The Philippines Hosts The First-Ever Terra Madre Asia And Pacific This November

Terra Madre—the global network of food communities working to defend biodiversity, promote food sovereignty, and create sustainable food systems rooted in local traditions founded by Slow Food in Italy—will hold its first-ever regional edition in Asia and Pacific in the Philippines’ Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, from November 19 to 23, 2025.

Themed “From Soil to Sea: A Slow Food Journey Through Tastes and Traditions,” Terra Madre Asia and Pacific (TMAP) will bring together farmers, fishers, indigenous leaders, chefs, cooks, academics, youth, and cultural advocates. The five-day event will take place at the Provincial Capitol Lagoon and will feature 2,000 delegates from over 20 countries, including India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Pacific Island nations.

The event will be organized around a series of thematic spaces and activities that reflect the diversity of Asia-Pacific food cultures:

• Foodways Exhibition: A centerpiece showcasing four iconic staples of the region — rice of Southeast Asia, spices of South Asia, soy of East Asia, and taro of Australia and the Pacific Islands. Through interactive displays and storytelling, visitors will see how these foods shape cultural identity and biodiversity.
• Education Pavilion: Programs for children and adults centered on taste education and sensory experiences, helping participants understand biodiversity and make informed food choices.
• Slow Food Coffee Coalition: An interactive journey from farm to cup, with tastings, workshops, and stories highlighting the region’s coffee traditions and the push for fair and transparent practices.
• House of Slow Food: A central hub introducing the philosophy of Slow Food and its global and regional projects.
• Public Talks and Conferences: Open forums where farmers, Indigenous leaders, cooks, youth, and policy makers discuss issues such as climate resilience, food justice, and sustainable agriculture.
• Terra Madre Kitchen and Taste Workshops: Guided tastings, chef collaborations, and cooking demonstrations showcasing regional ingredients and techniques.
• Slow Drinks, Market, and Street Food: Spaces dedicated to organic farmers, producers, sustainable drinks, and diverse regional street foods. These will highlight local ingredients while also featuring the Ark of Taste, Slow Food’s international online catalogue of endangered heritage ingredients that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and rooted in distinct eco-regions. Sample Ark of Taste products from Negros Occidental and Western Visayas include batuan (Garcinia binucao), kadyos (pigeon pea), criollo cacao (such as Bago City’s heirloom cacao), artisanal muscovado sugar, and traditional salts like tultul and budbud.
• Community Kitchen: A communal dining area where representatives from all 61 barangays of Bacolod will cook and share traditional dishes, turning the event into a living expression of local heritage.

“This is a turning point not just for Slow Food in the Philippines, but for the entire region. Terra Madre Asia and Pacific is a space where grassroots wisdom can shape policy, tradition can spark innovation, and the lived experiences of communities take their rightful place in shaping our global food future,” said Ramon “Chin Chin” Uy Jr., Slow Food Councilor for Southeast Asia. “It’s time for Asia and the Pacific to take center stage in the global sustainable food conversation.”

“The first edition of Terra Madre Asia and Pacific marks an exciting new chapter for the global Slow Food movement,” adds Paolo Di Croce, General Director of Slow Food. “This gathering celebrates the shared products and traditions that unite Asian and Pacific communities, while showing how food can connect people, pass on knowledge, inspire solutions, and help safeguard the planet for future generations. It also offers a unique opportunity to strengthen our global network through the creation of a new Slow Food Hub for Asia and the Pacific, and the launch of strategic initiatives such as Slow Food Travel.” The event will be held every two years, alternating between Italy and the Philippines.

TMAP 2025 marks the designation of Bacolod City as the Center for Sustainable Gastronomy and Negros Occidental as the Organic Capital of the Philippines, an evolution of the Terra Madre Visayas events successfully hosted in 2023 and 2024. Modeled after the long-running Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin, this regional edition is designed to highlight the culinary traditions and food systems of Asia-Pacific while connecting them to the wider global movement.

