Mga Kuwentong Pagkain, (MKP), an annual storytelling contest by the Mama Sita Foundation focused on Filipino food heritage garnered more than 350 entries worldwide on its December 31 deadline last year. The task of choosing the best stories in the essay, photo essay and video categories now falls on a distinguished panel of judges representing various academic and culinary disciplines.
Felice Prudente Sta. Maria is a renowned Filipino culinary historian, culture advocate, and author of numerous groundbreaking books on food literature such as “Pigafetta’s Philippine Picnic” which was published in 2021 and ‘What Kids Should Know About Filipino Food’ which released a Teresita ‘Mama Sita’ Reyes birth centennial edition in 2017.
Rosario O. Lapus, Ph.D. built a lifelong career focused on academic administration, teaching, research, and community service. She was president of Miriam College from 2010 to 2019, and previously Chairperson of the Consortium of Women’s Colleges in the Philippines. She regularly acted as a judge at the Palanca Literary Awards.
Michaela ‘Micky’ Fenix is one of the most respected food writers in the country. She is the president of the Food Writers Association of the Philippines and chair of the Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award. Her book, ‘Country Cooking: Philippine Regional Cuisines,’ won the National Book Award food category in 2014.
Ige Ramos is a multi-awarded book designer, food writer, visual artist, and ardent promoter of Philippine culinary heritage. He owns IRDS Books-Republic of Taste Food Network, a multidisciplinary platform for publishing, book design, research, comparative gastronomy, and public policy.
Nina Daza-Puyat is a celebrated home cook, author, and culinary advocate. Her commitment to making Philippine cuisine accessible and relevant, was made evident during her stint as Editor-in-Chief of Appetite, a food magazine, from 2011 to 2017. She has also authored several cookbooks including a revival of the classic “Let’s Cook with Nora” which was written by her late mother, culinary icon Nora Daza, and first published in 1965.
Paolo Ven B. Paculan is an educator, historian, writer, and Filipino language teacher. He is the author of “Florante at Laura: Kritikal at Interaktibong Edisyon ‘’, a second edition of which was published in 2017. He has served as facilitator and resource person for the Mga Kuwentong Pagkain international webinars.
Most submissions focus on cherished family recipes, hometown culinary traditions, regional food folklore, and locally grown crops and spices. MKP celebrates the uniqueness of Filipino food and the stories that continue to shape it. To make room for more creativity and style in sharing food stories, separate categories were set up for essay, photo and video formats, with each offering prizes up to P20,000 in cash.
