PH embassy gives China a taste of Noche Buena in food festival

Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz (middle) introduces Filipino chef Michelle Adrillana (right) and Grand Hyatt Beijing Executive Chef Luca Pulese (left) at the launch of Philippine embassy’s food festival in China on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Photo from the Philippine Embassy in China)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Embassy in China launched a three-week food festival to showcase Filipinos’ rich culinary heritage and warm Christmas traditions.

Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz opened the culinary festival in a ceremony Friday, Nov. 29, serving Noche Buena dishes to Chinese media, influencers and opinion leaders at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Beijing.

The festival features an exclusive menu prepared by Filipino chef Michelle Adrillana including classics from Christmas Eve feasts like lechon, hamon, puto bumbong and bibingka.

The event also served menudo, kare-kare, inasal, morcon, ginataang alimango, lumpiang sariwa, paella, and pancit palabok.

In the ceremony, FlorCruz said, “By introducing you to the Flavors of the Philippines, we hope that you will find another reason to visit our beautiful, bountiful country; to ‘Love the Philippines.’”

“If Filipino food is a beautiful blending of different flavors, then our event is similarly an intermingling of friendship, history and cultures,” he added.

The initiative aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries by engaging culinary tourism among food lovers in Beijing and creating a community experience for Filipino expatriates.

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The festival will run at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Beijing from November 29 to December 21, 2024.

Diners will get a chance to win exciting prizes, including a roundtrip trip to the Philippines provided by airline Cebu Pacific.

For the project, the Philippine embassy partnered with the Grand Hyatt Hotel as well as the Beijing offices of the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center.