The full line-up of international and local chefs and mixologists participating in Terra Madre 2025 are as follows:

International Chefs

• Johanne Siy – Asia’s Best Female Chef 2023 (Singapore / Philippines)
• Wes Kuo – Michelin Green Star Chef (Taipei)
• Hafizzul Hashim – Fiz, Michelin Green Star (Singapore)
• Lordfer Lalicon – Kaya, Michelin Green Star (USA)
• Christina Rasmussen – Fura (Singapore / Denmark / USA)
• Melissa Miranda – Musang (USA)
• Romy Dorotan – Purple Yam (USA / Philippines)
• William Wongso – Indonesia’s Culinary Ambassador
• Ross Serai – Serai (Australia)
• Ardika Dwitama Tjandra – August (Jakarta)

Local/ Filipino Chefs

• Jordy Navarra – Toyo, One Michelin Star (Manila)

• Thirdy Dolatre & John Kevin “Nav” Navoa – Hapag, One Michelin Star (Makati)
• Miko Calo – Taqueria Franco (Manila)
• Chele González – Gallery by Chele, One Michelin Star and Michelin Green Star; Asador Alfonso, One Michelin Star (Manila / Cavite)
• JP “Jepe” Cruz – Inatô, One Michelin Star (Makati)
• Stephan Duhesme – Metiz (Manila)
• Yuichi Ito – Crosta Pizzeria (Makati)
• Don Patrick “Don” Baldosano – Linamnam, One Michelin Star; Michelin Young Chef Award Winner 2026 (Parañaque)
• Antonio “Tony Boy” Escalante – Antonio’s Group (Tagaytay / Manila)
• Aaron Isip – Kasa Palma, One Michelin Star (Manila)
• Patrick Go – Your Local (Makati)
• Angelo Comsti – Offbeat Bistro (Manila)
• Rhea Rizzo – Mrs. Saldo’s (Cavite)
• Bettina Arguelles – (Manila)
• Tina Legarda – Bamba Bistro (Parañaque)
• Inés Castañeda and Filippo Turrini + Roots Team – Roots (Siargao)
• Charles Montañez – Mamacita (Taguig / BGC)
• Datu Shariff Pendatun III – (Manila / Mindanao)
• David Amoros – El Born (Manila)
• David del Rosario – CEV (Siargao)
• Dedet de la Fuente – Lechon Diva (Manila)
• Erwan Heussaff – FEATR (Manila)
• Miguel “Cabel” Moreno – Palm Grill (Quezon City / Mindanao)
• Waya Araos-Wijangco – (Baguio, Manila)
• Gerald Montelibano – Cibo di Marghi (Manila)
• Andre Malarky – Wild Siargao (Siargao)
• Rhea Sycip – (Cavite)
• JayJay Sycip – (Cavite)
• Negrense-Based ChefsDon Colmenares – SAUMA (Negros Occidental)
• Nico Millanes – Portiko Cafe (Bacolod)
• Mark Lobaton – Enting’s (Sagay, Negros Occidental)

International Mixologists

• Danny Childs – Slow Drinks (USA)
• Danny Park – Zest, Asia’s 50 Best Bars (South Korea)
• Agung Prabowo – The Old Man and Peniccilin, Asia’s 50 Best Bars (Hong Kong / Indonesia)
• Sasha Wijidessa – Fura (Singapore / Denmark)
• Daniel Nguyen – Sông Cái Distillery (Vietnam / USA)
• Renate Spurlock – Kaya and Bayani Bar (USA)
• Anna Ye – Anna Ye Tea (Vietnam / USA)
• Rishot Laloo / Sagar Neve – Shad Skye (India)

Local Mixologists

• Niko Tiutan – Ito (Manila)
• Ron Cruz – Fat Cat (Manila)
• Jessie Qi – Last Chance (Siargao)
• Kalel “Liquido Maestro” Demetrio – Agimat and Alamat (Manila)
• Ken Alonso – Proudly Promdi (Ilocos Norte / Manila)
• Frances “Janelle Frances” Ang – (Manila)
• Alyssa “Aly” Lorenzo – Xi by Cafe Guilt (Manila)
• Arcadius Rybak – (Pampanga)