Ten Filipino restaurants and eight industry heavyweights are sharing the spotlight in a US-backed campaign that blends culinary flair with a not-so-subtle reminder: food is diplomacy you can taste.
At the heart of the push is “American Restaurant Month,” a month-long showcase where ten local establishments roll out limited-time dishes across 32 locations from April 13 to May 13.
These Filipino restaurants—25 Seeds, Bizu Patisserie and Café, Café Fleur, Cyma, Dickey’s Barbeque Pit, Farmer’s Table, Mamou, One World Deli, Souv, and The Split—present menus read like a transpacific love letter, featuring US ingredients such as USDA beef, poultry, duck confit, and cheeses that are folded seamlessly into Filipino favorites and global comfort fare.
Running on a parallel track, the campaign tips its hat to eight organizations that keep the supply lines humming. These eight groups is comprised of Century Pacific Food Inc., Dane International Commodities Inc., Jetti Petroleum Inc., Meat Importers and Traders Association, Philippine Association of Feed Millers Inc., Philippine Association of Flour Millers Inc., Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc., and Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc.
Their citation goes beyond polite applause. It recognizes the machinery behind the meals, from supply chain resilience to food security and sustained demand for US agricultural exports.
Together, the twin pillars of restaurant promotion and industry recognition form the backbone of the broader “Galing USA” campaign led by the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, with retail muscle from The Marketplace and Metro Supermarket.
The numbers add weight to the narrative. The Philippines ranks as the 10th largest market for U.S. agricultural goods, importing an average of USD3.4 billion annually over the past five years. Not bad for a relationship that, much like the campaign itself, thrives on equal parts substance and seasoning.
