Are you a food enthusiast? Check out this text by our contributor, Ferdinand Mesias, about the first Sinugba Festival held at Tienda del Mercado!


Picture your favourite morsels of meat or seafood skewered to thin bamboo sticks, its marinade juices dripping, falling on a bed of red-hot coals glowing underneath, making it smoke and sizzle. The slow heat permeating it’s constitution from the inside out, cooking slowly to perfection. The aroma, a heady mix of grilling meat, sauce, spices, herbs, and every delicious thing you could ever imagine. Now, brush it slowly with your favourite barbecue sauce, coating every inch of surface, carefully watch the intense heat caramelize the sugars in its glaze and seal the juices and flavor in. Hear it sizzle. Smell its invitation. Picture yourself taking this small slice of heaven from the fire and putting it slowly to your mouth. Imagine how that first bite would taste. Only then would you have an idea of what it was like to have attended the first Davao Sinugba Festival, held last March 15, 2013 at Juna Subdivision in a place commonly known as Tienda Del Mercado.

This one-of-a-kind event which brought together all the barbecue, seafood, burger, kebab, and various other grilling establishments together gave the citizens of Davao its first eat-all-you-can extravaganza featuring the delectable offerings of all these well-known restaurants in a single sitting. For a measly Php200, one was able to treat himself to a buffet of the most heavenly sinugba dishes these establishments had to offer.

This unique affair was the brainchild of Timothy Te, CEO of Mocha Productions, a well-known and reputable events organizing outfit which has brought to the city some of the most exciting activities it has seen to date. Tim, as he is better known to his peers, had the idea of giving the people their own unique signature festival. It was his way of saying “thank you” to his constituents for all the blessings and kindness his hometown has bestowed on him throughout the years. “Davao has long since been known as one of the pioneers of the famed sinugba style of cuisine, which every true gourmand loves, and it was high time that the city got recognized for this distinction”, the jovial 35 year old, father of four quoted.

“I recently partnered up with some fellow businessmen, like former child actor Christopher Peralta, and young entrepreneurs, such as Pochollo Gonzales and Martin Bendigo, and we bought this old parking lot on Champaca St. in Juna Subdivision, near the Ateneo de Davao High School. We decided to turn it into a lifestyle center where everybody could hang out with their friends and family in a safe and wholesome environment and enjoy whatever the place had to offer. So I thought, ‘Why not launch the place with this one-of-a-kind event?’ Start with a bang, so to speak! Me and my family have always loved food, and what better way to start off an ambitious endeavour than with a truly soul-satisfying meal?” he added.

Needless to say, the event was a raging success. From six in the early evening to deep 10 p.m., famed restaurants like BC Chicken, Penong’s, Zabadani, Backyard Burger, Hollywood Burger, Riley Simon, Nanay Bebeng’s, Crispy Deli, Majid’s Kebab, Mang Inasal, Mr. Chong’s, and countless others, loaded the tables to near-breaking with their delectable fare, and people from all walks of life lined up to savor their offerings. It was truly a sight to behold!

It makes one ponder then how, since time immemorial, food has always been a catalyst in bringing people together. In our eternal quest for perfection, food has always had its place among those endeavours which would bring out the best in us, and it will be celebrated and taught for as long as the fire of passion burns bright in our hearts.

Check out the snaps we took on the first Sinugba Fest at Tienda del Mercado!