On a recent evening in Pasay, the wide halls of SMX Manila felt different. Instead of trade booths and bright signage, guests walked into a space filled with light, sound, and unexpected flavors. Cocktails came painted with street art, plates resembled gallery pieces, and conversations blended with the hum of digital displays. This was Culinaire 2025 SMX Manila: Canvas Reimagined—an evening where food, art, and technology met on equal ground.
More Than a Tasting at Culinaire 2025 SMX Manila
From the moment guests stepped in, it was clear this wasn’t a typical showcase. Check-in came through a digital system that doubled as a voting platform. Event information was available through AI chat terminals, and on stage, RJ Ledesma shared the spotlight with an AI co-host. For many, it was a surprise: a mix of spectacle and practicality that hinted at how events are evolving.
Food as Collaboration
The centerpiece was still the meal. Ten partner caterers each paired with a Filipino artist, creating three-course menus where heritage and imagination intertwined.
Some stood out sharply:
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Bizu Catering x Ycoy Sitchon brought color and elegance to the plate.
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Juan Carlo the Caterer x Katrina Cuenca celebrated Filipino pride with bold flavors and form. One of their dishes, a smoked seafood kinilaw dressed with bursts of calamansi and crowned with edible petals, drew gasps as servers set it down. The sharp citrus hit first, followed by the gentle heat of native chilies—bright, bracing, and unapologetically Filipino.
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Via Mare x Vanessa Bautista leaned into nostalgia, shaping dishes that tasted like memory.
The rest—from Conrad Manila’s play with illusion to Richgold Weddings’ take on sustainability—completed the canvas. Guests voted as they ate, while a panel of chefs and industry professionals judged for the formal awards. One diner, after tasting a dish that resembled a brushstroke on porcelain, was overheard whispering: “It feels like eating an exhibit.”
Beyond the Plate
The creativity spilled into the drinks. Event Shaker Mobile Bar collaborated with tattoo and street artists from Buscalan and Pasa Kalye to craft cocktails that looked as striking as they tasted. GQ Mobile Bar, working with Elwah Gonzales, Pancho Alvarez, and Carlo De Laza, paired bold flavors with visuals that drew guests closer before the first sip.
What It Means for Events
For Michael Albaña, Vice President and General Manager of SMX Convention Center, Culinaire 2025 showed what the future of gatherings could look like.
“Each plate, each space, each interaction is designed to engage the senses,” he said. “With new venues opening in Cabanatuan, Sta. Rosa, Sto. Tomas, Cebu, and Pasay, we’re creating more opportunities to host gatherings that matter.”
A Filipino Canvas
Culinaire 2025 was more than a showcase of food. It was a reminder that Filipino creativity thrives in collaboration—between chefs and artists, technology and tradition, guests and hosts. At its best, it showed how a convention hall could transform into something far more intimate: a space where pride, memory, and imagination could be shared one plate at a time.
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