Last August 29, award-winning Filipino restaurant Toyo Eatery participated in the last chapter of the Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle Stay in Tour alongside 150 chefs in 25 cities worldwide. Founded in 2012 by Lyon-based Italian food writer Andrea Petrini, Gelinaz! organizes international gastronomic events with chefs from all over the world to swap kitchens for one night.
With travel restrictions still in place, this format took a different shape - prompting chefs to trade recipes instead of kitchens. Recipes were kept anonymous, and the chefs, designated as “curators” of the event, were given the freedom to reinterpret these dishes to suit their tastes and styles.
The theme for this last chapter of Gelinaz! was “Silent Voices,” with Toyo Eatery representing the Philippine delegation, curated by Jordy Navarra and JP Cruz. Toyo Eatery “remixed” recipes from a private, 16-seat dining club in Palo Alto, California, by Michael and Meichih Kim.
Their set menu, which was only available for take-out, included eight dishes prepared by Toyo Eatery and a team of special guests, including a wagyu galbi tartare by acclaimed restaurateur Margarita Fores; a pepper and birria onigiri by Bruce Ricketts of Mecha Uma, and; a bingsu dessert from Metiz’ Stephan Duhesme. Drinks were also prepared by The Curator’s David Ong and Jericson Co, as well as photographer Neal Oshima.
Other participating chefs of the Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle Stay in Tour included Albert Adria, Kim Atler, Geeta Bansal, Selassie Atadika, Pascal Barbot, Colombe Saint-Pierre, David Thompson, Paul Carmichael, Gabriela Camara, Wylie Dufresne, Marie-Victorine Manoa, Chiho Kanzawi, among others.
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Photos by Richard Sanz