USDA initiates food heritage foundation

An exciting new project has been launched by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA.) The initiative is called the Philippine-American Food Heritage Foundation, and its mission is to further strengthen the ties that bind the Philippines and the United States through food.

The first major project is a demo kitchen being built at the Center for Culinary Arts, Manila. With April or May 2006 as the target date for completion, the USDA-funded facility will feature state-of-the-art kitchen and teaching facilities.

Filipino culinary experts trained in prestigious American schools will teach at the facility, and a core group of culinary professionals is being tapped to form the so-called Council of Chefs. With selection based on accomplishment, willingness to teach, and their individual high-level profiles, the Council of Chefs will conduct "training for trainors" courses to facilitate the dissemination of culinary education. In addition, the plan is to invite culinary professionals from overseas to conduct training sessions in their different fields of expertise.

The significance of the project lies in the fact that the project will bring down the costs of culinary education. With excellent training made available in the Philippines, students are given the option to avail themselves of world-class training without the obligatory expense requisite to an overseas education. The long-term goal is to make world- class culinary education available to residents of the different provinces. The dream is to continuously work to make the project grow so that the Philippines will become an important culinary education hub in the future. The project is the brainchild of Dennis Voboril, director of the Agricultural Trade Office.

The Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) of the United States Department of Agriculture, Embassy of the United States of America primarily engages in strategic market access programs and trade promotion activities for American consu-mer-oriented food products and ingredi-ents. It coordinates with a vast network of US food trade associations to promote and facilitate trade. In addition, the USDA has training programs for qualified persons in the food and agricultural industry, which aim to assist countries develop agricultural systems to meet their domestic food needs.

Why was the Philippine-American Food Heritage Foundation launched in the Philippines? The inspiration to create a foundation that dealt with food was brought about by ATO Director Dennis Voboril’s unique understanding of Philippine culture. As a Peace Corps volunteer to the Philippines in 1977, Voboril saw that food played a central role in socialization.

"In the Philippines, food and socialization go hand in hand. Eating is an important social event and you sit down with friends and family," he says.

Marrying a Filipina further accentuated the importance of food in local culture, and Voboril has learned to appreciate a wide range of Filipino cuisine.

As director of the Agricultural Trade Office of the USDA he says, "We are not here to impose our preferences or our cuisine. We are here to offer alternatives."

Instead of grilled chicken tail, inihaw turkey tail, anyone?