THE KADAYAWAN Festival, a vibrant celebration of Davao City’s rich cultural heritage, annually features the Bantawan Culinary Showcase, a platform for the city’s 11 ethnolinguistic tribes to showcase their unique culinary traditions and artistry.
Held last August 13 to 15 at the Kadayawan Village in Magsaysay Park, the event this year saw the addition of the 1st Kadayawan Halal-Friendly Culinary Cup, a collaborative project of the Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Expo Advocacy, Air Asia, and Maggi Professional.
Themed “Halal-Friendly Gastronomy Tourism,” the culinary competition aimed to celebrate passion, creativity, and the growing Halal industry in Davao City. “More than just a competition, the event is a celebration of passion, creativity, and advocating for Halal gastronomy, which everyone can benefit from. We also aim to further promote the growing development of the Halal industry in our city,” said Marilou Ampuan, founder of the Universal Islamic Center, the institutional partner of the Davao City Halal Industry Development Council.
In preparation for the competition, representatives from the Ata, Bagobo-Klata, Bagobo-Tagabawa, Matigsalug, Obu-Manuvu, Iranun, Kagan, Maguindanaon, Maranao, Sama, and Tausog tribes underwent a Basic Halal-Friendly Training Skills program conducted by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
The esteemed panel of judges included Nestle Professional Ambassador Chef Tahir Malikol Ayunan, Chef Salome San Jose of the Davao Culinary Cup and Chippens, and Chef Kathrina Bianca Persia of AirAsia. Entries were judged based on Taste (60%), Ingredients (20%), and Innovativeness (20%).
The Bagobo Klata tribe emerged as this year’s grand champion with their dish “Lullut Ngo Monuk,” followed by the Maranao tribe for their “Piaparan A Manuk” and the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe for their “Linutlot Na Manok.”
The grand champion received PhP20,000 cash prize, Maggi products, an Air Asia round-trip ticket, and the opportunity to have their dish featured on the airline’s inflight menu. The first and second runners-up received PhP15,000 and PhP10,000 cash, respectively. Eight consolation prizes of PhP5,000 were also awarded to the remaining contenders.
