Just how does one rescue heritage recipes from the waste bin of obscurity?

One of the best people to ask is Chef Jose Antonio Miguel Melchor, better known as Chef Jam.

He has been around doing low-key projects like putting up Yes Plate, a cloud kitchen cooking up healthy food during the pandemic, to becoming the chef of the US Ambassador’s residence.

Chef Jam is best known as the founder of the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement (PCHM) about ten years ago with fellow food historians and academics.

He calls it a mission-driven organization to champion and preserve our country's rich food culture, as many heirloom and heritage recipes faced extinction due to globalization. As the movement gained traction through activities that held weight, it expanded to include members from all over the F&B industry. The declaration of April as Filipino Food Month in 2019 was a major achievement of the movement.

Chef Jam Melchor with his book, Kayumanggi | Photo: Jeeves De Very

He's always wanted to write a book about Pampangueño cuisine. Not only did he lack the resources to execute but when he first thought of it, he admits that his understanding of Philippine cookery was rather shallow. The PCHM, along with his deep involvement with the youth sector of Slow Food Manila, that deepened his love and understanding of Philippine cuisine. That love allowed him to stealthily sneak in Filipino food in functions and missions during his stint with the US Embassy.

Throughout the years, he has accumulated a large number of recipes. Many of these cooked in kitchens all over the world as he travelled on missions and functions. Most notable among these is his participation at the 2017 La Tavole Acadamicche at the University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG) in Pollenzo, Italy where dishes  cooked from culinary heritage recipes were showcased alongside the food of culinary heavyweights like Massimo Bottura, Jamie Oliver, and Alice Waters.

Kayumanggi: A Kaleidoscope of Filipino Flavors and Food Traditions is a starting collection of those recipes. While Chef Jam did dabble in academic textbooks during the pandemic, Kayumanggi is his first book that will be available in general circulation.

Inside page of Kayumanggi | Photo: Jeeves De Veyra

Kayumanggi is a handsome and hefty book at roughly 2 inches thick, is spiral bound with rich weighty paper. The recipes within are organized by meat and, in some cases, menu category as in desserts. Each chapter and recipe has brief introductions about how it’s a piece in the Philippine culinary puzzle with some hand-drawn sketches of food. The English is straightforward, approachable, and the step-by-step instructions very easy to follow even for kitchen newbies. While there is a very brief initial chapter on techniques and terminology, it’s not going to teach the reader to cook. It’s not that kind of book. The appeal of Kayumanggi is the dizzying amount of recipes within.

Chef Jam signing copies at the book launch | Photo: Sheraton Manila

In her introduction of the book during the launch, prominent culinary historian Felice Prudente Sta. Maria described the culinary heritage of the Philippines as being as diverse as our islands:

“So native cuisine… combines prehistoric, pre-colonial, maritime Asian, Oceanian, Mesoamerican, Imperial Spanish, Southern Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Indian, Modern American as well as contemporary innovations.”

I felt that this was well represented in the curation of recipes. While the tried and true favorites, like sisig, kaldereta, adobo are there, there are some emerging entrées like the Mindanaoan pastil, and pianggang included. If someone were to try one recipe a day and document it, that cook would be busy for a long time. 

Kaldereta from S Kitchen at Sheraton Manila | Photo: Jeeves De Versa

From reading parts of the book, these are best treated as base recipes where reader can make their own twists as Chef Jam did on his. One can go as simple, or as elevated such as the beef caldereta, that the Sheraton S Kitchen team added a spicy kick to as one of the dishes served during the launch.  They’re even going to add Filipino dishes inspired by the Kayumanggi recipes to their buffet soon.

But wait, there’s more. This book is FREE!

Chef Jam shouldered the creatives and editorial cost of the book. But in a first, it was the Department of Trade and Industry that paid for the publication. And as public funds were used to produce the book, it couldn’t be sold for profit.

 At the book launch | Photo: Newport World Resorts 

A curious thing about Kayumanggi and its origins is the language of the book, Chef Jam mentioned that the book was meant to be a tool for culinary diplomacy. It wasn’t only meant to be used in Filipino Kitchens, but travel the world. 

As early as the launch, the strategy seems to be working already as outgoing US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson enthusiastically remarked that she was going to get her family to cook these recipes when she went back home.On

Chef Jam isn’t done with Kayumanggi yet. He aspires to have several books in this series, perhaps deep diving into regional cooking and more obscure recipes from his collection. He lists Kurakding – a mushroom dish from Bicol), Lunis – an Ivatan specialty from Batanes, Adobong Batangas, and Tausug tiyula itum as examples of recipes that will be included in future volumes. The recipes will also use heritage ingredients like artisanal salt and heirloom rice varieties.

Having these recipes bound and printed on paper really shows of the deep affection for Filipino Cuisine by Chef Jam and his collaborators. Kayumanggi is just one step of saving these heritage recipes – one bookshelf, one kitchen – at a time.

Kayumanggi: A Kaleidoscope of Filipino Flavors and Food Traditions will have an initial run of 2,000 copies and will officially launch during Filipino Food Month this year.