About CHOP

The Culinary Historians of the Philippines (CHOP) is a non-profit sister organization of the Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. (CHoWDC). We are not historians in the academic or scholarly sense; we are students of culinary history who want to give back to society through culinary-based programs. Our mission: To study, promote, and help preserve the history and heritage of Philippine cuisine and culinary customs/traditions; to implement advocacy programs; and to study the cuisines of other countries. [Your comments on our posts are most welcome.]

List of Activities, 2014

LIST OF ACTIVITIES, 2014

1.     BINONDO PRE-CHINESE NEW YEAR WOK TOUR (January 25, 2014)
        Organized by Pia Lim-Castillo with Old Manila Walks’ co-owner and CHOP member Ivan Man Dy. The large group of 36 (18 of whom were CHOP members) nibbled its way through Binondo, tasting dishes that have made their way to the Philippines through the Chinese migrants (Tsinoys), and learned about the transformation that these dishes have undergone through the years. Ivan, who tailored the tour specifically to CHOP’s purposes, personally guided the group through several food establishments where the group had a taste of the restaurants’ specialties. The tour was a resounding success; a good number of the non-CHOP members who were in the tour subsequently joined CHOP.

2.     ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING (February 8, 2014)
        CHOP welcomed 23 new members, which brought the total membership number to 63. The membership reaffirmed the two-year terms of office of the current Officers and Board of Trustees, which will end on March 30, 2015. (The next Annual Membership Meeting will be called before that date to elect the new set of Officers.) The following administrative matters were presented to, and approved by, the membership:  (a) the President’s Report and Treasurer’s Report covering the previous year; (b) the proposed amendments to the By-Laws; (c) the appointment of Atty. Mendy Mendiola as Corporate Secretary; and (d) the election as honorary members of Atty. Mendiola and Mr. John Leyson (the graphics artist who designed the CHOP logo), in appreciation of valuable free services rendered to CHOP. Vice-President Pia Lim-Castillo presented a review of CHOP’s activities in 2013, and a proposed schedule of activities for 2014. Several ideas for CHOP’s advocacy work were discussed – community kitchens and helping promote Philippine artisanal product makers. We achieved our SEC-certified non-profit status in January 2014.

3.     CHOP TV INTERVIEW WITH LISA MACUJA (February 10, 2014)
        CHOP was featured in one of the episodes of Lisa Macuja’s Art 2 Art Heritage Series, which was aired on both radio (DZRH/RHTV) and cable TV. Lisa interviewed Regina Newport, Pia Lim-Castillo, and Alvin Reyes-Lim, and her questions focused on CHOP’s objectives and activities in the area of Philippine culinary heritage. The interview, which was taped on February 10, was aired in March.

4.     COASTAL CAVITE FOOD TRIP (March 1, 2014)
        Organized by CHOP Vice-President Pia Lim-Castillo with food writer and graphic artist Ige Ramos (a CHOP member, and a true-blue Caviteño), with the generous cooperation of the Cavite Tourism Office. Ige led the group on an exploration of the gastronomic complexity of Cavite, which has become a popular culinary destination. Members of the tour group not only tasted delicious morsels of great coastal food and made several stops at the most popular and authentic Caviteño restaurants and eating places—they also learned quite a bit about Cavite’s history and the background of its cuisine. Another food tour to other parts of Cavite is planned for 2015.

5.     REUNION OF THE ORGANIZERS OF THE 2013 YOLANDA FUNDRAISER (April 3, 2014)
        The core organizers of the very successful November 20, 2013 Fundraising Dinner for Yolanda victims, in which CHOP partnered with Amy Besa (of Ang Sariling Atin Culinary Heritage Foundation) and several volunteer chefs, got together for a mini-reunion dinner hosted by CHOP member Gracita Tolentino Sieber at the Swiss Residence. The evening was filled with a joyful reminiscing of the big success of the event, which raised raised P330,117 from 69 generous donors. All the food, drinks, work and service for the fundraiser were donated, and every cent raised went to the Yolanda relief efforts of Aid Line Philippine Swiss (ALPS), which provides humanitarian assistance to Filipino communities in times of crises. CHOP thanks Amy Besa for spearheading the series of “Tulong-Tulong” fundraising dinners to benefit our Kababayans in the south, which gave CHOP the opportunity to do its share.

6.     BULACAN FOOD TRIP (April 9, 2014)
        Organized by CHOP President Regina Newport with native Bulakenya and CHOP member Rheeza Hernandez, who made the arrangements with the Bulacan Tourism Office. The group visited three ancestral homes in the towns of Bulacan and Malolos (the Enriquez Ancestral House, the home of the late Food Historian Milagros Enriquez; the Bautista Mansion, the home of Don Antonio Bautista; and the Alberta Uitangcoy-Santos Ancestral House. The group learned about the historical background of many native Bulacan dishes, watched cooking demonstrations, and tasted many of these dishes, such as Hamon Bulakenya, Bowling Bread, Kalumata Tea, Suwam na Mais, Kinilaw na Bangus at Kesong Puti, Brnghe, Lumpiang Kastila, Pescado a la Reyna, Baboy na Luto sa Toyo, Leche Flan de Manga, Melon Tagalog, Empanada de Kaliskis, Corbata or Biscocho de Sebo, Pinaso, and Gorgoria. There was also a demonstration of the delicate art of making pastillas wrappers, which is found only in Bulacan.

7.     COCONUT OIL LECTURE (August 16, 2014)
            Spearheaded by Pia Lim-Castillo, assisted by Regina Newport and Alvin Lim-Reyes, and with the  able and enthusiastic support from several CHOP members. Our two distinguished and renowned scientists/experts in their fields, Dr. Fabian (Toby) M. Dayrit and Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell, took us on an enlightening journey through the facts and falsehoods of fats in food and the scientific validation of the health benefits of coconut oil and the coconut as a whole, the perfect health nut. They effectively debunked the myth that the fats in coconut are bad for your health; on the contrary, scientific studies have shown that coconut oil is cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, and heart-healthy.
It was unfortunate that we didn't have enough time for a much longer Q&A forum, but perhaps we could do another seminar in the future. The talks were followed by Pia's demonstration/short course on preparing and cooking three coconut-based dishes, which everyone enjoyed tasting (many thanks to Gretchen for helping in the demo). Thanks also to Serye Restaurant (c/o Alvin) for pre-cooking the delicious dishes so we had enough servings for everyone. More than 50 were in attendance, so all in all, it was a very successful and enjoyable afternoon.

8.     FILIPINO FOOD ANTHROPOLOGY LECTURE & SUNSET DINNER (November 9, 2014)
        Organized by Pia Lim-Castillo in close collaboration with renowned Chef Jesse Sincioco, featured a lecture on Filipino food anthropology by Dr. Fernando Zialcita, a doctor of anthropology at the Ateneo de Manila University, with a focus on the “invisibility” of our culinary heritage, even to us. The lecture was followed by a plated Filipino dinner (a delicious degustation) accompanied by a commentary by Chef Jessie, who is well known for her excellent food presentation. The event was held at Chef Jessie’s 100 Revolving Restaurant at the MDC Building in Eastwood City, which offers diners a rotating 360-degree view of Quezon City and beyond from the building’s 33rd floor.


Regina Newport, December 2014

No comments:

Post a Comment