ILOILO CITY – For his longtime advocacy of promoting Western Visayan heritage cuisine, Chef Rafael “Tibong” Jardeleza Jr. was one of the recipients of the Manila Bulletin UPLIFT Awards.
CHEF Rafael 'Tibong' Jardeleza Jr. speaks during the awarding ceremony of the Manila Bulletin UPLIFT Awards at the Manila Hotel on Tuesday, March 28. He received his award for Arts, Culture, and Education from Manila Bulletin President Dr. Emilio C. Yap III. (Noel B. Pabalate)
Jardeleza received his UPLIFT Award for the category of Arts, Culture, and Education from Manila Bulletin President Dr. Emilio “Emil” Yap III during the awarding ceremony at the Manila Hotel on Tuesday, March 28.
“This recognition is not mine alone. This is for all who believe and who have joined the journey to highlight our Western Visayan and Ilonggo heritage cuisine,” said Jardeleza.
Manila Bulletin considered Jardeleza to embody the UPLIFT values as spelled out in the acronym: To Unite, to Perform, to Lead, to Inspire, to bring Focus, and to Trend.
For almost three decades, Jardeleza has gone beyond his own culinary career as a chef and restaurateur in Iloilo to promote the local cuisine and the talents of "kusineros" (cooks).
Jardeleza has been culinary ambassador, who promoted the food of even small "carinderias" (food stalls) and delicacies found in the local markets in the six provinces and two highly urbanized cities.
Jardeleza also initiated partnerships with the Western Visayas regional offices of the Department of Tourism (DOT)-6 and the Department of Agriculture (DA)-6 to highlight the bountiful products of the region’s agricultural and fishing industries through heritage food.
Jardeleza was also the driving force behind the “Food Haven of the Philippines” declaration of Iloilo City in 2021 and led the publication of Flavors of Iloilo cookbook in 2022.
During the pandemic, Jardeleza turned one of his annual projects into giving back to the frontline workers by cooking for thousands of health workers.