Mabuhay Nights - Salt Sugar At Iba Pa
Photography by Louie Pelaez
On May 23rd and 24th, 2022, Miko Aspiras, Will Mahusay, and Santiago Cayugan came together for an electrifying event called SALT SUGAR ATBP. This multi-course dinner degustation, meticulously curated by the Filipino Food Movement Australia, showcased locally and specially sourced ingredients. The evening was an immersive journey into the vibrant flavors of the Philippines, expertly crafted to tantalize and captivate everyone's taste buds.
ABOUT MIKO ASPIRAS
Executive Pastry Chef Miko Aspiras is one of the Philippines most honoured Pastry Chefs – with over fourteen years’ experience he has gained notoriety in achievements such as Tatler Philippines Best Pastry Chef 2018, Semi-Finalist at the Valrhona C3 Asia Pacific 2018, Forbes Asia Magazine 30 under 30 most influential 2018, World Gourmet Summit 2016, Featured Speaker at Madrid Fusion 2016 and ESQUIRE Magazine Philippines Chef Of The Year 2015.
Miko has held esteemed roles at Edsa Shangri la, Resorts World Manila, Raffles Fairmont Makati, Hilton Sydney, Ovolo Woolloomooloo and brings his wealth of knowledge to his business Dont Doughnuts.
ABOUT WILL MAHUSAY
Filipino Lechonero Will Mahusay migrated to Australia in the Iate 80's. Having spent 18 years in the corporate world - his calling was where his roots stemmed. His family of long time Lechoneros in Cebu restarted their business in Western Sydney growing it to now a larger warehouse catering to the greater Filipino community in all things Lechon.
In 2019 Will Mahusay opened Sydney Cebu Lechon Filipino Restaurant, Newtown. Serving their acclaimed Signature dish; Cebu Lechon/Charcoal Roast Pork, receiving much attention by a number of main stream media outlets such as Sydney Morning Herald’s The Good Food Guide, TimeOut Sydney, Tatler Philippines, SBS Food.
Will Mahusay has guest appeared on TV Show's such as Season One of The Cook Up by SBS Food Channel; hosted by Adam Liaw and Season Four of Channel 10 TV Show called Taste Of Australia by Australian MasterChef Hayden Quinn, while also appearing on Buzzfeed videos found on YouTube.
ABOUT SANTIAGO CUYUGAN
Born to a family of culinary artists, Chef Santiago Cuyugan embraced his calling as a chocolatier and pastry chef at a young age; he could often be found in the kitchen experimenting with recipes both savoury and sweet. His mother – a chef instructor in Vancouver – encouraged him to broaden his knowledge and refine his skills through studying the Culinary and Pastry Arts. Within his first year of training, Santiago was invited to become a member of the Junior Culinary Team, representing Canada on the world stage at the 2012 IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. His team earned multiple gold and silver medals internationally.
In 2014, Santiago migrated to Melbourne where he worked at prominent establishments including the 5-star Park Hyatt Melbourne, International Pastry Chef Adriano Zumbo’s Patisserie, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Crown Entertainment Complex, and the world-renowned Savour Patisserie and Chocolate School. Within a few years, Santiago won 1st place in multiple Callebaut Chocolate Showpiece Competitions, earned the title of Savour Pâtissier of the Year, and had become the head chocolatier at South Melbourne’s artisanal shop Bibelot.
Chef Santiago recently begun an exciting new venture conceptualizing his personal brand and small-batch chocolate business. With a strong passion for sharing his knowledge and a willingness to teach, he also branches outside of his ever-busy production kitchen to host public demonstrations, private consultations and private classes