Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan – Freedom Future History
By Roy Lie Atjam
Here are the welcome remarks by the Hon. Dr Rena Cristina Koa-Malaya at the cooking demonstration of Filipino Chefs Rolando and Jacqueline Laudico on 16 June 2023.
“On behalf of the Philippine Embassy team and the Ambassador, I welcome all of you to today’s cooking demonstration and luncheon, which will let you experience Filipino culture and heritage through food.”
On-site cooking demonstrations are a great way to show off easy and delicious recipes featuring foods from one’s country. Demos are a good way to promote or highlight less common preparation methods.
Chefs Jacqueline and Laud demonstrated the preparation of Bistek Tagalog (seared beef tenderloin steak in pepper sauce served on sinangag garlic rice wrapped in bok chol topped with grilled onions) which incorporated locally -The Hague purchased ingredients. Also on show was the preparation of the dessert Suman(sticky rice cake layered with coconut cream panna cotta).
The cooking demonstration was part of the Embassy’s commemorative activities for the 125th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. The venue was the garden of the Embassy.
Dr Rena Cristina Koa-Malaya continued to mention that “today’s event is extra special because we are proud to feature two renowned Filipino chefs who will not only cook for us today but also introduce you and give you more insights about Filipino food and tradition.
Although its food might be relatively less known than some of its neighbours in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Indonesia, the Philippines is a source of the finest food products because of exquisite ingredients nurtured by its rich soil, varied topography, abundant sunshine, and from its diverse bio and marine diversity. Philippine food showcases a symphony of flavours, enriched by various influences from its Malay, Spanish, Chinese, and American heritage, to mention a few. A few years ago, Chefs Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain (yes, him too) called Filipino food the “next big thing.”
I won’t go further in explaining Filipino food as I am sure you will have an engaging time while our chefs share their knowledge and show you how Filipino food is done. Besides, aside from being discussed, food is better experienced.
So let me now introduce you to our chefs this afternoon. Known as the Philippines’ “power culinary couple” Chefs Rolando and Jacqueline Laudico run several sought-after food establishments in the Philippines and are known for their innovations preparing, cooking, and serving Filipino food. Over the years, they have travelled extensively around the world to introduce Filipino food to various audiences. In fact, they have just been to Brussels where they were the featured chefs for the Philippine Culinary Week of the Philippine Embassy in Belgium. Before that, they were in Milan upon the invitation of the Philippine Consulate General.
Rolando Laudico, better known as Chef Lau, is a Dean’s Lister alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America in New York and has worked in numerous restaurants in New York, France, Sydney, and the Philippines. His love and passion for Filipino food have earned him local and international praise and a chef judge stint in the Philippine edition of the global hit cooking shows “MasterChef” and “Junior MasterChef” and in the Asian Food Channel’s “The Amazing Food Challenge”.
Jacqueline Laudico, on the other hand, started baking at the age of five and has never stopped since. She has trained French master pastry chefs and is one of the country’s internationally awarded chocolatiers. Her advocacy for her native cuisine has taken her all to numerous food festivals. She continues to develop traditional and modern Filipino bread and delicacies. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce Chef Lau and Chef Jackie.”
What a delight to have the renowned Chef Lau and Chef Jackie with us in The Hague.
The cooking demonstration was attended by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka, Ambassador spouses, diplomats, friends of the Philippines and other spectators.
The guests enjoyed the dynamism of the Filipino cooking performance shown in front of them and were able to experience Filipino food culture.
