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More than 40 guests from the Philippine government, business sector, and the culinary industry attended the special event that brought together suppliers, importers, wine connoisseurs, and food and beverage experts to showcase the many quality products available from Nova Scotia.

We were happy to see some of our friends from the industry like celebrity chef Sharwin Tee and Trade Commissioner Louise Pasadilla from the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines. I was also excited to see Trade Commissioner Angel Cachuela who I have known for a long time.

Guest were greeted at the start of the evening with a welcome drink called the PhilScotian Sour. This was a specially-curated cocktail made with Nova Scotia's Glenora Distillery 12-Year Single Malt Whiskey, Philippines mangoes, and calamansi. It was quite refreshing and a good start to the evening's festivities. Lobster Canapés with housemade brioche, chives, and caviar were also served.

I also met the evening's guest of honor. The dinner was organized on the occasion of the visit of Nova Scotia’s Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Honorable Kent Smith. Nova Scotia is located at the edge of North America and the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean, making its waters cold, clean, and pure. As a result, their seafood catch is always fresh and is of the highest quality.

The program started with His Excellency David Hartman making his opening remarks and welcoming all the guests to the Savour Nova Scotia Seafood Dinner. “Tonight’s dinner symbolizes the strong people-to-people ties that bind our countries together and the great things we can accomplish when we work together. There is a growing population of Filipinos living in Nova Scotia, and we are so proud to know that this vibrant community is thriving in beautiful Nova Scotia and across the country," said Ambassador Hartman.

The Honorable Kent Smith also took to the stage for his remarks. “Nova Scotia seafood has earned a global reputation for freshness, quality, and great taste. We were pleased to share our premium-quality products during the recent Asia mission. This was also an opportunity to celebrate the relationship between Canada and the Philippines and for Nova Scotia companies to build on these existing ties and explore new opportunities in the global market,” said Minster Smith. Nova Scotia is Canada's number one seafood exporter, exporting to over 60 countries. Nova Scotia's dedication to food safety, innovation, and sustainability is driven by a commitment to quality at every step along the value chain.

Ambassador of the Philippines to Canada Maria Andrelita S. Austria was also present an flew over to the country just for this special event. The dinner also celebrated new milestones between Nova Scotia and the Philippines, including the Province’s Joint Declaration of Intent with the Department of Migrant Workers focusing on the mobility of workers from the Philippines to Nova Scotia and NSCC’s new partnership with World Citi Colleges on healthcare education.

An array of seafood, wines, and wild blueberries were all flown in from Atlantic Canada and took the spotlight in the exclusive four-course dinner. Bread baskets were placed on the table consisting of malunggay pandesal, mini baguette and grissini plus whipped butter.

Chef Thomas Carey of the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and Chef Joseph Gomez, the Executive Chef of the Embassy of Canada and of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), took turns introducing each course that showcased the quality of Nova Scotia’s seafood. The dinner showcased the special collaboration between NSCC and DLS-CSB that began with the first Philippines-Canada Virtual Culinary Cup in 2021, organized by the Embassy of Canada, Les Toques Blanches Chefs Association in the Philippines, and the World Food Expo organizers. DLS-CSB culinary students helped prepare this special fusion dinner.

Our first course was the Nova Scotia Whelk and Snow Crab Kombucha Squash Custard. The whelk and snow crab are prepared with spinach, Pernod cream, steamed kombucha squash, custard, and tarragon oil.

I was not really familiar with whelk and Nova Scotia seafood in general, so it was a good that I was seated with Derrick Kennedy, Sales Director of Louisbourg Seafood Limited and one of the featured supplies during the event. The whelk is actually a big snail, much bigger that the ones served on French escargots, so it was quite a unique experience eating these exotic seafood items.

Next we had the Seared Fish and Crab Cappellacci. This is made with a pan-seared red ocean perch which is a local Nova Scotia fish. The Jonah crab is also a local crab that is unique to that region. These were cooked with coconut-lemongrass curry, mushroom adobo, and heirloom tomatoes.

To make the dinner even more captivating, each course was paired with Nova Scotia wines and ciders from Blomidon Wines, Benjamin Bridge, Bulwark Ciders and Lightfoot and Wolfville.

Our third course is a fusion of Nova Scotia and Filipino ingredients. This beautiful Bay Leaf Poached Lobster Tail sits on top of crispy potato cake made with Benguet potatoes grown from Atlantic Canadian seed potatoes, then doused with rich bearnaise sauce. I just loved the plump and juicy lobster meat which was highlighted further by the bearnaise sauce.

For our dessert course, we had the Petite Blueberry Charlotte which is a combination of lemon cheesecake, blueberry confiture, ginger chocolate crunch, and burnt butter pecan ice cream. We even got to sample some wild blueberries from Nova Scotia which were used for these sweet desserts.

We would like to thank the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines, most specially His Excellency David Hartman, for hosting the Savour Nova Scotia Seafood Dinner. The dinner was a great way to discover and experience Nova Scotia seafood and Filipinos really should have more access to their wonderful selection of export-quality products. The next time you visit the supermarket and grocery, check out the imported seafood section and you may find some of the best items there from Nova Scotia.

Savour Nova Scotia Seafood Dinner

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