To entice travelers — both foreign and local — to set out on a culinary exploration of the country, the DoT collaborated with Jollibee to create a series of fun and appetizing mini-documentary shows on the Philippines’ rich cuisine and fun dining culture

DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat (fourth from left) with Jollibee Food Corp. officials Ernesto Tanmantiong, Joseph Tanbuntiong, JJ Alano and Francis Flores. They are joined by Mikey Bustos (second from left) and chefs Jordan Andino (second from right) and JP Anglo (rightmost).

“What’s Filipino food like?” I remember a European traveler asking me one time at a hostel in Jakarta. I paused for a moment as images of Pinoy food came flooding in my mind. Struggling where to start, I simply told her, “In the Philippines, eating together is always a fun experience, but describing our food is really hard.”

To this day, I still tussle coming up with a proper description for Filipino food because of the fact that I have yet to taste the surface of our culinary culture. This though, is a good problem for me as a traveler because I know there’s still more gastronomical delights to discover in our country.

What’s good for me also goes for foreigners because we will all have the chance to eat our way through the Philippines and experience for ourselves why it is truly “Eats more fun in the Philippines,” the new catchphrase of the Department of Tourism (DoT).

To entice travelers — both foreign and local — to set out on a culinary exploration of the country, the DoT collaborated with Jollibee to create a series of fun and appetizing mini-documentary shows on the Philippines’ rich cuisine and fun dining culture.

“More and more people are traveling not just to see the sights, but to discover new cuisine. And we believe that one of the best ways to explore the Philippines and experience the country’s culture is through our numerous and unique food offerings. This is why we decided to create a campaign that truly highlights the Philippines as a great food destination. We couldn’t have found a better partner in this fun and exciting campaign than the country’s pride and most beloved fast food chain, Jollibee,” shared Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

The campaign features award-winning chefs JP Anglo and Jordan Andino, with popular YouTube content creator Mikey Bustos.

A product of Bacolod’s food scene, chef JP has made a name for himself by founding the much-raved restaurants Sarsa Kitchen + Bar, Kafé Batwan and Liberation Shawarma. Speaking about the sumptuous taste of our food offerings, he shared the country’s stand-out delicacies, “Our lechon is exceptional — we’re one of the countries that does the roasting technique really well. Our grilled chicken, the inasal, it is also so excellent and can definitely go against other grilled chickens in the world.”

Chef JP also commended the unsung heroes behind the rich, local culinary scene, “I look up to the street vendors like the guy who’s been making batchoy for two decades in a market in Iloilo. I think we should celebrate them more and give them a venue. These guys are the real deal and, as chefs, we get our inspiration from them.”

Born in Canada and raised in California, chef Jordan took inspiration from his Filipino grandmother’s traditional recipes and gives them a contemporary twist at Flip Sigi, his New York-based Filipino taqueria.

“I would say that Filipino cuisine and the Filipino dining experience gives more soul than most countries. When you eat Filipino food, you taste love, family and tradition, and that happens in every recipe, in every restaurant. Not a lot of cultures are able to do that,” said chef Jordan.

Mikey Bustos pointed out the importance of local food in understanding the culture and people “I believe that appreciating food involves context and Filipino food is designed for Filipino life. If you really want to learn about a country, you have to eat and experience that whole thing.”

EATING has never been this jolly During the launch of Jollibee and the Department of Tourism’s joint campaign promoting our cuisine and culture.

Formally launching the campaign and to premiere “Eats. More Fun in the Philippines,” DoT and Jollibee jointly hosted the ultimate “feast-ival” at the Islas Pinas in Pasay City.

Guests were guided through the expansive food and heritage village by Chef JP, Chef Jordan, Mikey and, of course, Jollibee. Each featured section had local performances and food offerings for guests to experience while the campaign endorsers shared their personal stories. By the end of the tour, executives, endorsers and attendees came together for the grand feast, laid out on banana leaves ala-boodle party style.

You can watch the “Eats. More Fun in the Philippines” video at Jollibee’s Facebook page and Jollibee Studios channel.