10 July 2018 – The Embassy of the Philippines in partnership with Hilton Beijing, hosted the opening night of "Flavours of the Philippines"  Food Festival on 9 July 2018.  The festival will be held from 10th to 15th July at the Makan Kitchen restaurant of Hilton Beijing.

(Pictured from left to right) Guest Chef Michael Vincent Tapiador, Ambassador Jose Santiago L. Sta. Romana, Guest Chef Rodelio Dela Cruz, and Hilton Beijing General Manager Stefan Schmid

Director General Wu Jianghao of the Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vice President Lin Yi of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), and Secretary General Chen Dehai of the ASEAN-China Centre were among the notable dignitaries who graced the opening night.

Mr. Stefan Schmid, General Manager of Hilton Beijing, gave his welcoming remarks and invited everyone to enjoy Filipino food and drinks during the opening night.

In his remarks, Ambassador Jose Santiago L. Sta. Romana noted that food is at the heart of Filipino culture. Filipinos love to get together, celebrate and enjoy hearty meals. He added that the Philippines' long coastline, rich soils, abundant resources and tropical weather have allowed Filipinos to create dishes with rich and varied flavors. Filipino cuisine is a fusion of indigenous ingredients and cooking techniques, mixed with Spanish, Malay, Chinese and American influences.

Ambassador Sta. Romana giving his opening remarks

After the Ambassador’s remarks, one of the guest chefs, Michael Vincent Tapiador, from Conrad Manila addressed the crowd and expressed how delighted he and Chef Rodelio Dela Cruz were to be bringing Filipino cuisine to China through this food festival.

Guests enjoyed Filipino cuisine such as chicken adobo (chicken stew in soy vinegar sauce), bulalo (beef marrow stew), kinilaw na tanigue (ceviche of mackarel), lechon (roasted pig), and sinugbang laman-dagat (grilled seafood).

Chicken adobo, a quintessential Filipino dish made with soy sauce and vinegar

A raffle was held during the event. The prizes include roundtrip airplane tickets to the Philippines and food and accommodation vouchers from Hilton Beijing and Conrad Manila.

The event was attended by officials of the Chinese government, members of the diplomatic corps, members of the business and Filipino community and the academe with an estimated total of more than 100 guests.

Tourism bags with brochures featuring Ilocos, Cebu, Palawan, and Davao and flyers for the Ballet Philippines performance in August 2018 were given to guests as giveaways. END.

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