Siargao’s first food and wine festival puts the spotlight on local flavors
GENERAL LUNA, Surigao del Norte (MindaNews / 16 Aug) — Known globally as a surfing paradise, Siargao is now making waves on the plate as it staged its first-ever food and wine festival, putting the spotlight on local flavors, farmers, and food heritage across the island.
Dubbed the Siargao Food and Wine Festival, the week-long event brings together chefs, carinderia cooks, farmers, foragers, and creatives from Siargao’s nine municipalities.
Launched on August 14 in General Luna town, organizers said the festival aims not only to celebrate the island’s evolving culinary identity but also to open conversations on sustainability, tourism, and community livelihoods. The festival will run until August 20.
Lead organizer Andrew Malarky, a Filipino-Canadian chef who has lived in Siargao for six years and heads the kitchen at Wild Siargao, said the festival is an opportunity to showcase the island’s talent beyond surfing.
“More than just a surf destination, we are also a food destination. That comes through all facets of our food scene, from the carinderias to the cafés, to the restaurants, and even fine dining,” Malarky told MindaNews.
Malarky noted that the event is about inclusivity, emphasizing that the festival is designed to highlight not just high-end cuisine but also everyday local food.
“My advocacy is to not make it something very elite. Food is for everybody, and I want everyone to be part of it, including our local eateries,” he added.
The festival lineup includes a coffee crawl, encouraging visitors to explore the island’s growing café culture, and “Suroy-Suroy sa Karinderya,” a tour of small eateries serving homegrown meals.
Among the featured stops is Kurvada, a carinderia known for its vegetarian and pescetarian-friendly twists on comfort food, and Pan de Siargao, makers of the island’s beloved pan de coco and the iconic “pan de surf” for its surfboard shape.
Co-owner Jennelyn Gonzaga said Pan de Siargao has been in her husband’s family long before Siargao became a tourism hotspot. Today, the business provides stable livelihoods for bakers and helpers.
“We bake every day, and the earnings help send our children to college,” Gonzaga told MindaNews.
Gonzaga said that they hire helpers and that mastering their bread’s signature taste requires at least a year of training.
Aside from food showcases, the festival also features workshops and dialogues to engage farmers, fisherfolk, and entrepreneurs on how to build a more sustainable food system.
“For our first event, we wanted to highlight the socioeconomic impact of tourism in Siargao. And that, in particular, through the supply chain, where we want to open the dialogue for fishermen, for agriculture, and find out how can we support and be a more sustainable island for ourselves and for future generations,” Malarky said.
Malarky, who has organized food festivals in Cebu and Davao, said Siargao’s version is deeply rooted in the community.
“It’s not just we do it for commercial factor or for business. We want to help promote community and promote growth,” he said.
According to organizers, most activities are free, but special dining experiences will be available for a fee at select venues.
To join the crawls, participants may purchase a Crawl Passport for ₱500 at Sayak Airport in Del Carmen town or any participating establishment. The passport covers both the Karinderya Crawl and the Coffee Crawl.
Diners can visit participating eateries, order their signature dishes, and collect stamps after each meal. Once the passport is filled, participants can claim special goodies. (Ivy Marie Mangadlao / MindaNews)
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