June 2021

TikTok and the Department of Tourism have teamed up to create the #SarapMagingPinoy campaign, which aims to encourage more locals to celebrate Filipino pride by showcasing cherished meals from all over the nation and encouraging the love of national cuisine among its residents across various platforms. This digital campaign aims to provide viewers with a one-of-a-kind experience of exploring the Philippines through a variety of food content, emphasizing the importance of food in our culture.

One of the best, and most enjoyable ways to learn about a culture is through their food. The tastes, textures, and flavors of a country’s cuisine reflect its rich heritage and history, and tell their own unique tales about every place, its people, and way of life. Here in the Philippines, we take such pride in our food that we have been recognized around the world as a culinary hub. Apart from being known as sociable people who love to gather around the table with friends and family, Filipinos also like to share our gastronomical delights online.

As TikTok’s official partner, the Department of Tourism believes in the great potential of the Philippines as a center of gastronomy, owing to its rich cuisine, it also reflects our history, cultural diversity, the stories of our destinations and way of life. By community food mapping, or associating food with culture and a specific destination, a more compelling story for travel is created, with food as an integral part of a traveler’s journey.

“On TikTok, hundreds of Filipinos have joined countless other foodie creators from all over the globe, who post about their native cuisine. Our food vertical showcases the history of our food, educating the new generation and others outside of the Philippines of how diverse and rich the Philippine culture really is. Because of this, browsing through the variety of food content on the platform can almost seem like a virtual culinary tour,” says Celina Tan, TikTok PH Marketing Manager.

According to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, “Food has been cooked using recipes passed down through generations, creating cuisines distinct to each region, and flavors unique to each province. And because food has come to define a particular place, it has called out to visitors seeking to try new dishes and experience different tastes. The art of eating has become a powerful motivator for traveling and we, at the DOT, will make Filipino food an integral part of the traveler’s journey.”

Users can participate in the #SarapMagingPinoy campaign by sharing cooking videos featuring the best foods from their cities from June 1 to 15, 2021. Videos must include a brief introduction that informs viewers about the cuisine and its place of origin. The campaign’s core concept of exhibiting Filipino patriotism should also be included in the video beginning, as well as the important line, ‘Sarap maging Pinoy.’ Users must include the hashtag #SarapMagingPinoy in the video title, as well as a hashtag that shows your city of origin, in the format #Lutong(city), such as #LutongCebu or #LutongDavao.

Visit and learn more the #SarapMagingPinoy campaign page on TikTok. Lastly, celebrate Pinoy pride, and share your best #SarapMagingPinoy dishes on TikTok.

Don’t forget to download TikTok on your iOS and Android devices today.

The highest safety standards that would help people shop safely during the pandemic is to give the shoppers an assurance that their safe and the local government of Pasig was recently conferred the safety seal to Estancia Mall.

Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, Ortigas Malls have put in place protocols that have made malling a positive, stress-free experience, with the well-being and safety of shoppers of paramount importance. This includes the use of accredited contact tracing apps such as SafePass and strict implementation of IATF’s mandated safety protocols.

The Safety Seal Certification Program issued by the City Government of Pasig aims to assure the customers and the public in general of establishments’ compliance with the minimum public health standards set by the government in all private business establishments, selected public places, and government offices. The Safety Seal will be valid for six (6) months from the date it was issued. It’s renewable, subject to continued compliance with the given eligibility requirements.

“This Safety Seal showcases Ortigas Malls’ commitment to the safety and convenience of mall-goers as well as the greater community. It is also an assurance that we will continuously find long-lasting solutions to help mall-goers once again do things that they enjoy, such as shopping and dining out with their loved ones, all while giving them peace of mind,” said Arch. Renee Bacani, VP for Ortigas Malls.

Everytime you visit to Estancia, mall-goers can enjoy shopping and strolling, knowing that they’re being cared for. Head to Estancia at Capitol Commons with your loved ones for a safe, secure and fun-filled malling experience.

For more information, you may check their official Facebook pages – Greenhills,  Tiendesitas, Estancia, and Industria.

Jill Sandique is well known for her passion in innovating the cacao business not just here in the Philippines but also in the international market. A lot have seen how she wanted to help many people in this kind of field and her dedication to pursue this because of her childhood dream. Let’s discover the adventure of Jill Sandique from being culinary educator and consultant to being a great pursuer of cacao business.

A pastry chef’s cacao journey

Her work on chocolate for more than 25 years as a culinary educator and consultant has led pastry chef Jill Sandique back to a childhood passion. Chef Jill headed the board of judges at the 2021 Philippine Cacao Quality Awards (PCQA) which selected the winning entries to represent the Philippines at the Cocoa of Excellence (CoEx) Programme during the Salon du Chocolatin Paris this coming October.

