In this episode, Erwan Heussaff explores Leyte, a province where history, faith, geography, and food intersect. From Palo Market with Chef Mark Sabayan to home cooks preparing regional specialties, and the makers of binagol and moron, this food crawl reveals how Leyte’s cuisine is shaped by its people and its past. Guided by historian Joycie Alegre and local cooks, we trace how World War II, coastal life, inland agriculture, and Waray identity continue to influence everyday meals. This episode is part of our Samar-Leyte series. Subscribe for more stories. More of Samar & Leyte: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlaLRniCHL9SM9Z7Nx79ah4YcvTk_MFys Special thanks to: Chef Mark Sabayan Joycie Alegre Judy Rafael Aldrich Rafael LOCATIONS: Palo Public Market Fredo’s Eatery Mano Joeven’s Espazio Arts + Foods + History 130 Juan Luna St, Downtown, Tacloban City, Leyte Ochó Seafood and Grill Senator Enage St, Downtown, Tacloban City, Leyte Timo Romano Lechon Real St, Tacloban City, Leyte Dionisio’s Binagol and Moron Dagami, Leyte Mahagnao Volcano Natural Park Burauen, Leyte Jump to: (0:00) Intro (3:00) Palo Market (6:55) Fredo’s Eatery (10:45) Mano Joeven’s (14:15) Espazio Arts + Foods + History (18:00) History with Joycie Alegre (26:15) Ochó Seafood and Grill (29:20) Timo Romano Lechon (31:00) Dionisio’s Binagol and Moron (35:00) Mahagnao Volcano Natural Park, Outro ------------------------------- We are looking for collaborators, content producers, brands, and anyone who has a story to tell. Email us at [email protected] The Fat Kid Inside Studios Erwan Heussaff - Founder Kashka Gaddi - Creative Director Eamonn Quizon - Cinematographer Edel Valera - Story Producer Harold Singzon - Story Producer Mary Lournette Baligod - Story Producer Kleo Balares - Supervising Producer Hans Rivera - Creative Director Janelle Sy - Content Producer Elyzza Ragodon - Associate Producer Julius Rivera - Videographer Lorraine Santos - Editor Dana Blasé - Editor Kim Arroyo - Editor Evan Olfato - Editor Whilhem Lorena - Multimedia Editor RM Alfonso - Multimedia Editor Martin Narisma - Food Editor Ynna Gaita - Junior Food Editor Kathryna de Bustos - Social Media and Content Manager Chester Velasco - Studio Manager & Camera Operator Kevin Amponin - Production Assistant Dustin Dagamac - Colorist Sofia Paderes - Graphic Artist & Illustrator Joshua Gonzales - Graphic Designer Dajed Binauhan - Multimedia Artist Eros Deocariza - Multimedia Artist Bianca Adriano - Accounts & Sales Coordinator Roanne Salvacion - Administrative Accountant Donalyn Aranda - Accounting Assistant Jennylyn Quizon - Accounting Staff Marvin Hernandez - Messenger Janette Mellina - Office Maintenance Personnel Sandy Mellina - Office Maintenance Personnel Content Creators: Seth Alonzo Samuelle Bawasanta Trisha Chua Nica Soledad Interns: Fionna Virgo Andrea Bernardo Social Media: http://www.instagram.com/featrmedia https://www.tiktok.com/@featrmedia http://www.facebook.com/featrmedia https://x.com/featrmedia https://www.threads.com/@featrmedia Follow Erwan: http://www.instagram.com/erwan https://www.threads.com/@erwan
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As a Leyteño myself, this is by far the only documentary that truly and accurately featured Leyte’s food culture. It was authentic, heartfelt, and long overdue. 👏
The Department of must engage to promote local foods
Maam Alegre! Isa siya sa may pinakainteresting na class beforeee. Class niya lang yung pinapakain yung students while pinapaexplain kung ano yung lasa, texture, and all.
Please do not skip the ads when watching Featr. They deserve all the earnings and support! Their dedication to showcase different PH cultures is truly outstanding. This is one of the best episodes ever. I miss eating Moron and Binagol. ❤
Not skipping the ads because this team deserves all the earnings and warmth they can get for such a beautifully made video.
