
Francis Dave Lacson Selorio won again in the prestigious food writing contest organized by the
Food Writers Association of the Philippines.
This time, he was awarded the second prize winner of the Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food
Writing Award for his essay “Linagpang: A Grilled Soup”.
After winning, he shared that the essay was based on Sunday nights spent in Mambusao town
when his grandfather cooked linagpang for dinner.
“Perhaps, no memory is too trivial to share,” he added.
The chef’s essay highlighted a beloved soup that has various ways of cooking across the Visayas.
“Though ‘lagpang’ refers to our local way of marinating meat or fish, its meaning evolved into a
more elaborate grilling of fish or chicken, as primarily used proteins, shredding them, and
turning them into soup,” he wrote in the winning piece.
“Just like adobo, linagpang varies regionally. In Iloilo, dumaraga nga manok (free-range
chicken) is boiled with the addition of ginger and guinamos (shrimp paste). Negrenses use
batwan and grill all the vegetables. In Cebu and Bohol, as eternalized by Max Surban in his folk
song, they use turagsoy (snake fish) or haluan in Mindoro,” the chef wrote.
In 2021, his essay “Long Live Sinalay” earned an Honorable Mention in the same contest named
after the country’s most respected food writer.
The chef-writer is currently the sous chef of Francesco’s and Café Mabini in San Juan, Metro
Manila.
While he is an owner of Crypto Café in Roxas City, he is also an advocate promoting the
heritage cuisine of Capiz.