Inspired by the participation of international chefs during the 2016 Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF), the Philippine embassy is planning to invite to Qatar a celebrity chef to promote Filipino cuisine “in a high-end setting” among Qataris and other expatriate communities.
To do this, Philippine ambassador Wilfredo Santos said the embassy will tap its culinary programme, “Kulinarya Qatar,” a brand strategy to make Filipino food part of the Arab mainstream, promote economic diplomacy through cuisine, and increase appreciation and awareness of the Philippines as a tourist, business, and trade destination.
“To specifically target the Qataris and other expatriate communities, we hope  to finally bring to Qatar a celebrity chef to promote Filipino cuisine in a high-end setting, such as a five-star hotel in Doha,” Philippine ambassador Wilfredo Santos told Gulf Times. 
The ambassador, however, clarified that “initial talks” to bring a celebrity chef from the Philippines “are ongoing,” but he noted that the embassy is also eyeing to invite Margarita Forés, who was recently named “Asia’s Best Female Chef 2016” and was featured on CNN’s Culinary Journeys.
“We were also inspired by the recent appearance of Martha Stewart during this year’s Qatar International Food Festival. The Philippines has its own share of similar culinary icons (apart from the celebrity chef that we are hoping to bring to Qatar) that could help us elevate Philippine cuisine in Qatar to a much higher level, such as Margarita Forés.
“She went here (Qatar) last November 2015 as member of the Philippines-Qatar Trade Initiative (PhlQat). Let’s see if this time she could come back to Qatar wearing her chef’s hat,” Santos explained.
He also emphasised that the embassy is hoping to bring Kulinarya Qatar to next year’s QIFF not only to promote Filipino delicacies but to provide exposure to Filipino restauranteurs in Qatar.
“This is something that we also plan to do as the Qatar International Food Festival provides an excellent platform to further the objectives of Kulinarya Qatar. Kulinarya can help mobilise Filipino food entrepreneurs in participating 
in this activity,” he said.
He added: “Kulinarya Qatar is undergoing a transition phase right now…hopefully, during the latter part of this year, we will finally be able to hold an event to satisfy the community’s palate. 
“We are in the process of designating a new set of Filipino community partners for Kulinarya Qatar, which we hope will take this movement to a whole new level this year. This will be followed by another food festival later this year, 
while initial talks are ongoing to bring a celebrity chef to Qatar. As details get firmed up, the embassy hopes to further update our media partners and the Filipino community soon.”