Celebrity chefs explore Filipino food classics in The Good Meat’s Heritage Series

The Good Meat launches online series called The Heritage Series which stars two celebrity chefs, Chef JP Anglo of Sarsa and Ninong Ry (Ryan Reyes), to cook up Filipino Heritage Dishes with a spin of their own while using The Good Meat’s Fresh Pork Cuts and Ready-to-Cook Meats. 

This four-part series features different Filipino food themes per episode. Each 30-minute episode showcases the chefs’ expertise and knowledge of Filipino cooking and heritage with a side of classic Pinoy jokes.

As more and more people recreate these classic dishes based on their preferences and trying out different ingredients, Filipino cuisine has transformed throughout the years. But at the end of the day, it all goes back to the classic version of these Heritage Filipino recipes everyone loves.  

Sinigang na Ube at Mangga. Ninong Ry puts his own spin on the classic Sinigang dish. 

The first episode features one of the Filipino favorites – sinigang, cooked with various concoctions. Chef JP and Ninong Ry tried out different souring agents from kamias to ube, pomelo, and Bacolod’s local fruit, batwan, putting their own spin on sinigang. Episode two covers pinoy fiesta favorites where Chef JP shows how to cook grilled liempo without a grill while Ninong Ry prepares his easy and simple Crispy Pork Belly recipe. Meanwhile, they take on classic Pinoy pulutan for episode three and the series wraps up with classic Filipino breakfast favorites with a twist. 

Chef JP (left) and Ninong Ry (right) put their own spin on classic Filipino dishes while using The Good Meat’s fresh pork cuts and ready-to-cook meats.

The first installment of the series was aired last June 16, 2022, while the remaining episodes will be released throughout July. Catch The Heritage Series on The Good Meat Facebook and Youtube Channel and try out these delectable recipes by getting next-day delivery of fresh pork cuts on The Good Meat and official stores on Shopee and Lazada.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can reimagining a classic dish with modern twists still honor the integrity of Filipino culinary heritage?
The Heritage Series makes a compelling case that it can. Celebrity chefs Chef JP Anglo and Ninong Ry experiment freely — swapping souring agents in sinigang, cooking liempo without a grill — yet each episode ultimately circles back to the soul of the original recipe. The series frames creativity not as a departure from tradition but as a living continuation of it, showing that heritage dishes can evolve without losing the cultural meaning that made them beloved in the first place.

Q2: What makes sinigang such a fitting dish to anchor a series about Filipino culinary identity?
Sinigang is one of the most regionally diverse dishes in the Filipino kitchen, with souring agents varying by geography — from kamias and pomelo to Bacolod’s local fruit batwan. By using sinigang as the opening episode of the Heritage Series, the chefs highlight how a single dish can carry multiple regional identities simultaneously. It reflects the broader truth that Filipino cuisine is not monolithic but a rich, layered collection of local traditions unified by shared cooking philosophies.

Q3: How does the format of a cooking series change the way audiences engage with traditional Filipino recipes compared to written recipes alone?
A video cooking series adds dimension that text cannot convey — the texture of a pork belly sear, the humor exchanged between chefs, the spontaneity of improvisation on camera. Each 30-minute episode of the Heritage Series pairs culinary instruction with entertainment, including classic Pinoy jokes, making the content approachable for home cooks. Watching professionals navigate familiar ingredients in unfamiliar ways lowers the barrier to experimentation, inspiring viewers to revisit heritage recipes with renewed confidence and curiosity.

Q4: What does the choice of fiesta food and pulutan as episode themes reveal about how Filipinos organize food around social occasions?
Dedicating full episodes to fiesta favorites and pulutan reflects how Filipino food is fundamentally social by design. Fiesta dishes signal communal celebration, while pulutan is inseparable from shared conversation and togetherness. By featuring these categories alongside breakfast classics, the Heritage Series maps the full arc of Filipino daily and festive life through food. It underscores that these dishes are not merely recipes — they are social frameworks that define how Filipinos gather, connect, and mark time together.

Q5: Why is the sourcing of fresh, quality pork cuts presented as central to recreating authentic heritage dishes at home?
Heritage recipes carry flavors and textures refined over generations, and those qualities depend heavily on the quality of the meat used. Fresh pork cuts with the right fat-to-meat ratio are essential for achieving the crispiness of lechon kawali, the tenderness of liempo, or the depth of a slow-cooked dish. The Heritage Series is anchored in The Good Meat’s fresh pork products precisely because ingredient quality is the non-negotiable foundation upon which any faithful or creative rendition of a classic dish must be built.