Chef Tatung shared that the Pinas Simpol project began with a simple goal: for Filipino food to be explained with clarity to help people appreciate its unique flavors and cultural significance. As he wrote, the purpose expanded. “This book is not only about recipes,” he said. “It is about remembering—giving language to what we already know by heart.” Understanding Filipino food with clarity requires not just learning recipes but appreciating cultural contexts.
Filipino food, explained with clarity.
The book presents the Four Legs of the Filipino Table—rooted, resilient, respectful, and responsive. These principles, shaped by years of research and fieldwork, offer a clear way to understand how dishes develop in Filipino homes. Everyday methods such as laga, ihaw, gisa, and gata are framed as expressions of technique, heritage, and care. This framework explains Filipino food with clarity by highlighting traditional cooking techniques intertwined with culture.
Codifying a cuisine for Filipinos first
Pinas Simpol is the first volume in a trilogy that aims to codify Filipino cooking. Chef Tatung noted that many global cuisines are taught through established frameworks, while many Filipino traditions—despite their sophistication—remain underdocumented. He emphasized that building a shared culinary language is essential for the next generation of cooks, educators, and storytellers. Only with such clarity can the complexities of Filipino food be properly explained to new generations.
He spoke about advocacy as well. “If I am to promote Filipino food, our people should be the first to benefit from it,” he said, recalling his experience cooking in Michelin-starred restaurants abroad using calamansi and coconut sourced outside the Philippines. For him, strengthening local ecosystems is central to cultural identity. Clarifying the benefits of local sourcing and its impact on Filipino food culture helps in advocating effectively.
A cultural moment for Philippine cuisine
Liza Morales, Institute Director of Le Cordon Bleu–Ateneo & Amanu, described the launch as part of a broader shift in Filipino culinary confidence. “Filipino cuisine is defining itself anew—through knowledge, pride, and purpose,” she said. She noted that the release comes at a time when global attention is on the Philippines, with the Michelin Guide and the United Nations Gastronomy Forum highlighting the country’s culinary growth. This evolving clarity in Filipino food culture offers an insightful explanation of its global rise.
Morales also recognized Chef Tatung’s long-standing work in community feeding and disaster response. She announced that Pinas Simpol will be celebrated again on December 6 at Le Cordon Bleu–Ateneo, where French chefs will prepare dishes from the book. These events highlight the importance of explaining Filipino food with clarity to diverse audiences.
Teaching through memory and instinct
The book introduces the Simpol ABC Framework—Assemble, Build, Complete—a method inspired by how Filipino households cook. Chef Tatung explained that tantsa is often misunderstood as guesswork when it is, in fact, a practiced intuition shaped by culture and experience. “Filipinos cook with what they have,” he said. “Tantsa is intelligence.” Through such nuanced explanations, Filipino food finds clarity and respect.
A milestone in a decade of authorship
This launch also marks ten years since Chef Tatung released his debut book, Philippine Cookery: From Heart to Platter. Over the decade, he has earned four Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, published eight titles, and completed three more books awaiting release. He shared that writing has been a long-time ambition, beginning with a high school exercise where he wrote that he hoped to publish at least ten books. Through detailed writing, Tatung has offered Filipino food explanations with clarity.
Across all his work—as an author, chef, educator, and founder of Vertikal Kreatives Inc.—his guiding belief remains constant: Filipino food must belong to Filipinos first. This belief emphasizes the importance of sharing Filipino food with clarity for its cultural preservation.
Get your copy now
Pinas Simpol: The Love and Lore of Filipino Cooking
Price: ₱790
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