Laguna's Pantalan Food Festival Is Truly Worth The Wait

Most people know Laguna for Laguna de Bay, buko pie from Los Baños, wood carvings of Paete, and Pagsanjan Falls. But three chefs from one family in the provincial capital of Sta. Cruz are making a strong case for the rest of the province.

Siblings and fellow chefs Gel Salonga-Datu and Theodore Day Salonga own and run Ted’s Kitchen, Ted’s B&B, Ted’s Events Warehouse, and Aurora Filipino Cuisine all located at their old family farm and rice mill in Sta. Cruz. Together, they founded ‘Sa Pantalan: Biyaheng Pangkatagalugan’ Food & Heritage Festival in 2017. This writer had the privilege of attending that inaugural event and I remember being amazed at the artistry each town had to offer despite living in Laguna for a total of eight years.

“While town festivals [in Laguna] also promote local products, I saw that there was still an opportunity to create a much more targeted and focused event for even the smallest business, food producer ,and skilled craftspeople,” shared baker and entrepreneur Gel Salonga-Datu, the founder of ‘Sa Pantalan’. 

She added, “In those big events, either there is a rental fee for the space or products can get lost and overwhelmed by the sheer number of sellers. We thought that if we do it for free, and ask help from media friends, we can better and more efficiently put the spotlight on these people and their products.”

Aside from bridging the gap between local manufacturers and businesses, Chef Gel also saw the need to help farmers in promoting their own produce.

“I also think farmers are underrepresented in other festivals. That’s why we also try to invite farmers and let them mingle and have dialogues with people who give their time to really help the agricultural sector,” she explained, pointing out key people like Ms. Chit Juan of the Slow Food Movement, the Philippine Coffee Board, and EchoStore; and Joel Pascual of PEPTarsus Corporation, one of the leading events company in the Philippines, who played a significant role in helping farmers from Benguet. 

“Our focus is connecting our exhibitors to possible clients whom they can have bigger and steadier business with. That’s why we also try to invite friends that are active or are involved with export, trading, or who can connect them to others,” Chef Gel explained. 

Like many things during the pandemic, ‘Sa Pantalan’ was put on hold for years. But this year, this festival of homegrown goodness came back with a vengeance. And this time, Chef Dino Datu (of COOK Magazine and Sunday Lunch Club), Chef Gel’s husband, joined the team.

In celebration of the festival’s return, the organizers put together a feast filled with Laguna's heritage dishes and locally grown ingredients. The feast was organized by Chef Day and brilliantly executed with the help of Chef Gem Tee of Salta!, a popular Italian restaurant in UP Village. We enjoyed unique delicacies like Minanok (banana fritters topped with ‘minanok’ or shredded banana hearts with dried dilis, a signature dish from Aurora Filipino Cuisine), Kulawo Rosti (a traditional Laguna dish made with eggplant), Kalabasa Longganisa Croquetas (using their home-made garlic longganisa), Binatog-stuffed Cochinillo (which was absolutely genius), Sinugnong Tilapia (grilled Cavinti Tilapia stewed in coconut milk), and Canton Bulaklak (pancit canton with locally grown edible flowers). The desserts are equally amazing, especially the Cassava Bibingka and Santa Cruz Bibingka Cheesecake. 

The trio brought the best of the Laguna under one roof for a day — even the Laguna Provincial Jail Livelihood Program had a booth, as well as demonstrations of local artistry like wood carving, ice carving, fruit carving, and embroidery. With such a jam-packed event, there was a consensus among attendees and digital spectators hoping that the next ‘Sa Pantalan’ Festival will last all weekend long.

Here are some of our favorites from this year’s diverse list of exhibitors.

For more information about Ted’s, visit Ted's Bed & Breakfast.