ORMOC CITY – The Secret Kitchens of Samar has joined the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) 2022 at the World Trade Center on September 22 to 24, 2022.

The IFEX is a biennial global exhibition that features the finest ethnic cuisines, organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Mission (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The said exhibition features the different foods in Asia and provides a business-to-business (B2B) platform where buyers can directly transact with the exhibitors.

Accordingly, it was the Provincial Government of Samar, through the efforts of Governor Sharee Ann Tan, that developed the program with the endgoal of protecting the heirloom recipes of locals for safekeeping – and, in addition, expanding the island’s consumer base and preaching the sumptuousness of Samar.

“We want to position the Province of Samar as the next food destination, and at the same time, we want to preserve the heirloom recipes which have long been available even during the times of the galleon trade,” said Governor Sharee Ann Tan.

Furthermore, it is said that the Secret Kitchens program also empowers people’s organizations as it provides a sustainable livelihood for locals with different agencies helping out in the production of delicacies for a holistic and systematic approach to development.

Accordingly, the secrecy of said recipes might drive them to extinction and it was the fear of discontinuity that drove the conception of the Secret Kitchens of Samar, a subprogram of Spark Samar. The Samar government shared that the Secret Kitchens of Samar features heirloom recipes, which are prized possessions kept by families that would allow the world to have a taste of the island, and that it is said to have been finally shared at the largest IFEX 2022. By Gwen Maurillo (EV Mail September 19-25, 2022 issue)