Chalk this one up for the husband and wife team of Rachel and Anton Diaz. They did it again, and this time the venue was bigger, more suppliers and more foodies joined the throng. Everybody loves a great meal but even more people love great company. In this event, I felt I was in the company of the some of the blogosphere’s most popular foodies, online and off.

The pretty lady on the left is fellow foodie, Annalyn Jusay. Beside her is Manang Tessie, the genius behind Ulcing’s Lechon Cebu.

Anthony Bourdain DID put Lechon Cebu at the top of his “hierarchy of pork” blog post. Score another big one for Filipino food. If we had Thanksgiving in the Philippines, we’d all have Lechon Cebu as the centerpiece of the meal.

That’s Manang Tessie with her idol Mr. Awesome himself, Anton Diaz. She told she wanted a picture with him so I posting it here. Manang Tessie is the lady behind the wonderful taste of Ulcing’s Lechon Cebu. For orders, call her at 810-6408 or her mobile 0919-4595591. ULCING’S LECHON IS THE BEST I’VE HAD SO FAR. Her prices will not give you a heart attack.

The History of Lechon

Not much is really known about the origins of Lechon. It is said that the Spanish brought lechon to the Philippines, as evidenced by the cuisine of our colonial siblings who were also set free from the Spanish under the Treaty of Paris. We enjoy Paella as much the regular South American does.

Because of frequent trading activities with the Chinese, it would not be so far fetched to say that some ancient Filipinos might have tasted Siu Mei sooner than Lechon.

I’m just showing other images here. To continue, Lechon Cebu is a world of difference with the Luzon-style lechon. For starters, Lechon Cebu never needs sauce because the meat is savory enough. I don’t know what else they put in Lechon Cebu that makes it better than local lechon. I guess it’s their little secret.

Enjoy the pictures and hope to see on the ultimate taste text event next year!