Thursday, November 08, 2007 Come and keep a tradition burning
The 1st National Adobo Festival this November in Silay City is not only a feast for the palates. It is also about people gathering in the name of a dish that combines the islands' herbs and spices, various cultures, and even cooking styles.
This is an event not only set for the physical senses, but also highlights Negros' history and pride.
For one, the Maghirupay Kita benefit dinner brings just that and more. It caps day 1 on the 9th, which kicks off with the Food & Heritage tours and the Food & Crafts stalls both at the Balay Negrense Museum and SM City.
Negrense Chefs Panco Bringas (of Sugarland), JP Anglo (of Mai Pao and Mu Shu Restaurants), and New-York trained caterer Mia Gonzaga will set the stoves and appetites aflame with special menus that will feature: "Stylized Negrense Cuisine."
Sampling never-before tried recipes using local basic ingredients seems a perfect preparation for the Street Party that will follow at the historic Cinco de Noviembre.
Tickets are at P1,000 per person. Proceeds will go to the renovation of the rain-drenched and rain-holed ceiling of Balay Negrense which is now being supported by bamboo stilts. So people go home both gastronomically satisfied, and with the great feeling of having helped keep a house of heritage and culture intact.
Food Anthropologist Pia Lim Castillo and Cook Magazine editor-in-chief Nancy Reyes Lumen will be sharing on the heritage of Adobo on Nov. 10 at 9:00 am at the West Negros Auditorium.
In the afternoon, the Adobo Challenge for Students' and Enthusiasts' will be held at the West Negros College Gym. The cookfest, which has been locally held for the past nine years in Silay City, gathers both students and amateur cooks from all over the country who will display their expertise and personal interpretations of the Adobo recipe.
The Food & Heritage tours, Food & Crafts stalls will continue until the last day. An adobo demonstration by invited chefs and other guests will take place on Nov. 11 at the Silay Civic Center which shall be followed by food tasting to put a lid on the three-day festival.
"Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So besides learning a new adobo recipe by watching the cooking demonstrations on festival day, the goodness of eating different versions of it in the beautiful ambiance of the gardens of Balay Negrense is what has drawn Negrenses and even out-of-town visitors to this yearly event," reveals Cristina Montelibano, in the foreword of the Adobo Festival Cookbook.
The Negros Cultural Foundation, which organizes the national event, enjoys the support of the following sponsors: Silay City, Province of Negros Occidental, Department of Tourism, SM City Bacolod, Cong. Jose Carlos Lacson, Globe Telecom, Hawaiian-Philippine Co., LBC, Pioneer Insurance, and Plantation Bay Resort & Spa.
For more information, contact the NCF through these numbers: (034) 708-5080, (034) 431-9451; telefax (034) 433-4764 - Negros Museum. You may also e-mail them at adobochallenge@gmail.com.
Come and have a feast of the senses and keep a tradition of goodwill, hospitality, and harmonious gathering burning beyond the kitchen and the dining table.
