From AdoboFest to Adobo Throwdown 5.0

The story began in November 2019 at the Geekdom Event Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Originally called AdoboFest, the event brought together Filipino home cooks to showcase their favorite adobo recipes and celebrate a dish that holds a special place in Filipino homes.

The vision was to build a tradition that would bring the community together while introducing more people to the richness of Filipino cooking.

Plans to grow the event were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the vision remained alive.

After the pandemic, AdoboFest returned with a new name, a bigger vision, and a more ambitious format: Adobo Throwdown Cooking Competition and Food Expo 1.0.

For the first time, professional chefs competed alongside passionate home cooks, bringing their own interpretations of Filipino adobo to the competition.

The inaugural event featured three main culinary competitions: Professional Adobo, Amateur Adobo, and Ube Dessert.

Five professional chefs were invited to compete for the title of Best Adobo in San Antonio, demonstrating that the beloved Filipino dish could be celebrated on a competitive culinary stage.

The event also supported the humanitarian initiatives of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce – Central Texas Region.

Adobo Throwdown 1.0 established the foundation for what would become a growing celebration of Filipino culinary excellence, entrepreneurship, and cultural pride.

Building on the success of its inaugural year, Adobo Throwdown expanded into a two-day Filipino food and cultural festival.

Adobo Throwdown 2.0 introduced two additional culinary competitions: Filipino BBQ Throwdown and Lumpia Throwdown, complementing the Professional Adobo, Amateur Adobo, and Ube Dessert competitions.

The expanded format gave visitors more opportunities to discover the diversity of Filipino cuisine while providing additional platforms for chefs, home cooks, and food entrepreneurs to showcase their skills.

The festival featured food vendors, cultural entertainment, cooking competitions, and People's Choice competitions that allowed attendees to recognize their favorite dishes and vendors.

As participation grew, the event attracted wider community attention and increased media exposure.

Adobo Throwdown 2.0 also received a Congressional Certificate of Recognition from U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas' 28th Congressional District.

More than simply expanding the competition, Adobo Throwdown 2.0 demonstrated the potential of Filipino cuisine to bring together people from many backgrounds.

Adobo Throwdown 3.0 continued the festival's evolution, bringing together professional chefs, amateur cooks, food vendors, sponsors, cultural performers, and community organizations.

The event featured Professional and Amateur Adobo, Ube Dessert, Filipino BBQ, and Lumpia competitions, alongside food experiences and cultural entertainment.

A major highlight was the participation of renowned Filipino culinary personality Nancy Reyes Lumen, widely known as the Adobo Queen. She presented cooking demonstrations showcasing Filipino flavors, culinary traditions, and creative uses of familiar ingredients.

The festival also featured support from Mama Sita's, helping introduce traditional Filipino flavors to a broader audience.

The festival also recognized outstanding food vendors through its People's Choice awards.

Beyond the competitions, Adobo Throwdown 3.0 supported humanitarian causes, including Art Relief Mobile Kitchen in the Philippines and Broken Warriors Angels, an organization assisting veterans.

The event demonstrated the growing appeal of Filipino cuisine and the important role that food, culture, and community partnerships can play in connecting people.

Adobo Throwdown 4.0 marked another milestone in the festival's journey.

By making admission free, the event created an opportunity for more people to experience Filipino food and culture.

The festival continued its Professional Adobo, Amateur Adobo, and Ube Dessert competitions while featuring food vendors, cultural entertainment, cooking demonstrations, and a Filipino formalwear fashion show.

It celebrated not only culinary talent but also the contributions of local businesses, volunteers, cultural performers, sponsors, and community partners.

The event reinforced a central belief behind Adobo Throwdown: Filipino cuisine is something to be shared and enjoyed by everyone.

Adobo Throwdown 5.0 represents the next chapter in our journey to bring Filipino food into the American culinary mainstream.

With an even stronger focus on audience engagement, community partnerships, and cultural discovery, our goal is to welcome more people than ever before—especially those experiencing Filipino cuisine for the first time.

We're building on the foundation established by the cooks, chefs, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and communities who helped make the previous events possible.

Our mission remains the same: to celebrate Filipino culinary excellence, share our culture, and bring people together through food.