From the humble ube to adobo, lechon, sisig, and lumpia, Filipino food has indeed tickled the taste buds of many food enthusiasts around the world. Now, it’s time for the classic halo-halo to shine as it was recently featured in the second volume of Culinary Perspectives, a global digital cookbook produced by Japanese luxury carmaker Lexus.
“The traditional halo-halo normally contains seven or eight components including crushed ice, beans, jellies, nuts, puffed rice, and much more,” shares Top Chef Canada finalist Chef Mark Singson. “For this version, I’ve simplified the components to four and looked to my home of Vancouver for inspiration. This recipe uses the beautiful local stone fruit of British Columbia as a garnish, but I might use pumpkin or whatever else inspires me from the area during the fall months. If you’re in a rush, this is a perfect dessert since all ingredients can be made ahead of time.”
Drawing from his lively heritage and childhood years in Manila, Chef Singson utilizes skill refined in esteemed kitchens to honor Filipino cuisine. His time on Top Chef Canada in 2018 challenged his experience built from cooking in restaurants such as Boneta and AnnaLena in Vancouver and Vue de monde and Saint Crispin in Melbourne, inspiring him in his independent career as a private chef to make confident, charismatic dishes which leave a lasting impression.
Chef Singson joins an exclusive list of world-renowned chefs, who are also culinary partners of Lexus, featured in the cookbook. They all shared enticing menus of robust dishes, which have been enjoyed at Lexus events worldwide.
First introduced in July 2020, Culinary Perspectives is part of the social media-driven program called Lexus Creates, which aims to inform and delight with topics related to the Lexus brand hallmarks of design and craftsmanship.
“Culinary Perspectives enables Lexus to connect with our audience on a topic of deep personal interest to them. We hope our audience will embrace this opportunity to explore their epicurean artisanship,” said Brian Bolain, general manager, Lexus International.
Creating food and elevating it to culinary art is fundamentally human; highly evolved craftsmanship and thoughtfully detailed execution are fundamental pillars of the Lexus brand. The ten recipes in the collection provide a menu for a multi-course meal across a range of difficulty levels that can be mastered by novice chefs or expert culinary architects in the comfort of their homes.
Lexus Creates: Culinary Perspectives Volume 2 was written by Joshua David Stein, a James Beard Award-nominated author whose work has appeared in the Best American Food Writing and a former restaurant critic for the Village Voice and New York Observer. He has been the editor-in-chief of Blackbook magazine and a senior editor at Departures, Eater, and Black Ink magazines.
The cookbook’s foreword is by contributing writer Chef Nyesha J. Arrington, celebrated for her advocacy of recipes using farm-fresh, local, and responsibly sourced ingredients and whose culinary approach is inspired by diverse cultures, flavors, and techniques from around the world. She reminds us of the more profound arc of culinary themes by celebrating excellent meals. Bringing joy to eating is rooted in anticipation of one’s need and the hospitality ethos of the Lexus brand known as omotenashi.