Thanks for this! 🙏🏼 Leyte's cuisine is really underrated, and showing it to the world means a lot to us. There’s something simple yet unique about it the way it blends our environment and culture into such distinct dishes.
Ang galing ni Erwan, this thing is very new to the Filipino in General! Youve just open up how leytr people evolved... it is so Raw in its Core!.. most of us never thought that there are parts of ylthe Philippines do such thing especially the vegetable part if its variety!.... thats what makes this channel quite amusing ang interesting!
This documentary made me realize why some waray-waray have a distinct flavor profile when it comes to food. Picky eaters 😅 when traveling to other places. They like balance to their taste buds that can only be achieved at home. Thank you for showing our culture, history and the way we think through the food we eat. 😊❤️
While a quiet Tuesday may be a great observing opportunity in the Palo Public Market, you should see how it usually is on Saturday mornings! An endless variety of kakanins and local delicacies are sold during that time, the main road in front of the market is usually closed off to give space to the vendors. Nevertheless, thank you for visiting and highlighting Leyte's best ❤
That last bit made me cry! Lawot-lawot and abundance vis-à-vis the economic landscape of the region. This hits different knowing how a lot of Leyteños and Samareños still live humble lives. I've been eating these food my entire life but I've never SEEN them in this light. Thanks Featr!
So proud that you featured my province, Leyte! 🙌💙 This will really help kids and students understand more about Leyteño culture and appreciate our traditions
Ang ganda tlaga ng vlog ni erwan.kasi sya lang tlaga napapanood ko na ini explore ang mga pagkain ng pinoy.mas pinoy na pinoy pa nga sya sa atin sa totoo lang
Oh! I was once a student of Prof. Joycie Alegre in 1999 or 2000. One activity for her class was to visit "tabo ha Palo". Tabo is a Waray term for usually an open-air market where produce/products from different localities are brought to a city/municipality market by farmers, fisherfolks, craftsmen, gardeners, etc. on a specific day of the week. In Palo market, the one you visited, tabo happens every Saturday, where streets surrounding the market building are closed to accommodate all traders and their produce/products. It was my first visit to any tabo in Leyte. It was so "chaotic" in a very nice way. After the visit, we were required to write about our thoughts and we were taught that what we had was not just about seeing what our region is producing or tasting different food from different municipalities, but, it was experiencing our culture as people of Leyte. And as I visit different places in the Philippines, I realized how markets represent the true identity of a locality. However, it's sad that after Typhoon Yolanda fewer participate in any tabo in Leyte because the streets closed and occupied by the traders became less as I've noticed.
Just when you thought Filipino cuisine was all about unhealthy indulgence with fatty meats, oily dishes, and sweet flavors, you discover the food of Leyte. It feels like the opposite: lighter, balanced, and rich in vegetables. A refreshing, healthier side of Filipino cuisine many of us are not used to. 👏
I'm from Bohol and its true when people speak of Visayas they don't immediately mean Leyte. It's true for us here at least. We only think of Cebu or Siquijor. So glad to know more of Leyte thru this video. Thanks.
Now I know why Anne married you. Your reasoning is so good. Napakaganda mong makitungo sa tao at makipag usap. Alam na yan ng mga nakakaintindi sa ibig kong sabihin. The mindset
I'm happy to see Erwan highlighting Samar and Northern Leyte. My dad hails from Northern Samar, and Erwan is right; these places don't receive much love in tourism since we tend to focus on the well-known spots. However, Samar and Leyte have so much to offer, not just in terms of food but also in natural beauty for tourism.
Another amazing episode, FEATR. Team! Kudos to you guys, especially to Erwan who showcases the outskirts of the Philippines real gem— local cuisine. Shoutout to the people from Hinundayan Southern Leyte. My Nanay Rosario was born there. She’s now 85 and was so happy watching this episode with me.
Ma'am Alegre, we actually cooked lawot2 in one of her classes to appreciate Waray food and culture!
Been watching FEATR for a long time but never subscribed. But had to subscribe after watching this. I was raised in Leyte by my lola. That place holds a special place in my heart. Thank you so much for featuring Leyter. Keep up the amazing content and keep up the great work!