Asia Society Philippines launched its flagship culinary festival, Asian East 2026, on Friday, highlighting the diverse culinary heritage and culture of the Asia-Pacific region.
“It is really to celebrate our shared culinary heritage with our neighbors in the Asia Pacific region,” Asia Society Philippines Natalie Christine “Ching” V. Jorge told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the event.
“Food brings people together. We’re happy to be able to organize this activity where everybody comes together to celebrate each other’s cuisine,” she added.
Asian Eats is a biennial gathering that aims to foster cultural exchange, artistic collaboration, and deeper understanding among Asian communities and audiences in the country.
The three-day event, scheduled from August 7 to 9 at Shangri-La Plaza, features 10 food booths from Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Attendees can enjoy authentic cuisines, such as bánh mì from Vietnam, mango sticky rice from Thailand, kimbap from South Korea, and beef rendang from Indonesia, while watching cultural performances celebrating music, dance, and artistic traditions from the participating embassies.
“We really work with the diplomatic community, and part of the work we do is really celebrating culture,” Ms. Jorge said. “We celebrate culture through food, music, and art.”
The organization’s corporate partners for the event, such as Kikkoman, Century Pacific Food, Inc., through its Coco Mama brand, NutriAsia, GCash, and Highlands Coffee, also have their own booths in the festival.
In addition to food and performances, professional chefs will present a food demo to showcase how to cook authentic Asian dishes.
The event’s participants are expected to receive a boost from the weekend mall goers.
“We expect the weekend mall goers to come and visit. Tomorrow, we will have schools that will be visiting,” Ms. Jorge said. “Usually, it’s mall traffic which runs to the hundreds of thousands per weekend.”
“This is free for the public. They can come and enjoy the food that the different embassies and our partners have prepared,” she added.
At the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the country’s role as a “responsible and active partner” and vowed to push for inclusive and sustainable growth in the region. — Almira Louise S. Martinez