Chef Jill has studied chocolate making abroad, eventually completing the Career French Pastry Program at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education) where she graduated with the most coveted BlueRibbon Award in 1992 (and later inducted into its Alumni Hall of Achievement). She witnessed the emergence of artisanchocolate making which nurtured her appreciation for the craft.

When she came back to the Philippines, she developed her signature pistachio sans rival and mango pavlova, beloved specialty desserts she became known for. Inbetween her duties as chef instructor and consultant, she worked with cocoa and chocolate manufacturers and distributors locally as well as in Singapore andIndonesia to develop recipes for them and her own clients.

Her longest collaboration at 17 years is with Commodity Quest, Inc., which exclusively imports the premium cacao powder and chocolate ingredients under the deZaanbrand.They invited Chef Nick Malgieri, her mentor and teacher at Peter Kump’s,forthe WOFEXtradeshowsto showcase chocolate recipes using deZaan.

Growing up with cacao

Chef Jill’s love for chocolate began at her family’sSto. Niño Farms back in her hometown of Makilala inCotabato. The family started with crops such as coconut, coffee, cacao, corn, and rice. The farm initially produced certified palay seeds before focusing on rubber and banana as its two major crops.

Her father, the late Epifanio Al. Sandique was an agriculturist by training. Mr. Sandique worked as a banker and did agricultural research at the farm. He was part of the Philippine Cacao Committee in the late 1970s that published The Philippines Recommends for Cacao 1979.

The farm served as chef Jill’s informal training ground to learn about how farmers grow food, an experience that would later influence her work as a pastry chef. Her parents instilled the value of hard work at the farm, teaching them the key steps in growing, harvesting and processing rice, coffee and cacao.

“For the cacao, they would teach us how the cacao pod is harvested and we actually did some of the basic steps—something that the hands of a child can do.” The Sandiques would expose their children to farm work such that it became an integral part of their childhood.

Selecting quality Philippine cacao beans

Chef Jill regularly upgrades her chocolate know-how through trainings abroad especially in South and Central Americawith its long history and tradition of growing and processing cacao. She has studied cacao post-harvest processing, chocolate making, andchocolate profiling in the U.S., Ecuador, Peru and Belizeas well as cacao bean grading in the Netherlands.She is the only Filipina who is a certified Level 3 graduate of the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting in the UK.

She put to good use these trainings and her ability to discern quality cacao beans as a judge at the 2019 International Chocolate Awards (ICA)Asia Pacific in Taiwan, and at the ICA World Finals in Italy. Judges conducted a blind tasting of the chocolates from which Philippine chocolate makers won several awards.

Chef Jill also participated as a grand juror for the ICA Asia Pacific via remote online judging in 2020. Then came the opportunity to be closer to home as chairpersonfor the judging committee at the Philippine Cacao Quality Award from December 2020 to January 2021.

When selecting the best cacao beans, Chef Jill adheres to strict selection standards. She strives for perfection, a trait influenced by her training under Chef Nick Malgieri as well as her parents whose work as agriculturist and doctor respectively, relied on making the right decisions in the farm and in the hospital. Only the highest qualifiedcacao beans, cocoa and chocolate truly make it on her list.

What’s next for chef Jill

Her other work as the lead trainer and program director of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Manila Council of Chefsand key opinion leader of USDA Cooperators for the past 15 years has helped her mentor others in cooking and baking with quality U.S. ingredients.

When the Puentespina family of the MalagosCacao DevelopmentCenterin Davao invited her to help train seven farmer cooperatives from Davao Oriental on post-harvest processing of cacao beans, she gladly agreed. But she requested that the farmers also be trained on the business side of cacao as well as composting waste by-productsto fully equip them.

In a sense, this is Chef Jill going back to her roots. While she will still work with clients and share recipes on social media, she wishes to spotlight the next generation of chefs. “There are new chefs coming in, pastry chefs especially. I plan to step back a little and give them the place to shine because they’re all very good,” she says.

Her life’s work now brings her back to cacao to improve the competitiveness of the local cacao industry in the international stage.She hopes to share what she has learned about cacao bean processing and educate others who have little opportunity to be formally trained. “Majority of our plants here belong to the category of fine cacao in which there is great potential.”

This potential begins with growing good cacao.As the world takes notice of Philippine chocolate, chef Jill hopes to encourage local cacao farmers to aim higher in producing the finest cacao they were destined to grow. “I hope that every cacao farmer here will be able to ferment and process their cacao in a manner that is at par with international standards, which I think is achievable.”

She is not only someone who strives for great things in life, but she also goes out of her way to help others through her passions. From just a simple childhood dream until she pursues and mold this into bigger opportunities for many people. Indeed her dedication for cacao is truly exceptional for she innovates it to become a great product and inspire people. The journey she took is something that will reflect how she put her heart in all her crafts.

Visit Chef Jill Sandique Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ChefJillSandique for more updates and recipes.