Hilton Manila in Pasay City has continued to embrace sustainability in its curated, future-forward dining concept currently offered in different buffet stations at Kusina Sea Kitchens.
The modern international hotel located at Newport World Resorts in Pasay City has collaborated with Unilever Food Solutions on its Future Menus, offering an array of elevated dishes crafted not only for the health-conscious but also for those seeking sustainable and flavorful dining options.
Here are photos during the Future Menus media launch held at the Kusina Sea Kitchens in Hilton Manila on November 6, 2024:
Hilton Manila’s Executive Chef, Lord Bayaban, has joined forces with Unilever’s culinary team—Chef Brando Santos, Chef Carlos Aluning, and Chef Paulo Sia—to present Filipino cuisine with locally sourced ingredients and infused with sustainable twists, inspired by key global trends.
More snaps from Kusina Sea Kitchens and Unilever Food Solutions’ selection of dishes prepared based on global trends and sustainability.
Here are the eight key global trends identified by Unilever Food Solutions and their respective corresponding thoughtfully crafted dishes:
- Flavor Shock (Lechon Baka Slider with Creamy Atchara Dressing)
- Local Abundance (Mustasa Rolls with Grilled Pork Belly with Burong Hipon)
- Low-Waste Menus (Dinakdakan Tacos)
- Modernized Comfort Food (Crispy Pancit with Mixed Seafood Kare-Kare)
- Plant-Powered Protein (Slow-Roasted Cauliflower Bistek Tagalog)
- The New Sharing (Inasal Kwek-Kwek Platter)
- Irresistible Vegetables (Lumpiang Pinakbet)
- Feel-Good Food ( Adobong Tuna Silog with Tornado Eggs and Tomato Gravy)
With these proudly made and elevated local dishes, Chef Lord Bayaban debunked the misconception about Filipino cuisine.
“Na-i-stereotype s’ya most of the time. So pag sinabi nating Filipino cuisine, ‘Oh, that’s cheap!’ Even abroad, that’s what you normally hear…which is not true,” he said during the Future Menus media launch on November 6, 2024
The award-winning culinary expert also emphasized that to elevate Filipino dishes to the next level, it is important to understand the stories behind each dish.
“The Filipino cuisine is very diverse. So for the question of how I can see Filipino cuisine evolving in the future, I think, first and foremost we should know our history, our culinary history,” Chef Bayaban emphasized.
“We’ve been colonized by the Spaniards, we’ve been colonized by the Japanese, by the Americans… That alone will tell us a lot of history. If we know our history, the influences of these countries on our cuisine, that actually create stories,” the executive chef added.
“Moving forward, even us in hotels, we’ve seen how the culinary evolves. Filipino eaters right now are not just satisfied with what they see and what they eat. They are now much more enticed to what the story behind it, what’s the advocacy behind the cuisine we are preparing them.”
He is also optimistic for the future of Pinoys’ well-loved food.
“That’s how I see the future of Filipino cuisine—to stand out among other countries in Southeast Asia. Because we have a lot to tell even in a single food,” Bayaban concluded.
The Future Menus offerings are available from November 7 to 30, served during lunch (12:00 PM to 2:30 PM) and dinner (5:30 PM to 9:30 PM).
Various organizations have been championing sustainability by raising awareness, promoting eco-friendly practices, supporting local produce, and reducing waste all for the planet, community, and the economy.
Just last October, the HABI: The Philippine Textile Council held its 14th annual market fair highlighting the use of natural dyes in local textiles.
Two Filipino NGOs, Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) and the University of the Philippines Public Administration Research and Extension Services Foundation (UPPAF), Inc., were awarded grants from the APAC Sustainability Seed Fund 2.0. ASSIST focuses on empowering communities in the Philippines with sustainable solutions, offering technical training and disaster response education while UPPAF is working to transform transportation systems in developing countries, focusing on reducing fossil fuel dependence and improving energy efficiency.
In June, Mondelēz Philippines reported significant sustainability milestones, including redesigning packaging and removing plastic trays from some of its snack products.
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