Some fruits are very versatile. You can use them raw, bake them, or cook with them. You can turn them into delicious savory dishes or create lots of pies, cakes, baked goodies and sweet treats. Apples, for instance, can be included raw in fresh salads, pairing very well with walnuts to make excellent Waldorf Salad; or baked in tandem with cinnamon and sugar for an awesome Apple Pie. Fresh orange juice and chicken makes lovely Orange Chicken, although the juice itself can be enjoyed as is or in combination with other fruit juices. With pineapple, well, you can cook tidbits with juice with chicken for a hearty Pininyahang Manok or bake rings of it into the classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Recently, it was the blueberry’s turn to show off its versatility in a specially curated lunch prepared by Chef Sonny Mariano at the Balmori Suites’ Chef’s Table. For the unique dining event, the US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) partnered with the renowned chef and Khaiba, which is a revolutionary culinary pop-up presented by the Tasteless Food Group.

The one-day event aimed to highlight the versatility of US blueberries and showcase the fruits’ potential in both savory and sweet dishes. It succeeded in showing how US blueberries can seamlessly transform everyday meals into something special as well as elevate contemporary Filipino cuisine and turn it a notch higher with global influences.