the KAIN NA! Food and Travel Festival in partnership with Ayala Malls.
KAIN NA! with the theme “Foodie Adventures” continues to serve its signature line-up of digital food tourism talks and discussions from June 9 to 11, while on-ground festivities of specially-curated foodie pop-ups of regional cuisines and delicacies are scheduled at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Parañaque City, Metro Manila from June 10 to 12, from 10AM to 10PM.
The Global PROSPECTives webinar series livestreamed via the official DOT Facebook page, banners Filipino chefs and foodie personalities based overseas including Chef Nicole Ponseca of Jeepney NYC in Miami, Wynwood, Chef Peachy Juban and Chef Ewald Notter of Dote Coffee in Washington, Chef Francis Ang of Abacá in San Francisco, Chef Erica Paredes of Reyna Restaurant in Paris, France, Chef Rex De Guzman of TURO TURO in London, United Kingdom, and Chef Bulawan Callanta, Ayan Filipino Streetfood in Berlin, Germany.
The TED talks-inspired Food Tourism 101, also accessible free online, covered inspirational food tourism experiences from Theodore Day Salonga, Dino Datu, Gel Salonga-Datu of Teds Bed & Breakfast and Gerald Garigade, Ken Chan, Ryan Kolton of Café Claus Corp.
Meanwhile, the Food Tourism Exchange featured Northern Luzon, introducing the Cordilleran Culinary Food Circuit, ADAMS Inuwayan: Ilocos Norte’s Trunk for Agri-Tourism Industry, Sustainable AgriTourism: Stakeholders’ Responsibility & Accountability, and “A glimpse of the culinary treasures of Nueva Ecija”. The National Capital Region and Southern Luzon will showcase Foodie Adventures in Metro Manila, and Agri-Cul-Tour: Farm-To-Table Adventure in CALABARZON. Western Visayas will highlight Negrense Heritage Cuisine and our close connection to the sugar industry followed by Kadto ‘ta! Kaon ‘ta! – A Food Trip Guide to Capiz. Mindanao will then uncover Foodie Adventures: Come Ta! Mangan Ne! Kaon Ta! The Zamboanga City-Isabela de Basilan-Zamboanga Sibugay Food Crawl, Fusion of Filipino-Italian Flavors, and Farm to Table in the City. Curated foodie adventure tour packages designed to re-introduce destinations and drive regional spending are also available onsite during the four-day food affair.
A Foodie Townhall session on Food Tourism and business-to-business sessions with the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), Food Tourism Consortium, and regional stakeholders were also set to enhance the festival.
This year’s KAIN NA! mobilized close to 40 national and regional food and travel exhibitors on ground. Other than the traditional cuisines normally found in different regions of the country, new non-traditional and indigenous delicacies are expected to be featured to tickle the taste buds.
These include:
• Bagnet, empanada, and longganisa from the Ilocos Region;
• Breakfast fare and snacks such as tablea and tsokolate bars from MIMAROPA;
• Durian, jackfruit, marang, artisanal chocolate, and Mindanao fruit jams and pastries from the Davao Region.
There will also be value-for-money tour packages offering food, leisure, adventure, and special interest tours to the Cagayan Valley region, Bulacan, CALABARZON, Davao, Siargao and other popular foodie destinations.
