When Mara Coson set up the publishing house Exploding Galaxies in 2023, her primary intention was to reprint long-lost masterpieces of contemporary Philippine literary fiction. They’ve since published three such works and, in their latest move, have gone beyond fiction to explore food and Philippine cuisine.

On Oct. 11, 2025, at Karrivin Plaza, the Whynot creative hub on the fourth level became the venue for the launch of the republished editions of Doreen Fernandez’s classics: "Sarap: Essays on Philippine Food" (co-written with Edilberto Alegre) and "Palayok: Philippine Food Through Time, On Site, In the Pot."

These two titles are truly lost classics, as they have not been reprinted since their original publications—"Sarap" in 1988 and "Palayok" in 2000. Doreen passed away in 2002, and Edilberto in 2009. What was heartening to witness during the launch event was that not only did the old guard of Filipino food writers show up to pay homage to one of the pioneers and legends of food writing, but several of today’s younger writers also came to respectfully recognize the contributions Doreen and Edilberto made to the industry they now call their milieu and home.

Family support came early, in the form of Mara’s mother and aunt. I had to leave early for another event, but couldn’t help feeling that, with the impressive turnout, somewhere in Heaven’s kitchen, both Doreen and Edilberto were smiling—thankful that Mara and Exploding Galaxies are making their work accessible to a new generation of appreciative readers.