Canadian embassy’s best-kept secret is in the kitchen

CREATIVE DINNER Filipino classic dishes whipped up with Canadian ingredients. Above: Chef Joseph Gomez with Canadian Ambassador David Hartman.—Photos by Margaux Salcedo

The Canadian Embassy is keeping a secret that I will expose now: they have one of the country’s best chefs in their kitchen!

I had the privilege and pleasure of joining the dinner with women political leaders hosted by Canadian Ambassador David Hartman for the Honorable Rechie Valdez, member of Parliament of Canada as well as minister of small business. She was joined by Minister Marco Mendicino, who is chair of the Canada-Philippines Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group. On the Philippine side, the women leaders were Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman.

I was eager to simply participate in the exchange of ideas on how our two countries can strengthen collaborations to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). But to my surprise, the creations of the chef were as exciting as the personalities around the table!

This chef’s name is Joseph Gomez and he is amazing!

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman with Canadian Member of Parliament and Minister Rechie Valdez.

The minute that the amuse bouche was presented, I was blown away! Atop pebbles on the plate were three intricate creations that were Filipino-inspired: lumpia pani puri, mushroom adobo toast and kesong puti-malunggay macaron. The first was a very delicate sphere that gave you a burst of healthy goodness from the deconstructed lumpia upon biting; the second was a slender toast with a burst of umami from the mushrooms and teeny tiny bite of adobo; and the third was a brilliant savory macaron using our very own carabao cheese and moringa. It was incredibly impressive!

This was followed by a very Asian starter of tuna tataki, which was made unique by the use of avocado crema. But this was evidently just bwelo or preparation for the first main course: a unique interpretation of chicken inasal. This was not just chicken that was roasted over charcoal. The first piece was a roulade while the second piece was not only marinated chicken wings but also stuffed.

For the finale, they served beef wellington with Canadian beef. But the chef added a twist: he served it with a kaldereta demi-glace! Best of all, this was paired with Canadian wine: a 2019 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir.

All this was served while we talked about how the Canadian government is keen to support Filipino MSMEs—whether in Canada or in the Philippines.

Thank you, Minister Rechie, for all your support for our MSMEs! Cheers to more collaborations and partnerships between the Philippines and Canada!