The country’s leading culinary education institution, the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA Manila), held the inaugural Tikim Weekend Food Market last Oct. 3-4 at the Brittany Hotel in BGC. The event celebrated Filipino culinary innovation while serving as a launchpad for aspiring food entrepreneurs and future chefs.
More than just a food fair, Tikim became a dynamic learning and business platform, where culinary passion met real-world opportunity through live discussions, mentorship from industry pioneers, and marketplace exposure for promising food brands. For CCA Manila, this festival reinforced its 28-year mission to train world-class Filipino culinary talent through academics, experience, and entrepreneurship.
The two-day festival featured Tikim Business Workshops where participants learned from seasoned entrepreneurs and culinary leaders who have built successful ventures from scratch. Speakers include Cyrill Chan of Panero, who talked about scaling a bakery business; Chef Menoy Gimenez, who explained menu engineering and profitability; and Princess San Diego of What’s Your Flan?, who discussed how passion-led concepts can evolve into multi-franchise businesses. CCA alumna Chef Danica Lucero of Say Halo! also inspired the audience, as she made waves when she impressed Chef Gordon Ramsay with her innovative rendition of the halo-halo during his visit to the Philippines.
Aaron Limpe-Aw of Destileria Limtuaco shared how Filipino heritage flavors can succeed globally, while Chit Juan of ECHOStore highlighted sustainability and branding through local sourcing. Rounding off the program were practical sessions on financial management, operations technology, and food safety.
“These workshops reflect CCA Manila’s long-established approach to culinary education that goes beyond recipe execution. Tikim became a learning space as much as it is a celebration,” said Dr. Veritas F. Luna, chancellor of CCA Manila.
“By bringing together entrepreneurs, chefs, alumni, and foodies, we hope to highlight the hard work and creativity that go into building food businesses. This event reflects CCA’s vision of nurturing Filipino talent and shaping leaders in the culinary industry.”
On Day 2, the program shifted to the Tikim Live Kitchen. Guests witnessed culinary artistry in action through interactive demos by celebrated chefs and CCA Manila alumni, presenting food as both craft and storytelling.
Heritage dishes by Chef Reggie Aspiras and Chef Martin del Prado placed a spotlight on Filipino culinary roots, while global-meets-local innovation was showcased by Chef Sharwin Tee. Chef Anne Atanacio wowed the audience with her dessert innovation, inspiring creativity in modern pastry.
Running throughout both days was the Tikim Food Market, which featured over 30 curated food brands from alumni, emerging entrepreneurs, and established culinary names.
With campuses in BGC and UP Diliman, and accreditation from the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF), CCA Manila has long been recognized as the training ground for award-winning chefs and founders of globally recognized food businesses.
“Tikim is a direct extension of this mission — a living classroom where students gain exposure to entrepreneurship, innovation, branding, operations, and trend dynamics, beyond traditional kitchen practice. Many alumni leading Tikim sessions, from global restaurateurs to micro-enterprise founders, began as CCA Manila students who transformed culinary passion into profession,” said Dr. Luna.
Tikim Weekend Food Market was made possible with the support of Brittany Hotel BGC, BPI, SB Finance, Metrobank, SCPA (Cheers), PrepSafe, Sysu (Clara Olé), Aguila (Golden A), Sine Haraya, San Miguel Brewery, Urban Farmers, Sinaya Seafood, and Avolution, Inc.
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