'Felt like I'm home': How the Filipino Food Movement Festival impacts Filipinos in Sydney

'Barbecue, isaw, biko, ice candy, palabok, puto bumbong, ensaymada and halo-halo' are just a few of the foods showcased and tried by those who came for the Paddy's night food market in Flemington Sydney.

Filipino Food Movement Festival 2023, Paddy's Night Market in Flemington Sydney. Source: SBS

Key Points

• The Filipino Food Movement Australia led the Filipino night food market recently held at Flemington in Inner West Sydney.
• Christmas is the focus of this year's Filipino Food Movement Festival 2023.
• The Movement aims to support business owners to introduce and promote Filipino food in Australia.

Individuals and families who came to the Filipino Food Movement Festival (FiloFoMo Fest) were all set to taste the featured food, all excited to experience what it's like to celebrate in the Philippines.

Pinoy street foods, barbecue, isaw atbp. Source:SBS

The event is not your ordinary celebration and feat of Filipino food rather it hopes to highlight how Filipinos celebrate Christmas in Australia.

Founder-President Filipino Food Movement Australia Anna Manlulo and FILOFOMO team. Source: SBS

"We are here to celebrate Filipino food and it is approachable and delicious, at maraming variety hindi lang lechon hindi lang barbecue , may biko may palabok. May mga menu na hindi nila ginagawa sa kanilang restorant," Manlulo says.

The group's goal is to showcase Filipino talent and food to new and younger generations.

Ube desserts of Mrs. Ube. Source: SBS

Christmas staples like 'pancit palabot' and sweet delicacies like 'Puto Bumbong' were must-tries at the event.

Special puto bumbong, barbecue and palabok by FiloStation.Source : SBS

Various Filipino desserts were present too like those made from ube.

Filipino ube dessert. Source SBS

Hanna Lou's Lou Confections was a head-turner too with their ice candy and variety of Filipino desserts.

According to Dumaguete-born Hanna, at first, baking was just a hobby in particular when she stopped working to tend to her child until she thought of trying a business out of it.

Baker Hanna Lou and husband of Lou Confections sweets and desserts, showcases ice candy during FILOFOMO festival in Flemingtong night market. Source: SBS

Family-owned Biko ni Lolo had a long line of people wanting to try their sweet delicacies, their special biko, a type of sticky rice cake made of coconut milk, brown sugar, and sticky rice.

Donna Baron shares that their biko inspired by cooking biko from Pangasinan where her father's family came from.

Donna and son Seth Baron showcase their homemade biko with latik of Biko ni Lolo. Source: SBS

"When we first arrived here [in Sydney] we were craving for our favourite biko. When my parents visited us we tried to make and innovate our version of biko. We have been delivering our products to Asian shops across Sydney for years to make them available for our non-Filipino customers.

Other ethnic backgrounds embrace the taste of Filipino desserts. Source: SBS

Other event-goers like Australian, Lauren, have enjoyed the taste of Filipino food.

'I love Filipino sweets, for a long time I have had Filipino friends who introduced sweet spaghetti from then on I learned to love all Filipino food and sweets."

Diana, Naz and daughter Valerie Chan enjoyed the food and are proud to be Filipinos. Source: SBS

Event first-time goers, Diana and Naz Chan from Lane Cove, northern Sydney, took their 7-year-old daughter, Valerie with them.

For the couple, it's a special point in their lives and their daughter as she has experienced a glimpse of the Filipino culture in Sydney.

Mrs. Supermodel Worldwide 2023, Kristine Tootsie Aseron Santos, applauded the Filipino Food Movement Australia for making the event possible, as it brought her back home through food and helped ease homesickness.

Beauty queen Mrs Supermodel Worldwide 2023 Australia Kristine Tootsie Aseron Santos commends the event, saying "I felt like I am home in the Philippines".

"I just hope more events like this become more frequent, they help lessen homesickness, especially during the Christmas time."

Filipinos enjoying the food during the FILOFOMO festival in Flemington, Sydney. Source: SBS

The festival aspires to be an avenue for people to meet and families and friends to bond.

Arvin Manuel of OZManila and DownUnder rappers showcase their talents. Source: SBS

The FiloFoMo Fest also featured local Filipino artists like a group of rappers.

The Filipino Food Movement Australia also encourages new food business enthusiasts to participate in such opportunities to further introduce and promote Filipino food in Australia and hopes that such celebrations become more frequent.