Stellar grills from a gathering of chefs at DGF Awards
Last Sept. 28, the winners of the latest Doreen G. Fernandez (DGF) Awards were feted at the Palm Grove, Amorsolo Square in Rockwell, Makati City. On the same day, the third edition of “Sangkap,” a compilation of past winners, was also launched.
Trust chef Myrna Segismundo—who, along with Felice Sta. Maria, Mickey Fenix, and Marilyn Orosa, have kept Fernandez’s legacy alive by holding the annual awards—to invite a stellar lineup of chefs to ingeniously interpret the year’s essay theme, grilled fare, to come up with a merienda menu that left many guests delighted at the imaginative iterations of this favorite Filipino cooking style.
This year’s DGF food writing winners are An Mercado Alcantara, Casa San Pablo’s innkeeper and veteran writer and editor, who wrote about the grilled specialty kulawo infused with coconut flavors in “Liquid Inihaw”; chef Francis Lacson, whose “Linagpang: A Grilled Soup” would concretize the experience for guests, as he prepared the dish for the afternoon; and Pangasinan tourism stalwart Resty Odon, whose “In Inkalot Country” came in third, and whose sister received the award for him.
Honorable mentions were “Savoring the Skies: Mystique of Inihaw na Tagakbanwa of the Tagbanwa Tribe of Palawan” by Wilson Lee Flores; “Ode to the Inihaw na Bangus” by Eugene Paul M. Lorenzo; “Chicken Inasal, Bardagulan, and All” by Vincent A. Morales; “Chicken Inasal: Ilonggo By Way of Mexico” by Horatius Mosquera; and “The Premise and Patience of an Ilocano’s Tinuno” by Kaye Leah Cacho-Sitchon.
Captured taste
As mentioned, the amiable (and soon to be married) Lacson of Francesco’s in San Juan wowed everyone with the flavors of his linagpang na hipon. Lacson recounted in his winning essay how the smoky taste was captured in a soup, which he topped with a tasty piece of shrimp.
The meat got a zesty kick from tamarind in chef Tina Legarda’s delicious version of inasal na baboy sa sampalok. The chef behind Parañaque’s Bamba Bistro also added slivers of liver and noodles, and guests were advised to pour the dressing over the whole lot.
Chef Sau del Rosario of Sawsaw presented a perfectly smoked apahap atop adlai smothered in aligui. People apprehensive of the latter’s usually overpowering taste were surprised by the subtlety of the aligui—which explains why, as Segismundo pointed out, Del Rosario, a stalwart of Kapampangan cuisine, now has five restaurants featuring his masterful touch.
Hapag’s Kevin Navoa and Thirdy Dolatre presented a tinupig na manok before running off to another evening event, after which chef Jackie Ang Po of Fleur de Lys, known for exquisite desserts, prepared a sweet tooth’s dream of a Tableya Q as a perfect conclusion.
All of which, of course, begged the question: How will the DGF Awards top this in 2025? Segismundo has been talking about keeping up with the times by including a video component, considering the huge number of Filipino food vloggers inundating TikTok (some outstanding, some not quite) and making their mark. Now, that would be something to savor.
