From left, Chef Rhea SyCip, Sen. Loren Legarda, Chef Noah Go, Chef Jeramie Go of Davao Pilgrim, Chef Jayjay SyCip
In a career spanning 25 years in the Senate, Sen. Loren Legarda has stood out for pushing the agenda of culture, the arts and Philippine heritage—areas apparently overlooked, if not ignored, by legislators focused on vote-rich issues and bailiwicks. She has very publicly advocated causes that others might have overlooked, “but that are deeply meaningful and resonate with me,” she said. “I have enacted laws on ecological waste management as well as environmental conservation and protection, making climate change, once an esoteric issue, a key legislative focus. My dedication to preserving our traditions and heritage has always been a personal mission.”
Recently, Legarda emphasized the importance of bolstering the local farming industry by purchasing raw ingredients directly from farmers. She spoke at the Harvest Dinner at Fatted Calf in Tagaytay City on July 13, during the Tagaytay Food and Wine Festival held in the premier tourist destination.
Legarda supports this initiative in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT), Tagaytay Tourism Council, and the City Government of Tagaytay. The goal is to promote local food tourism and provide a platform for emerging businesses in the food industry.
“Let us support our local farmers and micro, small, and medium enterprises by directly sourcing the ingredients for our sumptuous meals directly from them,” she said.
“Patronizing their products ensures that much of the food we consume is produced through sustainable, ethical, and environmentally friendly practices, which others should also adopt.
“I’ve been pushing for the preservation of culinary heritage because I believe that we can draw hope from the wisdom passed down by our ancestors, the resilience of indigenous food systems, and the innovativeness of our people.”
Why culinary heritage? “Food, for me, is not just mere sustenance; it is a reflection of our history, our diversity, and our shared experiences. Climate change has threatened our agricultural landscape, endangering the foundation of our food system and the livelihoods of millions of our farmers and fisherfolk.”
One of the restaurants Legarda has actively supported is The Fatted Calf, located in the ancestral lot of the senator’s grandmother, Carmen Gella Bautista. (Fatted Calf is in Nasugbu Highway, Tagaytay City.)
German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoshke (third from right) and Madame Marina Pfaffernoshke (in white, center) join Sen. Loren Legarda join the chefs behind the Harvest Dinner; from left, Noah Go, Jeramie Go, Rhea SyCip, Jayjay SyCip
Sen. Loren Legarda with Daniel Maches, rainforest coffee farmer from the Mountain Province
The couple chefs Jayjay and Rhea Sycip decided to relocate from Cavite to Tagaytay, and somehow touched base with the senator. Senator Legarda not only appreciated the couple’s cuisine but also invited them to open a restaurant in her grandmother’s vacant ancestral lot. “I said I’d build for them, and even design the place for them. I loved doing that myself, down to the nitty-gritty of construction. And I loved fitting out a place using recyclable furnishings,” Senator Legarda told TheDiarist.ph before the dinner event.
Chef Jayjay SyCip thanks dinner guests.
Chefs Jayjay and Rhea Sycip were only too grateful to accept the senator’s offer. Fatted Calf was built in Tagaytay.
Chef Jerramie Go prepares Harvest Dinner dishes.
Among the dishes are Hummus, Sampinit (wild raspberries, praline, burnt butter cake)
For the Harvest Dinner, the couple were joined by Chef Jeramie Go of Pilgrim Davao, a Filipino-born chef based abroad who decided to resettle in Davao.
“I was inspired by their commitment to using ingredients sourced from small farmers and MSMEs, ensuring that each meal supports local communities and promotes the slow food movement,” explained Legarda.
“The restaurant is surrounded by nature and embodies sustainability and resilience with its own rainwater collector, materials recovery facility, and the main restaurant built through adaptive reuse.”
Legarda has always emphasized the importance of transitioning to organic agriculture and adopting the principles of slow food. The four-term senator also cited the need to remain environmentally responsible in food production.
Legarda is the author of the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 and co-author of a law amending it.
Harvest Dinner team with its patron, Sen. Loren Legarda, at the end of dinner
Sen. Loren Legarda with former classmates and longtime friends from Assumption: from left, Rosanne Pena, Ruby Bustamante, Ria Villavicencio, Viqui Fernandez, Issa Armovit
Nino Zulueta of Raffi’s Way, Ria Villavicencio, Sen. Loren Legarda and Pepper Teehankee
Senator Legarda at the table of German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke and wife Marina, clockwise from left bottom, Babette Aquino-Benoit, Ria Villavicencio, Thelma San Juan, Pearl de Guzman and former Cabinet secretary for Climate Change Manny de Guzman
