For more than six decades, the trusted Filipino kitchen staple MAYA has been synonymous with home cooking and baking. Its culinary arts center, The Maya Kitchen, continues to promote culinary education through short courses and lifestyle classes.
Today, the two brands present a new chapter with The Maya Kitchen Culinary Elite—a special cooking demonstration series featuring chefs and restaurateurs who are given a platform to share their curated recipes.
Originally held from 2010 to 2016, the Culinary Elite program now returns with renewed purpose: to highlight heritage Filipino ingredients, strengthen connections with regional food producers, and reintroduce Filipino pantry staples to a new generation through contemporary techniques and storytelling.
A Brand Built in the Filipino Kitchen
Introduced to the Philippine market in 1962, MAYA quickly became a household name with thelaunch of its pioneering hotcake mix. The product soon became a breakfast staple among Filipino families and remains one of the most recognizable products in the brand’s portfolio today.
For generations, MAYA Hotcakes have been part of Filipino breakfasts, merienda moments, and childhood snacks. The simplicity of preparing hotcakes from the mix introduced many Filipinos tocooking for the first time—helping buildconfidence in thekitchen.
Over the years, MAYA expanded beyond hotcakes to include a wide range of baking and pantry essentials—from chocolate, oat, and whole wheat hotcake mixes, brownie mixes and premium cake mixes, to flour, cornstarch, and its signature Oven-Toaster mixes.
A New Chapter for the Maya Culinary Elite
According to Ernesto Fajardo, President of Liberty Commodities Corporation, the initiative reinforces the brand’s deeper connection to Filipino culinary culture. “For decades, MAYA has been part ofFilipino family traditions – from breakfast hotcakes to first baking experiences in the kitchen. Reviving The Maya Kitchen Culinary Elite allows us to strengthen that legacy by working closely with chefs and storytellers who share our passion for promoting Filipino culinary education and innovation.Through this initiative, we continue the work of both Maya and The Maya Kitchen in inspiring Filipinos to cook, learn, and rediscover our food heritage.”
ALegacy of Culinary Education
For Maya Kitchen consultant Nina Daza Puyat, who has long championed Filipino cuisine and food education, the revival of the program reflects MAYA’s enduring role in shaping Filipino culinary culture. “The Maya Kitchen has always been about sharing knowledge and teaching Filipinos how to cook confidently at home. The Culinary Elite program allows us to promote and preserve our Filipino food heritage while adapting it for the next generation of home cooks.”
A Creative Partnership with FEATR
Rooted in a shared commitment of celebrating Filipino cuisine and championing local ingredients, the collaboration between MAYA and FEATR brings together two platforms that advocate for sustainability, culinary education, and thepreservation of Filipino food traditions.
By highlighting regional ingredients and the communities behind them, the partnership encourages more mindful cooking while shining a spotlight on the richness of the country’s culinary heritage.
When tradition meets a platform for innovation. A privilege to witness Erwan Heussaff sharing the stage with The Maya Kitchen to highlight the ‘Not-So-Modern Filipino Pantry.
A key collaborator in the revival is Erwan Heussaff, founder of the food storytelling platform FEATR, whose work focuses on documenting Filipino culinary traditions and regional ingredients. According to Erwan, “Filipino food has always been more than sustenance: it’s a record of who we are, where we came from, and what we’ve been through. FEATR exists to help make sure those stories aren’t forgotten, to deepen how we understand and appreciate our food and ingredients today, and to helpshape what Filipino food could become tomorrow. We communicate everything we learn about our culture through our digital platforms and shows, but we always felt like something was missing. This year we hope to hold more events like this, where people can interactwith theingredients andstoriesthatwe’vefeatr’d in ourdocumentaries.”
Collaboration Rooted in Heritage
For the Maya Culinary Elite, Heussaff presents “Not-So Modern Filipino Pantry”, a culinary concept that reimagines heritage Filipino ingredients through modern, accessible cooking.
The project explores heritage Filipino ingredients many of which come from small communities and traditional food practices – and presents them through contemporary recipes designed for modern kitchens.
A Collaboration Rooted in Heritage: “Not-So Modern Filipino Pantry”
As part of the collaboration, Heussaff introduces “Not-So Modern Filipino Pantry”, showcasing a curated approach to Filipino heritage ingredients through creative, contemporary interpretations.
