Mindanao’s Food Future: A Call to Build a Strong Local Culture
DAVAO CITY — Culinary experts and entrepreneurs converged here to urge people across Mindanao to take pride in local flavors and nurture a strong food culture that could become a linchpin for the region’s tourism growth. The call came during the “Taste Talk in the Future Menus 2025: The Taste Kitchen” event at Acacia Hotel Davao on Tuesday evening, Oct. 7, where industry leaders outlined strategies to harmonize tradition with innovation.
Leaders with a Local Lens
Country Executive Chef Kenneth Cacho of Unilever Food Solutions led a day packed with live demonstrations and industry discussions. Joined by Senior Sous Chefs Carlos Aluning, J. Brando Santos, and Paulo Sia, the team showcased how Mindanao’s abundance—especially its famed fruits like durian, mangosteen, and pomelo—can inspire creative menus that resonate with both locals and visitors.
“Mindanao holds a very special place in my heart,” Cacho shared, reflecting on his journey with renowned Chef Marco Pierre White. He stressed that the island’s potential extends beyond cuisine to a thriving tourism ecosystem fueled by thoughtful food concepts and sustainable practices.
“We see opportunities here not only in Davao City but across Mindanao,” Cacho continued, signaling Unilever Food Solutions’ commitment to strengthening its presence in 2025 with initiatives like Future Menus, designed to cultivate practical, future-ready dining concepts.
From Dreaming to Doing: The Soul of a Dish
Cacho cited a simple but powerful lesson from White: dreaming is essential, but responsibility is required to turn that dream into reality. He urged chefs and entrepreneurs to craft food concepts that actively support local tourism, noting that “food tourism is a big thing” and a growing segment driven by younger generations seeking meaningful experiences.
“Forty percent of the market is Generation Z,” he observed, highlighting how future dining trends will be shaped by experiences and storytelling. He cautioned that concepts lacking soul risk fading away, regardless of how trendy they seem on the surface. “Taste is objective; we must find the middle ground between trend and essence,” he said.
Storytelling, Innovation, and Local Sourcing
Echoing Cacho, Chef Jeramie Go of Pilgrim Restaurant emphasized storytelling as a core element of culinary craft. He explained that a cohesive narrative—spanning the dish, the menu, and the restaurant itself—can forge a connection with the target market that transcends flavors alone.
Hannah Mamon, CEO of JM Shawarma, shared a candid account of Mindanao’s food business landscape. Her team nearly closed before collaborating with UFS; a pivot toward innovation and elevating product quality helped them survive and thrive. “The journey wasn’t easy, but innovation saved us,” she said, noting that the experience deepened her understanding of how to shape customer experience.
Four Trends, Local Adaptation
During the event, Cacho, Aluning, Santos, and Sia demonstrated how Mindanao could adapt the four trends identified in Future Menus 2025: Street Food Couture, Diner Designed, Borderless Cuisines, and Culinary Roots. The goal is to translate these global movements into practical, profitable concepts that reflect Davao’s rich bounty while staying true to local roots.
Sheala Ang, UFS Philippines operator experience manager, underscored the program’s broader mission: to help local chefs and restaurant owners stay ahead of trends, optimize operations, and attract diners who crave both comfort and innovative experiences. “Insights from over 250 chefs globally inform these practical recipes for the Mindanao market,” Ang noted.
A Step Toward a Sustainable Food Tourism Ecosystem
The Davao Taste Kitchen event marked a milestone in UFS’s Mindanao-focused push, following successful rollouts in other Philippine cities. With Cebu set to host the final stop of the nationwide Future Menus 2025 campaign, the initiative aims to empower local food businesses to leverage Mindanao’s unique culinary identity for sustainable growth.
As Mindanao continues to grow as a gateway to natural wonders, its food scene stands poised to become a defining feature of its tourism identity—one that blends local harvests, innovative techniques, and compelling storytelling into memorable dining experiences for visitors and residents alike.
