THE smoke and aroma wafting in the air as different ingredients are mixed and cooked to create the Philippines’s largest paella was the smell that greeted shoppers at the Greenbelt 3 Park in Makati City.
The event was the annual Festival de la Paella Gigante, now on its third year, and was tied to the Ayala Malls Gastronomy Festival 2015 and the Department of Tourism’s Flavors of the Philippines Festival. It also served to celebrate the Madrid Fusión Manila that is currently being held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Proceeds of the festival will be given as charity to the Sociedad Española de Beneficenca (SEB), a non-governmental organization founded by Spanish citizens in the Philippines.
At 11 feet in diameter, the dish was able to serve up to 1,000 visitors. There were above 400 kilos of ingredients from olive oil, chicken, chorizo, onion and garlic, squid, prawns, mussels, chicken stalk and local Japanese rice.
The giant paella was made by top Filipino chefs, including Gilbert Pangilinan of Cerveseria and Kai, Les Toques Blanches (LTB) Philippines Chefs Association President J. Gamboa of Cirkulo and Milkyway Restaurants, Carlo Miguel of 71 Gramercy, Mikel Arriet of Club Punta Fuego, Fernando Aracama of Aracama Filipino Cuisine, Jerome Valencia of Tambai Yakitori Snack House, James Antolin of Pastry Alliance of the Philippines and Sito Senn of the Country Club.
Present in the event were Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Luis Antonio Calvo, SEB President Pablo Garcia-Morera and Ayala Land Senior Vice President and Ayala Malls Group Head Junie Jalandoni, who were among the first to taste the especially made paella, along with some Spanish wine called Sangria.
The Filipino percussion band Patiqueros of Bacolod and the local dance group Centro Flamenco Philippines also performed and spiced up the evening with world-class performances.
The Gastronomy Festival 2015 is a monthlong event that kicked off on April 10 and ends on Sunday, with a long list of events that foodies will surely love held at different locations of Ayala Malls.
“We look forward to working with the Department of Tourism to promote the Philippines. Indeed, it is an exciting time for the country. Not only is the economy expanding, Philippine tourism is growing,” Jalandoni said.
Madrid Fusión Manila is a gastronomic conference that is currently featuring some of the most prestigious chefs around the world. Eight speakers will come from Spain, two will be from Asia and 10 top chefs from the Philippines.
Image credits: Alysa Salen