(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula
DOHA: Filipino celebrity chef Niño Logarta has expressed optimism on the future of Filipino cuisine joining other mainstream Asian foods on the world stage.
A familiar face on Philippine TV, Logarta, is the first Filipino celebrity chef taking part in the Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF), Qatar's longest running food festival which opened on Thursday at the Hotel Park.
'I'm very hopeful that we'll get into the global market. We can probably marry it with other techniques and ingredients to make it more interesting and appealing to other cultures especially the way it looks, Logarta told local media at the opening ceremony of QIFF 2018.
To propel Filipino food to the Arab market, he said: 'We can slowly introduce it to them by injecting Arabic ingredients to make it more familiar to their taste buds at the same time elevate the flavours.
A highly respected personality in Philippine culinary scene, Logarta has been consultant of several manufacturing companies and endorser of a number of brands. He currently handles operations of cooking shows, teaching artists how to prepare the food properly as well as serves as a faculty Moderne Culinaire Academy.
'Filipino food is very simple, very straightforward and with easy flavours. In many recipes that we do, it doesn't go over ten ingredients which are very easy to source, he said.
On his speciality, he said 'I like cooking familiar flavours which are Asian. They are more interesting for me, more dynamic and flavourful, but then I can cook anything.
An archipelago comprising more than 7,500 islands, the Philippines is rich in seafood, and last night Logarta showcased a delectable Filipino seafood dish which is crab fat fried rice with fresh lump crab meat topped with crispy fried squid.
He returns to the Live Cooking Theatre tonight at 10pm to demonstrate how to cook chicken and crab meat embutido with roasted capsicum sauce-another scrumptious Filipino dish.
Commenting on the festival, he said that he is 'very impressed with the setup and the line-up of activities and events.
With probably the most diverse list of celebrity chefs, this year's QIFF Live Cooking Theatre offers daily themed live cooking shows such as International Cuisine Day, Seafood Day, Dessert Day, Dough/Pasta Day, Veggie Day, Arabic Cuisine Day and Organic Cuisine Day.
Among the 14 celebrity chefs featured at the Cooking Theatre at the 11-day festival are Qatari chef and food programme presenter Aisha Al Tamimi, Indian celebrity chef Ajay Chopra, the first blind contestant in US MasterChef and 2012 winner Christine Ha, Turkish celebrity chef Murat Bozok, Filipino celebrity TV chef Nino Logarta, Lebanese celebrity chef Ramzi Choueiri, Kuwaiti celebrity TV chef Sulaiman Al Qassar and US Iron Chef Masharu Morimoto.
This signature QIFF event provides a space for connoisseurs and novices to learn all about how to handle, prepare, cook, present and even photograph food, running alongsidelive competitions and demonstrations.
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