our culinary heritage

April is Filipino Food Month (FFM) in the Philippines with this year's theme focused on Kalutong Filipino, Lakas ng Kabataang Makabago - Filipino cooking to empower Filipino youth. 

The month-long celebrations are a joint project of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Tourism (DOT), and the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement (PHCM). 

#preservingfilipinofood

Filipino Food Month was created to continue the Filipino culture, heritage, and tradition for future generations to inherit, thrive and grow. 

Culinary heritage is a growing global movement acknowledging and addressing that the issues and the values it promotes are of global importance and require a united front of diversity and understanding. 

Brgy. Kapitan Ramon overlooking Patag

Filipino pride and love of food harnesses the power of gastronomy as a home grown ambassador of diplomacy, friendship, and understanding among nations, cultures, and peoples - proudly sharing our culinary heritage and culture with the whole wide world. 

a land alive

The island of Negros in Western Visayas, Philippines is recognized for its traditional farming inherited from local Ata aborigines - the conservators of its forests. 

Among its earliest inhabitants, the aboriginal Ata - one of several indigenous Negrito ethnic groups of Southeast Asia - possess a unique culture closely tied to nature and its cycles. 

Negros Occidental Eco-Tourism Highway

Epiphany of epiphanies

With the holidays now officially over, Epiphany marks our return to Ordinary Time. I found myself plunged into my own epiphanies as I returned home from a short trip with family abroad. 

The Festival of the Three Kings is the Christian Festival also celebrated among the Assyrians, the Armenians and the Phoenicians. Everywhere it is a Festival connected with a kind of universal baptism - a rebirth from out of the water. ~ Rudolf Steiner

The Adoration of the Magi by Edward Burne Jones, 1904

Epiphany time is about the strong, the knowledgeable, and the wise. Exploring the play among these three powers and how they bring balance. With so much lost to pandemic lockdowns, upheavals, and years uncertainty 2023 was largely expended on recovering from and recouping setbacks. 

Much as the year ended successfully with incredible achievements beyond belief and much to be grateful for - I was ready for a break. It was important to take a step back and regather energies before forging forward into 2024. 

2023 | exploring, restoring, regenerating

2023 has exceeded all expectations and showered me with unimaginable generosity. As it draws to a close this Advent Season, there is much stacked up under the gift tree. 

Over the course of a lifetime, several bedrock beliefs have been debunked and we are better informed now. Close friends or strangers, folks we have known forever or only just met have been here to surround, support, and sustain me. Not just in times of trouble but to rally through challenges and celebrate successes together - a world wide village that empowers me. 

Creative Summit delegates foster ecotourism in our island home

Is a woman’s place in the home? That no longer seems the obvious option. At home or on the road, near or far - a woman's place is hers to seek and build - any place, any way. Advancing into chosen territory - independent and free, unblocked and unburdened. 

Each time our understanding of human nature becomes more expansive, we all become freer to live our best and most authentic lives. In the enlightened world we envision, every child will understand that living independently is a life path that can be truly joyful and fulfilling. 

video courtesy of DOT Western Visayas

Within this celebrated circle of powerful and gifted women who inspire and amaze, I am in awe of them and their contribution as I journey and explore my way through life and its many twists and turns. They are the powerful wind beneath my wings that has taken me far and wide in my wildest dreams. 

terra madre 2023

The Terra Madre network was launched by Slow Food in 2004 to give a voice and visibility to those around the world whose approach to food production protects the environment and communities.

In Italy the first world meeting in of Terra Madre food communities brought together 5,000 producers from 130 countries. Since 2004, the network has come together every two years at the global meeting, while national and regional meetings are regularly organized around the world.

a translocal food advocacy in the Visayas - join us!

The movement has grown and continues to fuel the exchange between communities as a form of translocal activism. In the Visayas, the Slow Food Negros community is the driving force and growing movement focused on local food support and sustainability.

adobo festival 2023

The Adobo Festival is the most anticipated seasonal event of Silay City. It is also the best Cinco de Noviembre celebration in the island of Negros. Returning for 2023, this gastronomic event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, November 4 and 5, 2023 at Casa A. Gamboa. 

the 26th Adobo Festival, 2023

For twenty six years now the turnout for this two-day entertainment has drawn folks from all over. The Adobo Festival is a family-friendly event that starts at 9:00 am and goes until 10:00 pm for these two days. 

a fresh season of firsts

September 27 is the birth anniversary of Dr. Alicia Lucero Gamboa, my grandmother and original owner of Casa A. Gamboa. An auspicious day to launch my own blog to celebrate pursuits and interests inherited and borne of this lineage and heritage.

courtesy of Casa A. Gamboa

Alicia is mother and namesake of Doreen Fernandez - noted Filipino writer, teacher, cultural historian, food critic, scholar, and revolutionary and avid advocate of Philippine performance art and Filipino cuisine.