THE spotlight will be on Iloilo’s homegrown cooks as the Creative Nanays in the Kitchen Batch 3 graduates gear up for a culinary showdown on April 6, 2026, as part of the official launch of Filipino Food Month (FFM) at the Iloilo Terminal Market.
This year’s training, held from March 16 to 17, 2026 at LS Training Center in Mandurriao district, equipped participants with skills in food costing, sanitation, presentation, and cooking techniques.
“So this year, the focus is on the nanays who own karinderya businesses, because that’s what the mayor wanted -- to support and help the karinderyas,” said Executive Assistant and focal person of Iloilo City's Unesco Creative Cities Network, Leny Ledesma.
With the guidance of Chef Jose Ariel Castañeda, a Unesco Creative Gastronomy chef ambassador, 28 participants completed the course and received kitchen kits from the Department of Tourism-Western Visayas (DOT 6) as part of its Community-based Tourism Kulinarya Workshop, designed to help strengthen their businesses.
The showdown will see the graduates compete in cooking and presentation, with national agencies, including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, DOT, Department of Agriculture, and the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement joining the launch.
Ledesma also emphasized that the event underscores the city's distinction as a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy, highlighting its mission to preserve culinary traditions while preparing local cooks for international exposure.
"We want to strengthen our nanays’ cooking, because in the end, where do you go when you want good food? You go home to your nanay. So they have to be strengthened para good food pirme," said Ledesma.
"Of course, we also want to preserve our tradition, our culture, and our culinary heritage," she added.
The program began in 2025 with the support of Rosalie Treñas to empower nanays, home cooks, and micro-entrepreneurs who run small food businesses. (PR)