If you’ve been to Baguio City many times and a visit to the public market is part of your standard routine, then consider putting a fresh spin in your next visit by seeing it through the eyes of an acclaimed and well-respected culinary personality.
Launched this summer, Chef Waya Araos-Wijangco’s Market to Table tour is an engaging three-part experience that kicks off with a market tour, followed by a culinary demo in her home, and a gracious dining experience at her veranda with a gorgeous highland scenery. It’s a cool to-do for the barkada and families going to Baguio this season.
According to Chef Waya, “Baguio City Public market is the lifeblood of the city. It’s a major source of livelihood for generations of residents and it’s also a place of heritage itself.”
Considered the heart of the city, no other place gives off that Baguio feels more than this pulsating historic landmark built in the early 1900s during the American colonial period.
It’s the last frontier of resistance as the resurging tourist boom in the City of Pines is also seeing new buildings being constructed and the looming news of the public market finally being turned over to a giant mall developer for a major makeover.
Though crumbling in many parts, the public market hasn’t changed that much despite surviving major fires since the 1960s and the 1990 earthquake. It’s actually just recovered from the March 11 fire that razed two of its popular blocks, 3 and 4.
Chef Waya’s Market to Table Tour will have participants meet at 8:30 am at Chef Waya’s Gypsy Baguio restaurant on Quezon Hill.
A van takes and drops off participants at Malcolm Square where a climb up its pedestrian bridge reveals a good vantage point of the market. Participants walk from the main market, inner lanes with specialty finds, to the “bagsakan” where wholesale fresh produce are delivered daily by farmers and farm owners. In total, the tour takes about an hour and a half, so participants are advised to wear comfortable shoes.
“Baguio market isn’t one market only, but it’s composed of several parts. Travelers are often used to visiting the touristy part of the market—where the strawberry jams and souvenirs are. The view from the Malcolm Square bridge offers a good visual introduction to the market. From there, you’ll see Blocks 3 and 4, the Hilltop Market, which is the original Baguio stone market, and the Hangar Market.
“Maharlika and Marbay buildings are also part of the market. And then, of course, there’s the main market. Through the tour, you’ll get to feel how big it is and how powerful it is as an economic hub of the city. You’ll learn how the market works, how produce changes hands, and how prices vary from wholesale to retail.”
Chef Waya spent her childhood with her grandmother in Baguio where she remembers spending early mornings tagging along with her on market days.
Before the pandemic, She ran the famous Gourmet Gypsy restaurants on Roces Avenue and Maginhawa Street, both in Quezon City, where clients enjoyed the “world on your plate” menu thoughtfully prepared by the chef and her team.
But the lockdowns took its toll on business and so she decided to move to Baguio. Today, Gypsy Baguio by Chef Waya and Taguan Café, both on Quezon Hill, are doing very well.
Since settling in Baguio, Chef Waya explored the market especially for ingredients for her restaurant. Family and friends who visit her would be given an impromptu tour of the market especially when there are particular items they’re looking for.
In her Market to Table tour, one gets to appreciate the creativity and practicality of farmers who don’t put anything to waste. You get to see how they put value in their harvest, which includes the misshapen ones that are still of good quality anyway. The tour also shows the variety and volume of fruits and vegetables—not just the “chop suey” kind—available in the place.
Chef Waya’s first batch of participants in March consisted of local vloggers and friends. But they, too, were surprised at the unfamiliar places they got to check out with Chef Waya.
“It was a new experience for them because they entered an alley where fresh herbs are sold wholesale. You can imagine the smell of that part of the market where the fragrance of all kinds of herbs was wafting in the air,” Chef Waya shares with delight.
Charming private space
After the market visit, participants are picked up by the van at the other side of the market on Kayang Road, and takes them to Chef Waya’s private home in Mirador Hill for the culinary demo and brunch.
Guests recover from the morning walk in her canopied veranda, which has a beautiful mountain view and a charming table setting that Chef Waya personally arranged.
Even before the cooking session starts, a terrific set of snacks and drinks are brought in. The menu depends on the tour’s culinary theme, which is either Asian Wrap and Roll or Mediterranean Medley.
At this point, guests already feel the pampering via the quaint atmosphere and now, through the mouthwatering spread of Mediterranean appetizers: Freshly baked focaccia bread served with butter board; Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Cold Lemon Yogurt; Strawberry, Pine Nut and Arugula Salad; Shrimp and Crab Tarts; Deviled Eggs with Caviar; and Crudites with Bagna Càuda.
Even the quenchers have their own wow factor: Lavender lemonade and cold brew.
For the interactive cooking lesson, Chef Waya partially prepares the dishes that participants get to help in finishing cooking the dishes.
This time, guests learn how to make Mediterranean entrées like Fresh Corn Polenta, Tomato and Wine Braised Beef, Crispy Enoki and Squash Flowers. They also learn how to plate the dishes they cooked, chef-style.
Dessert is a satisfying finish: Faux-ple pie (which has healthy sayote instead of apples); Carrot Halva Panna Cotta; and Strawberry Basil Sorbet.
Chef Waya’s Market to Table experience is pretty affordable starting at P2,500 per person (depending on the dishes preferred), with a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 12 participants per tour. Tours are by appointment, e-mail gypsychefwaya@gmail.com or send a message to their Facebook and IG accounts @gypsybychefwaya.
Specialty vegetables
Chef Waya’s market tour is just the doorway to a world of diversity and deliciousness offered by the region’s produce and cuisines. Besides promoting the market, Chef Waya is also bringing her culinary advocacy further by working directly with the farmers.
She says, “I’m also working with farmers to grow specialty vegetables for the restaurant. It also adds value from the little land they’re working on.”
Chef Waya provides the seeds for vegetables like Brussels sprout and varieties of carrots. Once the vegetable are ready for harvest, she will be buying them back from the farmers.
“It’s a long shot,” says Chef Waya on teaching farmers about other possibilities for their job and land, “not just because growing such volume is enough to supply the market, which takes time. It’s also educating the farmers on putting value in producing things especially since people are used to haggling when buying the fresh produce.”
Chef Waya also plans to organize farm-to-table tours soon.
In the midst of talks for a Baguio City Public Market’s redevelopment plan in partnership with a giant mall, locals have been divided about the issue—with some favoring the move to modernize its facilities while the other half are wary because it could mean demolishing all markets for a lackluster concrete building devoid of charm and culture.
Says Chef Waya, “This is why need to have people participate, give their opinions on how it could be improved without destroying the charm of the market. The market is a big part of Baguio culture. Getting people to share their opinions and share in the discourse about how such a Baguio icon should be developed is important.”
Things are heating up for Baquio’s culinary and cultural scene. So many establishments to enjoy and these include Gypsy Baguio by Chef Waya; Ili-likha Artist Village, an art hub and restaurant by National Artist Kidlat Tahimik; Café Sabel within the BenCab Museum by National Artist Ben Cabrera; good old Café by the Ruin, Hill Station, Le Chef at The Manor, and plenty of new dining options as well.
Meanwhile, Baguio City Public Market continues to be the fulcrum of that exciting dining scene and thriving culinary community. — LA, GMA Integrated News
Gypsy Baguio by Chef Waya is located on 6 Quezon Hill Road in Baguio City. For inquiries and reservation, text or call 09278517856. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can also check out their IG and FB pages @gypsybyhefwaya and @taguancafe
Dining and Cooking