Now that the dust has settled and the last of the dishes are washed, I finally have a moment to sit down, reflect, and write this! Last Monday, I hosted my “Taste of the Philippines” event, and to say it was a success would be a huge understatement. I am still floating on a bit of a high from how wonderfully everything turned out.
The journey actually started a while back when I decided to apply for a grant to bring this vision to life. Winning that grant made it real, but turning the idea into an actual event took a lot of moving parts.
Partnering with the Blackstone Public Library
I honestly couldn’t have asked for better partners than the Blackstone Public Library. Working with them was an absolute dream—the team there is beyond friendly and incredibly helpful. From getting the space booked to managing the sign-up list, they handled it seamlessly.
We capped registration at 20 slots, and I was so thrilled (and a little nervous!) to see that we filled up completely and even built a waitlist.
A Sawsawan Hit & Surprising Favorites
The event itself was amazing. What struck me most was that for almost everyone who attended, this was their very first time trying these dishes! To make sure everyone could recreate everything at home, I put together a printed recipe booklet to hand out so everyone could follow along and take the recipes with them.
A few fun highlights from the event:
- The Sawsawan (Sauces/Dips) Station: This was a massive hit! People loved the idea of experimenting with different dips and sauces—especially the ones they might walk past in the Asian grocery aisle without knowing how they taste or how to use them.
- Calamansi Juice: I honestly didn’t expect this to steal the show like it did, but people loved it!
- Pinakbet & Shrimp Paste: This one surprised me the most. Pinakbet includes bitter gourd (bitter melon), which can be an acquired taste, plus a base of shrimp paste. Most of the dish was completely wiped out right at the event before anyone even packed leftovers to take home! Several folks mentioned they couldn’t even taste the shrimp paste on its own—just that the dish tasted delicious.
- Puto Cake (Rice Cake with Salted Egg & Cheese): Combining sweet rice cake with savory salted egg and cheese definitely raised a few curious eyebrows, but plenty of adventurous attendees gave it a try!
- Recipe Book with Tips: Every single attendee took home a printed copy of a custom recipe book I put together so they could recreate the magic in their own kitchens!
Check out the Recipe book below
More than just sharing my culture through food, my favorite part was listening to all the food talk, seeing everyone thumb through their recipe booklets, and watching how genuinely open and curious everyone was. Understanding people’s real-time reactions made all the prep work 100% worth it.
What’s Next?
A huge Thank You to the Blackstone Cultural Council and the Friends of the Blackstone Public Library for funding and supporting this program—this event truly wouldn’t have happened without your support!
A few people have already asked if I’m doing this again next year. The short answer is: not next year, simply because I didn’t apply for a grant for the upcoming cycle. However, depending on how things go, I’ll definitely consider applying again for future grant rounds and if I get the right amount of funds I may consider this again!
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This program is supported in part by a grant from the Blackstone Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. This was also supported by the Friends of the Blackstone Public Library.