We Live in Two Worlds Now
One moves at the speed of light. The other, at the pace of life.
One is fast, reactive, always updating. The other requires waiting, tending, trusting.
This issue is a tribute to the world that takes time.
We begin in the farm fields, where chefs and farmers are planting a new future together.
Long before dishes hit the table or hashtags trend, there’s the slow work of building trust. In Benguet and Bukidnon, under sun and rain, in quiet conversations and shared hopes, a food system is being rewired. Not through shortcuts—but through solidarity.
That same patient energy fuels the story of Joel Pascual. WOFEX didn’t start in a ballroom—it began in a freezer, where Joel quietly built the logistics backbone of what would become the country’s biggest food and hospitality trade show.
This year, WOFEX turns 25. A quarter century of showing up, scaling up, and proving that legacy isn’t launched—it’s built.
Then there’s Chef Ivory Yat Vaksman—a woman who said yes to every challenge, even when she wasn’t ready. Who built a business out of borrowed permits, family favors, and sheer grit.
Her catering journey isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. She shows up with food that heals and feeds—because for her, comfort isn’t a trend. It’s a mission.
Together, these stories remind us: the most meaningful work in food doesn’t begin in spotlights. It begins in silence—in a freezer, a field, or a family kitchen. It grows not from hype but from habit. From showing up, day after day.
