‘From Plates to Pages: A Gastronomic Dialogue and Tasting’ will be held on April 24, (conference from 2 to 5 p.m., food tasting 6 to 8 p.m.) at Areté, Le Cordon Bleu-Ateneo de Manila University. POSTER FROM ATENEO DE MANILA WEBSITE
AS Filipino cuisine continues to define its place on the global stage, “From Plates to Pages: A Gastronomic Dialogue and Tasting” is a timely and significant cultural event that bridges Filipino culinary identity with the rest of the world through the traditions and practices of French gastronomy.
Set on April 24, (conference at 2 to 5 p.m., food tasting 6 to 8 p.m.) at Areté, Le Cordon Bleu-Ateneo de Manila University, the gathering brings together thought leaders, chefs and authors to explore how Filipino food is articulated, understood, and elevated through scholarship and practice, contextualizing Filipino cuisine to a global audience.
At the center of the event are two books, “Pinas Simpol: The Love and Lore of Filipino Cooking” by Chef Tatung Sarthou and “Bukambibig (Word of Mouth)” by Ige Ramos — landmark works that contribute to the growing body of literature defining Filipino cuisine. Their significance lies not only in documenting recipes or traditions but also in offering frameworks that explain Filipino food with clarity, depth, and cultural grounding.
Codifying Filipino cuisine
Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
For decades, one of the challenges facing Filipino cuisine has been its limited codification compared to globally dominant culinary traditions such as French cuisine. French gastronomy is widely recognized for its structured systems, technical precision, and extensive culinary literature — qualities that have enabled it to be taught, replicated and respected worldwide.
“Bukambibig” and “Pinas Simpol” respond directly to this gap.
Ramos, through critical essays and narrative recipes, examines Filipino cuisine as a cultural and historical text, challenging misconceptions and positioning it as a sophisticated and evolving body of knowledge.
Sarthou, in contrast, introduces structured frameworks such as the Four Legs of the Filipino Table and the Simpol ABC method, demonstrating that Filipino cooking possesses its own systems, logic and discipline.
Together, these works represent a crucial step toward codifying Filipino cuisine — not by imitating foreign standards but by articulating its inherent intelligence on its own terms.
Meaningful intersection
The event’s collaboration with Le Cordon Bleu-Ateneo de Manila and the participation of Chef Cyrille Soenen underscore a meaningful intersection between Filipino and French culinary traditions. Rather than positioning one above the other, the dialogue highlights how both cuisines share foundational values: respect for ingredients, attention to technique, and the transmission of knowledge across generations.
French cuisine, long regarded as a global benchmark, offers a model of how culinary traditions can be preserved and systematized.
Filipino cuisine, as presented in Sarthou‘s and Ramos‘ books, reveals parallel strengths — its adaptability, regional diversity, and deeply embedded cultural narratives. What has often been described as “tantsa” (intuition) in Filipino cooking is reframed in “Pinas Simpol” as a form of intelligence comparable to the precision found in classical French methods.
At the same time, “Bukambibig” situates Filipino food within a broader global and historical context, showing how it has absorbed and transformed influences, including European ones, into something distinctly Filipino. This mirrors the way French cuisine itself has evolved through centuries of regional exchange and refinement.
The significance of this event lies in its ability to create a space where Filipino cuisine is not merely showcased but critically engaged alongside one of the world’s most established culinary traditions. It signals a shift from viewing Filipino food as “emerging” to recognizing it as a cuisine capable of dialogue, scholarship and global relevance.
By connecting the insights of “Bukambibig” and “Pinas Simpol” with the discipline and legacy of French gastronomy, “From Plates to Pages” affirms that Filipino cuisine is entering a new phase — one where various expressions of it are welcomed and appreciated worldwide.
The public is invited.
Register here: https://go.ateneo.edu/FromPlatesToPages
TMT
Dining and Cooking