Fiestan Salu Salo: Celebrating the Flavors of Guam and the Philippines

Project Description

Fiestan Salu Salo featured Canada-based Filipino chefs Jo Ong and Mylene Valdez for a week-long tour from September 30 to October 5, 2019. The tour included workshops with high school and college culinary students, a pastry workshop by Chef Mylene, a community talk about the shared histories of Guam and the Philippines with 3 Filipina chefs, a chef's talk on traditional Filipino gastronomy by Chef Jo, and a benefit dinner.

For the benefit dinner, chefs Jo and Mylene collaborated with local chefs Peter Dueñas, Paul Kerner, Mirko Agostini, Angelo Lacson, and Jasmine Nadres to create a culinary interpretation of the flavors and cultures of Guam and the Philippines. Ultimately the tour promoted locally grown and nutritious foods, and delved into broader issues of environmental and cultural sustainability, and food sovereignty.

Why should you Eat Your Heritage?

The Eat Your Heritage food democracy tour first began as a facet of the project, I Tano yan I Tasi, which aimed to inform and inspire island residents to engage with values, ideas, and actions that are central to a participatory democracy and a sustainable future for the island. Since then, Humanities Guåhan has presented a series of food democracy tours highlighting different themes to explore the important connections between food, health, culture and the environment in order to better “grow democracy” in the community.

Our past three Eat Your Heritage Food Democracy Tours include:

2011 - Island Meets Desert- Native American and local cuisine, featuring James Beard Award-winning Chef Lois Ellen Frank and Chef Walter Whitewater

2013 - Chamorro Hawaiian Fusion, featuring Chef Mark Noguchi and Community Organizer Amanda Corby

2014 - Freedom on the Menu: Celebrating Southern Cooking and Gospel Music, featuring James Beard Award-Winning Chef Robert Stehling and The Birmingham Sunlights, NEA National Heritage Fellows

This tour was made possible in part by the generous support of businesses and organizations that support the movement to #eatyourheritage.