Benguet’s Mt. Camisong puts sustainability on the plate

ITOGON, BENGUET—Yesterday’s rice became chocolate mousse, fruit and vegetable peels were transformed into edible leather, and rice crusts became rice crispies at a dining experience that put sustainability on the menu.

At Mt. Camisong Forest Park and Events, these culinary creations reflect an effort to minimize kitchen waste and make the most of available resources through circular economy practices.

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The dishes were featured during the Nov. 7 Gastro Art and Creative Crawl, part of the 9th Ibagiw Creative Festival. The luncheon brought together the culinary creations of Mt. Camisong executive chef Stanley Suva and the artworks of visual artist Amparo Moldero-Magallanes, showing how gastronomy and visual art can converge through a shared appreciation for creativity and sustainability.

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The menu followed the park’s circular economy advocacy, which seeks to repurpose food materials and kitchen discards instead of sending them straight to waste.

Beginning with “kinilaw” dressed with coconut milk, the meal was followed by chicken barbecue with smoked pineapple salsa and strawberry “kansi.” The main course also featured crispy rice made from “tutong,” or the crust left at the bottom of a rice pot.

Sweet twist

While traditional kansi draws its distinct sourness from “batuan” fruit, the strawberry version offers a sweet twist, taking its flavor from the natural sweetness of strawberries.

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The meal also included Bukang Liwayway, a drink made from grapefruit leather, and chocolate mousse prepared using leftover rice.

An unexpected discovery also emerged from the collaboration between Suva and Moldero-Magallanes. During their initial meeting, the artist presented the chef with prints of her works and an original piece, while Suva shared a photograph of his kinilaw. What began as an exchange of their respective creations would lead to an unexpected intersection of art and cuisine.

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The dish bore a striking resemblance to Moldero-Magallanes’ artwork, “Dreamscape at Sea.” Neither had set out to reproduce the other’s work, but the visual connection helped seal their collaboration.

Advocacy

For Suva, the partnership affirmed his belief that chefs, like visual artists, are artists in their own right. He said he was also drawn to Moldero-Magallanes’ use of sustainable materials, which resonated with the park’s environmental advocacy.

The kitchen’s resource-recovery practices extend beyond the dishes served to guests. Fruit and vegetable peels are processed into edible leather used for drinks, plating designs and toppings. Leftover rice is repurposed for desserts, while rice crusts become crispy garnishes.

Other kitchen discards are diverted to the park’s waste management system. Organic waste is fed to an African night crawler, identified by the park as “Eugene,” while cooked food waste goes to black soldier fly larvae, called “Hermie.”

For Ludette Querubin, chairperson of Mt. Camisong Property Management Inc., which operates the park, sustainability goes beyond environmental management.

She said the establishment seeks to integrate environmental practices with arts, food and community participation.

“We are not saying we are already doing everything right, we are still learning,” she told the Inquirer in an interview.

Querubin acknowledged that the park was still learning and improving its practices, describing sustainability as an ongoing process rather than an accomplishment already perfected.

The park’s approach, she said, is to demonstrate that circular economy practices can be integrated into an establishment’s operations while working closely with the surrounding community.

After the luncheon, guests were invited to a guided sustainability tour of the property to learn more about its waste management practices and other initiatives.

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At Mt. Camisong, the creative process does not end with a finished painting or a served meal. Even what remains after cooking and dining is expected to have another purpose. INQ