“Eat and explore.”
This has always been the life mantra of famous food bloggers Mark and Bianca, also known as Mr. and Mrs. Eats of the renowned food and travel blog, Eatsplorations. “If you want good food, you have to look for it,” said Mark as he expressed how important it is to travel for food in order to epitomise creativity and versatility in everything they create.
Eatsplorations, formerly known as EATS Jakarta, has been running for almost four years. In their first few blog posts, they revealed its humble beginnings of not really knowing how to write or take proper photos. However, they made sure they had two things in common: spirit, and a love for food. Eatsplorations has come a long way from being a diary with documentations of Mark and Bianca’s dates to a blog that sparks inspiration for all the foodies out there.
This year, Unilever Food Solutions celebrates creative and expertly-made Filipino culinary classics through its newest certification program, Certified Funlasang Pinoy. Eatsplorations is invited to be one of the judges of this year’s program.
I think it is a good venue for Filipino chefs and restaurant owners to really showcase Filipino food based on their own interpretations or what they are natively.
- Mark Tan, Eatsplorations
“It’s not just an honor, but also a responsibility,” he asserted. He believes that this certification program will legitimise the recipes that restaurant owners have come up with. It’s a way for everyone to be more aware of classic Filipino favourites from all over the country.
As a foodie influencer, Mark attests to the idea that the dishes should be Instagram-worthy. “It’s important for the dishes to be fun and presentable. If it’s a classic, it should stay classic. However, if it’s an innovation, it has to give justice to the classic.”
Respecting your customers and your craft
Loving what you do and doing what you love are the philosophies that drive them to create content. Forget about the freebies and the earnings, Mark believes showing respect to your craft and being able to help out the general public are what matter most. “When we started, one of the things we thought about was how to help smaller establishments like the home cooks,” he continued.
He wishes for every home cook, restaurant owner and culinary master from all over the country to join this year’s Certified Funlasang Pinoy. Being able to showcase dishes from different tribes of the Philippines would be a great way to celebrate not just the passion that Filipinos have for cooking, but also innovative Filipino dishes that everyone can enjoy.
