Filipino Heart Healthy Cooking Demonstrations

Prior to incorporation, FACHIC held heart healthy cooking demonstrations of traditional Filipino recipes at a local Filipino cultural center. A demonstration of low fat leche flan was attended by more than 30 community members and a demonstration of embutido, a traditional Filipino meatloaf, was attended by more than 20 community members. Based on collected evaluations from these events, the attendees reported that they were likely to make changes in their life based on the presentation and were likely to discuss the content of the demonstration with family and friends.

FACHIC participated in the 2009 AdoboFest on September 19, 2009 by preparing adobo fresca, a healthier version of adobong kangkong, a traditional Filipino dish. Adobo fresca was made with fresh and heart friendly ingredients such as kangkong (also known as on choy), tofu as an alternative to meat, garlic, low sodium soy sauce and extra-virgin olive oil. FACHIC’s adobo fresca placed in the top 5 in a community event attended by more than 200 individuals.

Filipino Children Games Demonstration

FACHIC participated in the Chicago Children’s Museum Passport to the World series that aims to showcase the arts and traditions of Chicago’s many ethnic groups. During the weekend of June 11-14, 2009, the Philippines was featured.

Many Filipino and non-Filipino families enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Philippines and celebrated Philippine Independence Day. FACHIC provided a workshop on traditional Filipino children games including patintero, a game that involves tagging and boundaries; tumbang preso, an activity when someone is “it”; and Filipino dodgeball. These demonstrations of traditional Filipino games promoted the importance of physical activity and going outside to play instead of staying indoors to children and their families.