Chef Jam Melchor will the be first Filipino chef invited to present and cook the local
cuisine and gastronomy this third week of October, 2017. He was invited when he met
the organizers at Terra Madre 2016, and expressed their desire to feature Filipino
cuisine and to learn more about it.

This October, Le Tavole Accademiche (Academic Tables) of the Università degli Studi
di Scienze Gastronomiche (UNISG) in Pollenzo, Italy opens its kitchen to the culinary
expertise of Chef Jam Melchor, as he prepares to serve savory Filipino dishes that will
open up their palates to our local flavors and feed their knowledge about Filipino food
culture.

UNISG, founded in 2004 by Slow Food International in cooperation with the Italian
regions of Piedomont and Emilia-Romagna, has focused on the study of gastronomy.
Le Tavole Accademiche embraces this focus through food that combines education,
haut cuisine and local produce.

Every year, 25 international top chefs are invited to prepare creative recipes that reflect
the school’s principles of good, clean and fair food using local, seasonal ingredients. For
the first time, a Filipino chef will present the local cuisine and gastronomy as Chef Jam
Melchor visits UNISG this third week of October, 2017.

“I want this trip to be a platform for Filipino food to be recognized, especially in that
university where they value gastronomy,” Chef Jam shares. “My goal is to inspire more
Filipinos, the youth especially, to discover more about our cuisine like where it comes
from and what is it all about.”

During his visit, Chef Jam will be serving classic and regional dishes that will hopefully
fire up more conversations about Filipino food as UNISG students and alumni feast on
Filipino fare. Although he hails from Pampanga, his menu will feature different provinces through his Sinigang na Bayabas, Adobong Batangan, Binulo na Tinawon and Sinuglao.

While the Sinigang na Bayabas, soured with the local guava, highlights his
Kapampangan roots and is a personal favorite, Chef Jam acknowledges that sinigang,
just like a number of Filipino dishes, has different interpretations. He travels to
Batangas for his Adobong Batangan, pork belly braised in vinegar, garlic, and annatto.
“Batangan is the old name for Batangas, where the dish originated.”

Binulo na Tinawon pays homage to the traditional way Filipinos cook rice using
bamboo. This version will highlight the heirloom rice tinawon, grown in the Banaue Rice
Terraces.“I want people to know more about our interesting food culture, its diversity
and abundance,” Chef Jam adds.

Chef Jam crafts his menu around local ingredients such as pili from Albay, adlai from
Bukidnon and mango from Guimaras and Zambales. In fact, pili will be an integral
component of his dessert plates, that features Mango Pili Sansrival and Pili-Crusted
Turon.

He will also be bringing several Filipino Ark of Taste ingredients, which he will have the
chance to present to UNISG and use in his menu. UNISG hones the minds of future gastronomists about the global food culture through academic discussions and practical experiences that allow them to discover and taste more of what lies beyond their shores. Through the endeavors of chefs like Jam Melchor, we can be assured that conversations and dialogues about Filipino food and Philippine ingredients will continue with the next generation of gastronomes.

For parties interested to support this endeavor, you may get in touch with Chef Jam
through his email at chefjamme@gmail.com or mobile 09178309516

Stay hungry,

thehungrychef

Nathaniel Uy