Filipino food tells the story of who we are, and there’s no better time to reflect on that than during Filipino Food Month. In this episode of Good and Green, Chit Juan sits down with cultural heritage worker and food historian Felice Prudente Sta. Maria to explore the roots of Filipino cuisine, from pre-colonial ingredients and food traditions to the ways colonial influences were transformed into something distinctly our own. Their conversation delves into what authenticity truly means in Filipino cuisine, why our culinary identity has long been shaped by adaptation, and how supporting local and artisanal food today can help preserve the richness of our food heritage for generations to come.

GUEST BIO:

Felice Prudente Sta. Maria has been a cultural heritage worker for over 50 years and is a pioneering food historian known for studying the Philippine colonial era through written historical records. Her latest books, When Mangoes and Olives Met at the Philippine Table (National Historical Commission of the Philippines, 2025) and What Recipes Don’t Tell (Ateneo Press, 2025), offer rich insights into the evolution of Filipino food and culinary identity.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• Felice’s journey into food history
• The roots of pre-colonial Filipino food
• The truth about “authentic” Filipino cuisine
• How Filipino food evolved through adaptation
• Simple ways to sustain Filipino food heritage

QUOTES:

• If you see the list of pre-colonial foods, there's quite a lot we are still eating. That is important. —Felice Sta. Maria
• The precolonial element of Filipino cuisine is still alive. —Felice Sta. Maria
• Present day food culture is what is contemporary, and that contemporary food is a combination. —Felice Sta. Maria
• Contemporary Filipino food is an extremely fine example of our innovation. —Felice Sta. Maria
• We're at a very critical point in our food heritage sustainability. —Felice Sta. Maria
• We must keep eating Filipino and support each other in our research and in our branding of what is the best of Filipino food. —Felice Sta. Maria

LINKS or RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Connect with Felice Sta. Maria

• Book: When Mangoes and Olives Met at the Philippine Table by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria - https://nhcp-bookstore.beesuite.ph/product/when-mangoes-olives-met-at-the-philippine-table/
• Book: What Recipes Don’t Tell by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria - https://unipress.ateneo.edu/product/what-recipes-don’t-tell-philippine-food-history-fifty-words
• Felice Sta. Maria on Instagram - https://instagram.com/felicepstamaria
• Felice Sta. Maria on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/felice.p.maria/

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

• Subscribe to the Good and Green Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
• Follow Chit Juan on Instagram and Facebook, and LinkedIn
• Subscribe to

Purchase Brew: Cafe, Coffee. Kape at Echostore.ph.

For more information about Brew: Cafe, Coffee, Kape, visit the Food Writers Association of the Philippine Facebook Group.

Sustainability becomes more powerful when it is passed down through generations. Chit Juan sits down with Badjie and Bea Trinidad, daughter and granddaughter of zero-waste pioneer Annie Guerrero, to talk about how one woman’s practical, disciplined way of living became a lasting family legacy. From the founding of CCA Manila to embedding green practices into culinary education and everyday life, this conversation explores how sustainability can be taught, lived, and shared across generations. It’s a moving reminder that when values are rooted in family, they can shape schools, communities, and the next generation of changemakers.

GUEST BIO:

Badjie Trinidad is a hospitality leader, educator, and CEO behind one of the Philippines’ pioneering homegrown food, hospitality, and education enterprises. For over 35 years, she has helped build the well-loved Cravings brand and, together with her mother, Susana “Annie” P. Guerrero, co-founded CCA Manila, the country’s first formal culinary school, as well as the Asian School for Hospitality Arts (ASHA). A Certified Public Accountant and entrepreneur, Badjie continues a strong legacy of purposeful food, sustainability, and people-centered hospitality, carrying forward the values that helped shape both the family business and culinary education in the Philippines. Joining her in this episode is Bea Trinidad, who represents the next generation of this family legacy and its commitment to good and green living.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• Annie Guerrero’s zero-waste legacy
• Sustainability as a system, not a trend
• How CCA Manila teaches zero-waste practices
• Passing on sustainable values across generations
• Annie’s zero-waste programs for schools and communities
• Simple ways families can start living good and green

