World Class Chefs
-
Ramilo (Ram) Villaluna
Ram is a budding chef from Iloilo City (Molo). He gained his training in Culinary Arts at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies under food guru Gene Gonzalez, Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kumpps) in New York. He took up bread making, and he studied food styling under Delores Custer of the Culinary Institute of America. It all started in Antique where his father owned a restaurant many Antiquenos learned to love. He continued the culinary legacy of his father and now, Ram owns a catering business, Cindy\'s Catering. Food is Ram\'s life, seriously speaking. I am short in saying that he is married to the food industry that, he spends most of his time teaching and mentoring at the Department of Culinary Arts at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo. If one cannot find him in the classroom, Ram will be on the road crisscrossing Iloilo and Antique having first hand in the management of his thriving businesses from both provinces. He also has a once-a-week TV show in GMA 7 \"Food Trip\". I met with Ram once before and he exudes perfectionism, the character that will beam him up to the limelight of culinary arts. At present time, Ram is extremely busy in Manila. I believe he is one of the finalists in The National Food Showdown 2010 sponsored by ABS-CBN. We wish you all the luck, Ram! Maybe, after this showdown, Ram will have the opportunity share favorite recipe here at ILONGGO LIVING.
SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG
Seed Newsvine
Ginataang Kasag
My recent trip to the Philippines afforded me to savor favorite foods such as GINATAANG KASAG. It has been a while since I tasted kasag, a kind of crab. It differs from the alimango as the shell is covered with spots and more langky-looking and a very slight difference in flavor. When cooked by itself, with no other ingredients, one can surely differentiate the flavors between kasag and alimango. Nevertheless, today’s dish will surely fire up some salivary glands. Furthermore, with gata or coconut milk, every food tastes good!
This dish is so loaded with different vegetables that will make one salivate.
Fresh tambo or bamboo shoots are abundant in the Philippines. In contrast, here in North America, one is lucky if he/she can have them twice in a row in a span of 1 year! Otherwise, we contend ourselves using canned labong.
Saluyot or tugabang (jute) sold by the bundle. This is freshly uprooted from the farm.
Takway or taro root runners is an optional ingredient. It is slimy when cooked together with the saluyot. I tried to eat as much of this stuff as it is a rarity item in Canada.
thanks… your site is very helpful for us living outside the country… di ko lng makita ang kadios diri sa abu dhabi… KBL tni…
anyway, thank you very much… keep posting orig ilonggo dishes…