What Happened During the Davao Food and Wine Festival

By sarahdayrit
October 31, 2023

It’s the end of October and I wanted to share some food adventures I had this month.

I attended several events during the Davao Food and Wine Festival, went to a legacy buffet service, attended a media lunch, joined the first Christmas Tree lighting event of the year, had a meetup with our fellow content creators, and flew to and back from Metro Manila in less than a day.

Since this is the biggest event of all (the events I attended), let me focus on sharing what happened during the Davao Food and Wine Festival. The Davao Food and Wine Festival is a celebration of culinary traditions and culture in Davao Region. It was an eight-day festival with 12 events that promoted Davao’s identity in the culinary scene by focusing on the ingredients and produce available locally, cross-cultural exchange between chefs from Davao and other places, as well as sommeliers and beverage experts from around the country.

The event was a collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Cebu Pacific Air, Mindanao Butchers & Company Inc. together with hotels, restaurants, wine and beverage companies, artists, and Davaoenos who simply love food.

I had the honor of attending three events for this festival and the press conference before the crazy back-to-back dinners happened. These events were: Grand Tasting at Dusitd2 Davao; Gama: Food + Wine + Music + Art at Made Simple; and Sunset Supper: 8 Hands Experience at Discovery Samal.

Hors d’oeuvres: Press Conference at Park Inn by Radisson Davao

Together with the media circle and some influencers, Park Inn by Radisson Davao hosted a quick afternoon gathering that ‘teased’ our senses about the events that were about to unfold for the festival. Some guest chefs were already around for the gathering and served some tasting portions before the actual Grand Tasting event.

The event was very simple and short but the organizers and participating hotels and restaurants were in full force to entertain the guests.

Appetizer: Grand Tasting at Dusitd2 Davao

The Grand Tasting event at Dusitd2 Davao was not the first leg of the festival. It happened on Day 2 but it was the ‘bang’ that really made noise for the festival. I mean, can you imagine the effort made by the hotel’s marketing team to sell out 300 seats with only a few weeks for preparation? They surely left no stones unturned and rang every bell they could to spread the word about the festival’s stop at Dusit.

The Grand Tasting event happened at the hotel’s main restaurant, Madayaw Cafe but the experience during the event was a journey itself where you start the 9-course meal (10 to include the cheese bar) at the Lumpini Junior Ballroom before proceeding to the cafe.

Nine chefs and One Queen of Cheese presented diverse flavors of Davao and added their own flare to the dishes. Going around and meeting the culinary masters was truly the cherry on top of my experience during the night.

What were the dishes that stood out?

I did a quick ambush interview with my media friends to know what is their favorite dish during the event. Here are the stars of the night:

Obviously, the Crispy Sushi was the most favored by the group but when asked for their second favorite, it was a unanimous answer for Malagos Cheesebar.

It rained so hard before the event started but it did not prevent us from enjoying the night. As expected from the really bad weather, there were empty seats from the no-show of guests who paid for the event but despite this, they had heavy foot traffic throughout the evening. That being said, the food and wine from the event were sufficient allowing us for second and even third rounds of our favorite dishes. Yes, this is my attempt to find the silver lining from the heavy rain that night.

Sorbet: Gama at Made Simple

After all the sold-out venues for the festival, Made Simple’s Gama event was a sorbet-like stop for DFWF. Just like sorbet, it’s non-dairy, it’s healthy and it allows your stomach to prepare for the next dish–very much like Made Simple’s plant-based approach to cooking.

Gama is also very much like Made Simple, too! It means ‘to create or made’. Can there be a better word?

I have been a follower of this resto since it was showing in their owner’s IG stories. A few moons ago, we tried and enjoyed our lunch so upon learning that DFWF will be including Made Simple, it was an easy decision to book and buy the ticket right away.

In my head “How do vegans party”? Unlike the fine dining or buffet service in the bigger restos, Gama was an evening to slow down and appreciate art, music, and good company. The artworks became points for conversation as well as trying to catch the waiters to get more food that actually tasted nothing like plants (or ‘leafy’) as we misconceive it.

I had to leave earlier than most guests that night but I went home wanting to come back and dine again. I have said this to my friends before and I will say it again: you don’t need to eat raw leaf or just salad to love plant-based dishes and it takes good craftsmanship to transform a familiar dish to make it plant-based especially when it’s traditionally made of meat. You have to visit Made Simple if you want to be surprised by how much you can easily appreciate what they do.

Dessert: Sunset Supper at Discovery Samal

There are several things you need to know to understand why I was impressed by this leg of the festival–I had several vertigo attacks before this event, I am not a big dessert person, I prefer mountains over beaches and I don’t eat pork.

I was really worried that the boat ride would trigger my vertigo again so you can imagine how anxious I was that I might ruin my own night but I was more than excited to see how Discovery Samal’s Bistro would look like so despite the odds I know I am facing. DESPITE ALL, I went home overjoyed and impressed. The Davao Food and Wine Festival ended with elegance and sophistication thanks to the chefs and Discovery Samal.

Highlights of Sunset Supper

This leg had so much in it. We were welcomed by a refreshing sea breeze and a calm boat ride (no vertigo for me, yey!). The resort employees have always been the most gracious and hospitable hoteliers you’d encounter (yes, I have been to many resorts and hotels, and not all are the same). While I prefer mountains over beaches, Discovery Samal is an exemption. Each visit I had has always been impressive.

We got a sneak peek at their Bistro, the fourth F&B outlet of the resort opening before the year ends. Lastly, witnessing the chefs work seamlessly in the show kitchen added so much action that you anticipate each dish coming out of the pass.

The biggest highlight of the evening was the parade of the cake made by Chef Rhea Sycip which made everyone say “woooooow” when a long table filled with cakes was making its way around the room. Honestly, I am not a dessert person but THIS *insert chef’s kiss*! I did not realize that it was true what they said–there is a separate stomach for dessert. Maybe not being able to eat the first main course (because it has pork) gave me more appetite to eat the cakes and dessert for this event.

Of course, the cocktails, appetizers, soup, and main dishes were equally delicious. It was a proud moment to taste the Heirloom Tomato Soup because Davao can truly say that we are growing heirloom produce and it’s supporting a community. The Grilled Octopus was also done perfectly-not chewy and just enough for you to want more.

I was not able to try the Tomahawk Chops but again, it has its silver lining. The Grilled Beef Short Ribs by Chef Jeramie Go was enough to make me feel full and satiated.

Davao Food and Wine Festival Final Thoughts

It started big and ended big. This is a festival that needs to happen again with more restos participating and with more support from the local community. It was also a good opportunity to define Davao food which has been a long debate on what truly represents us.

Congratulations to everyone and see you again next year!

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