QUOTES:

• Sustainability is a system. It's not a personality. —Bea Trinidad
• Her philosophy was: it has to be local, practical, and use common sense. —Badjie Trinidad
• My grandmother has always said that it's not a trend. It's really a way of life. —Bea Trinidad
• She operated our kitchen like a commissary, even if it was just for the house. —Badjie Trinidad
• It doesn't have to be perfect as long as you know you have that intention. —Badjie Trinidad

LINKS or RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Connect with Badjie and Bea Trinidad

• Center for Culinary Arts Manila (CCA Manila) - https://cca-manila.edu.ph/
• The Cravings Group - https://www.cravingsgroup.com
• Bea Trinidad on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/beatrinidad_/

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

• Subscribe to the Good and Green Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
• Follow Chit Juan on Instagram and Facebook, and LinkedIn
• Subscribe to EchoNews on LinkedIn.

Purchase Brew: Cafe, Coffee. Kape at Echostore.ph.

For more information about Brew: Cafe, Coffee, Kape, visit the Food Writers Association of the Philippine Facebook Group.

As part of our Women’s Month series highlighting impactful women in sustainability, Chit Juan sits down with Pastry Chef Gel Salonga-Datu of Ted’s Hospitality Group and the Slow Food Community Laguna. Chef Gel shares how reviving heirloom recipes, supporting local farmers and artisans, and organizing the Sa Pantalan Food and Heritage Festival helped build a thriving community around Laguna’s food culture. Her journey from finance professional to pastry chef and community organizer shows how collaboration, patience, and trust can strengthen local food systems and create new opportunities for producers while preserving culinary heritage.

GUEST BIO:

Chef Gel Salonga-Datu is a pastry chef and restaurateur from Santa Cruz, Laguna, and the founder of Ted’s Hospitality Group, which includes Ted’s Kitchen, Aurora Filipino Cuisine, Ted’s Bed and Breakfast, and Ted’s Warehouse Events Space. A former financial trader turned baker, she has earned recognition for desserts that celebrate local ingredients, including her Santa Cruz Bibingka Cheesecake, which won the People’s Choice Award at the Ultimate Taste Test Pro Edition. Several of her creations have also been named among the country’s best desserts by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Through her work and advocacy, Chef Gel promotes Laguna’s seasonal produce and culinary heritage, including through the food and heritage festival Sa Pantalan Biyaheng Pangkatagalugan and her involvement in Slow Food Community Laguna.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• From finance to pastry and returning home to Laguna
• Reviving heirloom dishes through Aurora Filipino Cuisine
• How the Sa Pantalan Food and Heritage Festival began
• Discovering and supporting Laguna’s artisans, farmers, and home cooks
• Using local and seasonal ingredients such as lipote and sampinit
• Building Slow Food Community Laguna through relationships and trust

QUOTES:

• I like being unique. —Gel Salonga-Datu
• They [the artisans] saw an opportunity for their products, that they can sell it at a higher value because of the festival. —Gel Salonga-Datu
• We are promoting our town as a food and gastronomy destination. —Gel Salonga-Datu
• We are like brothers and sisters. We treat each other as family. —Gel Salonga-Datu
• We try to know each other's products. We don't compete with each other. We promote each other's products. —Gel Salonga-Datu

LINKS or RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Connect with Gel Salonga-Datu

• Ted's Laguna on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tedslaguna/
• Gel Salonga-Datu on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/baker_gel_salonga/
• Slow Food Community Laguna - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573981354398
• Sa Pantalan Laguna Food and Heritage Festival - https://www.facebook.com/p/Sa-Pantalan-Laguna-Food-and-Heritage-Festival-61565711154294/

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

• Subscribe to the Good and Green Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
• Follow Chit Juan on Instagram and Facebook, and

Purchase Brew: Cafe, Coffee. Kape at Echostore.ph.

For more information about Brew: Cafe, Coffee, Kape, visit the Food Writers Association of the Philippine Facebook Group.