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Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement founder chef Jam Melchor releases the 'Kayumanggi' cookbook featuring 150 regional dishes, including his famous Chicken Galantina (top right) and Lumpiang Sariwa (bottom right), which were sampled during the book's launch in February 2025 at the Sheraton Hotel in Pasay City.
Philstar.com / Kathleen A. Llemit, Photo release
MANILA, Philippines — There is an “astounding” number of heirloom recipes in Central Luzon alone, and it has become a driving force for chef Jose Antonio Miguel “Jam” Melchor to get to know these recipes and put them into a cookbook for more Filipinos to be acquianted with.
Melchor, the founder of the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement, launched a 150-recipe cookbook titled “Kayumanggi: A Kaleidoscope of Filipino Flavors and Food Traditions,” which is out now in celebration of the Filipino Food Month, observed every April.
The February launch was held in Sheraton Manila in Newport World Resorts in Pasay City, where guests were able to sample some of the dishes featured in the book, such as Chef Jam’s Chicken Galantina, Misua Patola, Lumpiang Sariwa, and Kalderatang Baka.
As a proud Kapampangan, Chef Jam made it his mission to get to know Filipino food, and it came into fruition when his group did a cultural mapping during the pandemic.
They initially started sifting through the food of Region III or Central Luzon, composed of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, and the two urbanized cities of his native Pampanga, Angeles and Olongapo.
“For Central Luzon alone, the number of heirloom recipes that we have is like astounding. So, I think there's more to learn, there's more to this discover. It's just the start,” said the chef, adding that there have been culinary figures who have embarked on the same mission that he is just continuing.
Melchor's culinary exploits include putting up his own dining establishments, such as Villa Cafe in 2011, which serves heirloom Kapampangan recipe, and Healthy Eats, a food delivery service for the health-conscious.
As a seasoned chef, Melchor has his favorites in the book, including his own recipes.
“I think the recipes in this book is probably meron sa iba, but these are my recipes. They have been tested. They have been used in promoting Filipino cuisine abroad and, of course, in some hotels across Southeast Asia. Talagang subok na subok na itong recipes na ito,” he said.
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