The Department of Tourism (DOT) is set to launch an event that would satisfy the craving for Filipino cuisine this holiday season. This event is the fourth installment of the KAIN NA! Food and Travel Festival which will run from Dec.17 to 20.
For four days straight, KAIN NA! Christmas Cravings will feature a series of virtual talks, tours, and demonstrations through the Food Tourism Exchange and Food Tourism 101 sessions, while a physical Food Tourism Christmas Market will be mounted at Ayala Malls Solenad in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa City from Dec. 18 to 20, featuring selling booths of local food products from different regions of the country and a food truck featuring food creations of some of Central Luzon’s well-known chefs.
"The past few months have been rough on the Filipino food community, but it has also pushed us to our limits to achieve greater things. For its first three legs held between September and November, KAIN NA! 2020 took the virtual space by storm in its celebration of Filipino food culture. As the holiday season approaches, with the year almost to a close, the DOT once again invites foodies to KAIN NA! Christmas Cravings, an exciting hybrid edition of the Food and Travel Festival,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
To ensure safety of participants and visitors of the KAIN NA! on-site culinary exhibition, the Ayala Malls and DOT will be limiting the number of selling booths and venue capacity, install social distancing floor markers, and designate entry and exit points to direct one-way foot traffic.
“I am very elated to see our on-site KAIN NA! exhibition finally return since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As with all of the DOT’s initiatives in the slow but sure revival of the Philippine tourism industry, health and safety come first. We shall see to it that minimum health standards are maintained during the event. Likewise, we are soliciting the cooperation of all which will be vital for the activity’s success,” Puyat added.
Visitors of the KAIN NA! exhibition will be treated to a variety of quality and delectable food products of participating sellers including Alavar, Amira’s Buco Tart Tagaytay, Cafe Amadeo, Calabarzon Farm Association, House of Negros + Creative Definitions, Magic Melt, Malagos Chocolate, My Little Oven by Simplicity, M&E Catering Services, Pasciolco Agri Ventures, Pink Ladies, QueenB Apiaries, QuePATTA, and Suman Munti,Sweets for Ferann.
KAIN NA’s Food Tourism Exchange virtual symposium will also feature different resource speakers from all over the country to share Filipino holiday traditions and food pairings that are unique to their area, including Chef Sau del Rosario of Culinarya Pampanga, Chef Ann Alcantara of Casa San Pablo, Bicol-based Chef Rica Buenaflor, Chef Mia Gonzaga of Slow Food Negros, among others.
The Food Tourism 101 virtual talks will also feature resource persons from the culinary tourism sector.
The Kain Na Trading Post, the project’s online store will continue to be online at www.kainnastore.com featuring various iconic food items and local delicacies.