Press Release No. EBB-28-2019
Jeddah PCG holds first-ever Filipino Food Festival
Jeddah, 7 April 2019 – The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah (Jeddah PCG) organized the first-ever Filipino Food Festival in Jeddah where a variety of Filipino cuisines and delicacies were showcased to members of the Diplomatic corps, Saudi locals, and the Filipino community.
Held on 6 April 2019 at the Atalla Happy Land Park, one of the largest and oldest amusement parks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Filipino Food Festival was participated in by twelve (12) of the most popular Filipino restaurants/ catering service providers in Jeddah. The restaurants served all-time favorite Filipino cuisines and delicacies such as adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, pinakbet, puto, and kakanin, among others.
In a brief message to formally open the festival, Consul General Edgar B. Badajos urged the Filipino community in Jeddah to continue to promote the rich gustatory offerings of the Filipinos and preserve the rich Filipino culinary traditions, which is an intermix of cultures and influences that make up the uniquely Pinoy food experience. He also called on the hundreds of Filipino families in attendance at the event to take pride in our national food treasures despite being far away from the Philippines.
The first Filipino Food Festival in Jeddah had the theme: “Ang Sarap: Piyesta ng Pagkaing Pilipino”, and included cooking demonstrations led by Filipino-operated International Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management (ICCAHM), and food exhibits by some of Jeddah’s top Filipino restaurants such as Shawly, Toshi Restau, Pagkaing Pinoy, La Paz Batchoy, Mary’s Kakanin, and Filipino food chain Jollibee.
The Filipino Food Festival in Jeddah is in line with the celebration of Filipino Food Month or Buwan ng Kalutong Pilipino in April 2019, per Proclamation No. 469, s. 2017.
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Consul General Edgar Badajos (leftmost) leads the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the first Filipino Food Festival in
Jeddah. Also in photo (from left to right) are Consul Mary Jennifer Dingal, Labor Attache in Riyadh Nasser Mustafa, Consul
General Haji Sulaini Bin Hadi Said of Brunei Darussalam, and Mr. Hani from the Atallah Happy Land Park.
Consul General Edgar Badajos (2nd from left) urges the Filipino community in Jeddah to continue promoting the rich gustatory
offerings of the Filipinos and preserve the rich Filipino culinary traditions. Also in photo are Vice-Consul Alfred Kristoffer Guiang
(3rd from left) and Consul Mary Jennifer Dingal (4th from left).
Jollibee mascot (2nd from left) with Consul General Edgar Badajos (3rd from left), Consul General
Haji Sulaini Bin Hadi Said of Brunei Darussalam (leftmost), and officials of the Atallah Happy Land.
Filipino-operated International Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management (ICCAHM) demonstrates how to cook some of the more popular Filipino cuisines.
Consul General Edgar Badajos leads the guests in the tasting of Filipino cuisines.
