Vlad Bunoan

Article (news)

IMFF

Karen Flores

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175465434700420250807_205758.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>(From left, 5th to 7th) Chefs Tara Monsod, Melissa Miranda, and Christoni Estocada join forces for the &quot;Tita Baby&quot; dinner at the first-ever IMFF. Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News</div>MANILA -- Two award-winning Filipino-American chefs kicked off the inaugural <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/8/6/international-manila-food-festival-to-spotlight-filipino-cuisine-global-opportunities-1534">International Manila Food Festival</a> (IMFF), a four-day event that aims to celebrate Filipino cuisine and elevate it to the global stage. On Thursday, August 7, James Beard Award nominees Tara Monsod and Melissa Miranda teamed up for the &quot;Tita Baby&quot; dinner at Newport World Resorts&#x27; Casa Buenas, where they were joined by the restaurant&#x27;s chef de cuisine, Christoni Estocada. Monsod has been named best chef in San Diego, California twice -- by Eater in 2024, and San Diego Magazine this year -- making her one of the biggest names in the city&#x27;s culinary scene. She is the executive chef of Animae, known for serving modern Asian-American fare in a fine dining setting. Here, Filipino food is prepared with intention and flair but without losing its essence, with dishes such as Lobster Palabok, Adobong Pula, and Short Rib Kare-kare. For the &quot;Tita Baby&quot; dinner, Monsod served a beautiful plate of seared local scallop on a bed of sweet-savory corn ginataan. It&#x27;s elegant yet comforting, and unmistakably Filipino -- which pretty much sums up the kind of cuisine that IMFF wants to showcase to the world. &quot;We are very honored to be here from the States to help represent our cuisine with you all,&quot; said the French-trained chef. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175465452412720250807_202158.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/> Monsod&#x27;s seared scallop with corn ginataan. Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News</div>Miranda, on the other hand, is the chef behind the always bustling <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/restaurants/12/02/20/this-filipino-restaurant-was-just-named-restaurant-of-the-year-in-seattle">Musang</a>, located in her hometown of Seattle, Washington. Filipino cuisine is front and center in this charming space, where traditional recipes meet techniques from her culinary training in Italy. On top of the multiple accolades of Musang, Miranda was also hailed Best New Chef by Food and Wine in 2022. She has been praised for pushing the boundaries of Filipino food, playing around with different ingredients to deliver big, bold flavors. This can be seen in her Bistek at the &quot;Tita Baby&quot; dinner, where she used succulent ribeye as protein. She covered the steak with a sauce that felt both fancy and familiar, using calamansi, miso, and soy sauce. The dish was served with a side of adlai and a glass of Trapiche Broquel Pinot Noir.&quot;It&#x27;s really important for us to bridge the gap from being in the Philippines and being Filipino-Americans,&quot; Miranda said. &quot;It&#x27;s an honor to be able to be here with all of you.&quot; <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175465465896720250807_204716.jpg" style="width:750px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/> Miranda&#x27;s Bistek. Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News</div>Representing Manila and Casa Buenas is Estocada, who also made sure to impress with two appetizers and a dessert, further showing how Filipino food can go beyond casual eats and become a more refined experience. There&#x27;s the bite-size adobo croquette filled with braised pork jowl and topped with a rice crisp and black garlic aioli; and an indulgent spread of Dinagat island spiny lobster and foie gras brulee with mango chutney, which was paired with Grant Burge Benchmark Chardonnay. For dessert, the chef prepared a lovely pili nut caramel tart with kapeng Barako coffee cream.&quot;I&#x27;m so glad to be able to work with Chef Melissa and Chef Tara,&quot; Estocada said. &quot;We&#x27;ve been looking forward to promoting Filipino cuisine not just here in the Philippines, but hopefully internationally.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175465478734620250807_195900.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/> Banagan, one of Estocada&#x27;s starters for the &quot;Tita Baby&quot; dinner. Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News</div>In between bites, diners enjoyed a selection of cocktails featuring products by Destileria Limtuaco &amp; Co. The three drinks kept the modern Filipino theme, highlighting flavors such as dalandan, calamansi, and tablea chocolate.This is just the start of the IMFF, which is set to delight with even more collaboration dinners from both homegrown chefs and international superstars until August 10.For the full schedule, check out the festival&#x27;s <a href="https://www.manilafoodfestival.com/">website</a>.

Two award-winning Filipino-American chefs kicked off the inaugural International Manila Food Festival, a four-day event that aims to celebrate Filipino cuisine and elevate it to the global stage.

Two award-winning Filipino-American chefs kicked off the inaugural International Manila Food Festival, a four-day event that aims to celebrate Filipino cuisine and elevate it to the global stage.

Filipino-American star chefs join first-ever International Manila Food Festival

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Filipino-American star chefs join first-ever International Manila Food Festival

Karen Flores Layno,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 08, 2025 08:13 PM PHT

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Updated August 09, 2025 12:05 AM PHT

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food

restaurants

chefs

Newport World Resorts

International Manila Food Festival

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