This initiatives highlights locally sourced ingredients- rooted in regional traditions, and transforms them into thoughtfully crafted recipes suited for today’s kitchens.
A masterclass in texture. Charred cabbage meets the savory, umami crunch of Podpod drizzled with the rare, smoky Asin Tul-tul from Guimaras.
Asin Tultol – A rare cooked sea salt from Guimaras created by filtering seawater through burned driftwood before evaporating the brine over fire, producing a mineral-rich finishing salt.
Festive crunch meets the “Black Gold” of the North. We’re pairing Lucban’s iconic Kiping with a velvety aioli made from Gamet—a rare, seasonal seaweed from Ilocos. It’s a crispy, salty, and sophisticated tribute to our coastal and colorful heritage.
Gamet – A hand-harvested dried seaweed from Sta. Praxedes, Cagayan, known for its natural umami and mineral content.
Where the mountains meet the sea. This Kinuday Sinantolanis a beautiful collision of regional heritage—featuring smoky, cured pork from the North and toasted Podpod from Samar, all simmered in creamy coconut milk. It’s a bowl full of soul and smoke.
A taste of the islands in one bowl. Fresh Tanigue steaks meet the sweetness of buko juice and the artisanal touch of Asin Tul-tul. Its heritage cooking is made light, bright, and accessible.
Pudpod – A traditional smoked fish patty from Eastern Samar made from flaked fish mixed with aromatics, prized for its rich, savory smokiness.
Rediscovering the “White” Adobo. Before soy sauce became a pantry staple, there was Adobong Puti. By using heritage ingredients like Laurel Visayas and artisanal vinegar, it translates Filipino history into an everyday masterpiece for your home kitchen.
Sukang Paombong – A naturally fermented nipa palm vinegar from Bulacan recognized for its complex acidity and depth of flavor.
Kesong Puti Mousse Cups
A sweet finish rooted in tradition. Kesong Puti Mousse Cups layered with a Sanikulas cookie crust and drizzled with Batangas pakaskas caramel bring together nostalgia and indulgence—an ode to the Not-So Modern Filipino Pantry.
Pakaskas – A rare buri palm sugar from Isla Verde, Batangas, valued for its smoky sweetness and grainy texture.
A symphony of smoke. Tart santol meets the rich, smoky notes of Kinuday and Podpod. This isn’t just a side dish; it’s a celebration of Filipino preservation techniques in one creamy, spicy pot.
Kinuday – A traditional smoked meat from the Cordilleras rooted in indigenous preservation techniques linked to the Cañao ritual. Known for its deep, bacon-like flavor, it has become a versatile ingredient in both traditional and modern Filipino cooking.
Through these recipes, the series reframes Filipino heritage ingredients as versatile pantry staples— bridging traditional flavors with modern culinary creativity.
Celebrating the Culinary Elite
Ancestral flavors, modern execution. 🇵🇭 Had the privilege of joining forces with Erwan Heussaff and the talented FEATRcrew—Samuelle Bawasanta, Nica Soledad, Trisha Chua, and Martin Narisma—at The Maya Kitchen. A beautiful showcase of how tradition and innovation coexist to elevate the Filipino table.
Legacy on the line. Heritage in the pot. The Maya Kitchen x FEATR: This partnership takes the “vanishing” ingredients of the islands and puts them back where they belong—in the kitchen. It’s time to cook the stories that define us.
Throughout the years, the Maya Kitchen Culinary Elite has featured some of the country’s most respected culinary figures and restaurateurs, including chefs and food advocates such as Glenda Barretto, Claude Tayag, JP Anglo, Jessie Sincioco, Tatung Sarthou, Chele Gonzales and the late Margarita Forés.
With the revival of the Maya Culinary Elite, Maya once again places Filipino chefs, ingredients, and culinary storytelling at the forefront of its mission—ensuring that the traditions that shaped Filipino cooking continue to inspire the kitchens of today and tomorrow.
The Maya Kitchen is the culinary center of MAYA, a brand dedicated to promoting food education, recipe development, and the celebration of Filipino cuisine. For over 60 years, Maya has been atrusted name in Filipino kitchens, inspiring generations of home cooks through its baking mixes, flours, and pantry staples.
For recipesand a list of upcoming cooking classes:
Website: https://themayakitchen.com
For more information about Maya Hotcakeseventsand promotions:
Maya Hotcakes MoreInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayahotcakesandmore/
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