ohanne Siy is the head chef of Lolla in Singapore and a Female Chef of the Year nominee of World Gourmet Awards, Singapore. Siy’s cuisine is eclectic, a reflection of herself as a Filipina who was educated in culinary school in New York, then wandered and cooked around Scandinavia. Now based in Singapore, Siy shines bright. We wish you all the best!

"I never limit myself. So, I can be creative.” Filipino chocolatier Raul Matias, creator of Manila Chocolatier and Machiavelli Chocolatier brands creates rare artistry on luscious chocolate bars. One could say he has a creative way to introduce Filipino chocolate decadence to the world.

The holidays give me happy food memories. I used to watch my late father-in-law dip crisp, chunky pieces of pork bagnet, the Ilocano lechon kawali, into fish bagoong (salty fermented fish dip) or else spicy sukang Iloko, vinegar filled with siling labuyo (bird's eye chilies). Papa liked bagnet this way. When he offered me some, I filled a plate with crisp bagnet, fish bagoong on top and paired it with white rice.

When my cousin Janet returned from a balikbayan visit, she brought back Salted Egg Potato Chips from the Philippines as pasalubong, it was so addictive that my family wanted more. Since these popular Filipino snacks are not yet readily available in America, I took matters into my own hands and made my own chips flavored with salted egg yolks.

"These are Filipino flavor profiles you’ve never encountered. You’re the first ones tasting these flavors,” declared Amy Besa, as she regaled the curious group before her. Amy Besa, food scholar, riled up the crowd’s enthusiasm as she revealed undiscovered flavors of Filipino dishes with her detailed dissection of each ingredient.

Filipino cuisine has recently been tagged as the ‘next big thing’ to look out for in the culinary world. With the country’s variety of influences throughout its rich history, its traditional cooking techniques, and the Filipinos’ knack for combining flavours and making the most of any and all ingredients at their disposal, what results is unpretentious, no-frills food that’s simply delicious.

In a province where gastronomy is not that widely familiar to outsiders, these restaurants in Nueva Ecija try to introduce new flavors and satisfy every famished traveler. The influence of other cuisines is evident on their menus having a diverse range of offerings: such as Western, Thai, Italian, Japanese, to the local ones like Kapampangan and Ilocano.