FOOD. CULTURE. HISTORY.

6 Bite-sized Stories from the 15-hour Food Frenzy Safari and World Street Food Congress 2017 Press Conference

Calling all Titan foodies! Remember last year’s World Street Food Congress at Mercato?

 

This year, get ready to munch on 5 days’ worth of street food from all over Asia and the rest of the world as the congress takes on its 2nd year in the Philippines. Now bigger and better, the congress will be held at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds, Pasay City from May 31 to June 4, 2017 with the theme: Re-imagine Possibilities.

 

As the countdown begins, here are 6 insider stories from the WSFC Press Conference and 15-hour Food Frenzy Safari held last April 4, 2017:

 

 

• Chef Sau del Rosario used to teach at Enderun.

 

From Filipino food to Thai cuisine, demos to a food safari, Chef Sau worked with Enderun some years back. Hailing from Angeles City, Pampanga, the food capital of the Philippines, he is now the captain of the Philippine contingent in the World Street Food Congress, which will gather local hawkers from all over the country and prepare them for the world stage.

 

Having the chance to sit down with him, he shared, “Food is my story. Every bite is a bite of tradition and culture. Culture is best served on a platter. If we become food ambassadors, we can tell the world who we are. We need to practice what we’re teaching and sustain it as well.”

 

His advocacy is to modernize Filipino food as a way to help the younger generation reconnect with their roots while mentoring his own proteges. “This is my legacy to them. I just want them to continue to lift that torch and light a bright future for the Philippines. Through food, the next generation will remember who they are.”

 

The Sisig Paella of Chef Sau’s “25 Seeds” restaurant was one of the highlights of the 15-hour food safari. He is also actively involved with Kulinarya Pampanga, an organization that maps out restaurants in the region for culinary tourism, aiming to gradually put Philippine cuisine in the world map…again!

 

 

• Top Singaporean Chef KF Seetoh will be joined by Michelin-star chefs in the Dialogue.

 

Makansutra Founder, Curator, and Creator of the World Street Food Congress Chef KF Seetoh will moderate the 2-day Dialogue with Chef Sau, which will feature renowned chefs and game-changers as they discuss opportunities and ideas surrounding the culinary industry.  

 

This year’s presenters and speakers include Michelin-star Chefs Malcolm Lee of Candlenut in Singapore and Andy Yang of Rhong-Tiam in Thailand as well as Greg Drescher of the Culinary Institute of America, Peter Lloyd of Sticky Mango Restaurant in London, Shen Tan of Revolution Café in Singapore, and Sangeeta Singh of NASVI in India.

 

Makansutra in SM Megamall was the second-to-the-last stop of the safari and the venue of the press conference.

 

 

• Top 30 Masters will be announced in the WSF Awards.

 

Just like last year, the World Street Food Awards will make a comeback. The Top 30 World Street Food Masters from across the globe will be ranked and recognized for their authentic dishes alongside their contribution to preserving street food culture.

 

The WSFC Team also devoured over 250 dishes at a 20-day food trip from Ilocos up north to Davao down south to curate the Filipino contingent for the Jamboree. Could the Philippines be one of the awardees? Our fingers are crossed!

 

 

• More hawkers are coming to the Jamboree.

 

Aside from the annual 2-day Dialogue and Awards, the Jamboree is everyone’s favorite part of the congress. Dubbed by CNN as one of the world’s best food destinations, over 100,000 guests are expected to flock this year’s food stalls, which have increased from 24 last year to over 30 this 2017. This means 5 straight days of good food, live demos, and good music just minutes away from Manila Bay.

 

The best part? There’s no need to travel just to taste heritage food from different countries! Germany, Mexico, Indonesia, China, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, USA, Japan, Vietnam, and of course, the Philippines will all be ready to serve you there. The P150 fee is redeemable at the food stalls.

 

 

• Soi Lum will be making its first appearance outside of China.

 

During the recent press conference, Chef KF Seetoh also let us in on a little secret. For the first time ever, Soi Lum, literally translated as ‘water olive’ will be brought to the Philippines! Exclusively from Guangzhou, these mochi dumplings are served in chrysanthemum syrup, and you can try them at the World Street Food Congress.

 

 

• Anthony Bourdain will return to Manila.

 

Lastly but definitely not the least, world-famous celebrity Chef Anthony Bourdain will personally give us the latest updates on the Bourdain Market in New York City during the 2-day Dialogue. Set to open in 2019 at Manhattan, up to 100 street food vendors are sought around the world and have the chance to be selected. The big “how” to be part of this prestigious market is set to be discussed only at the World Street Food Congress.

 

For tickets and more information about WSFC 2017, visit http://wsfcongress.com/