CAGAYAN DE ORO -- Ayala Centrio's Big Bite Food Festival is proof of how active the Northern Mindanao food scene has become.

Now on its fourth year, the festival kicked off with Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno and Department of Tourism Region 10 Regional Director Marie Elaine Unchuan mixing the biggest bowl of buko halo-halo together with Centrio mall executives.

The first Big Bite Food Festival was first conceptualized at Marquee Mall in Angeles, Pampanga, as a way for smaller independent food purveyors and startups to show off their food to the mallgoers. Centrio was the second mall to adopt this annual event.

Big Bite has since become a much-awaited event that draws hungry visitors from within the city and Northern Mindanao.

“Everyone’s looking forward to Big Bite. It’s the biggest food festival in Northern Mindanao. We’re all about the food,” said Carina Celine Karagdag, Centrio's marketing associate manager.

As part of its three-day celebration of food, there were food booths set up on the periphery of the ground floor garden. These were set up to showcase new offerings, old favorites, and specialty goods from the exhibitors. Special tours were also arranged for the media and the local blogging community to sample the offerings. Cebuano shrimp specialist Choobi Choobi cooked up the biggest bowl of shrimp during one of these tours.

Apart from cooking demos from Cagayan de Oro chefs, culinary competitions were also held at the mall activity area. Winners of the cooking competitions were given out on the last day of the festival. Special awards were also given to festival participants.

Mercedes Bakery also unveiled the biggest “chookie” which was sliced and given to the mallgoers before the closing ceremonies.

Next year will mark the fifth anniversary of the festival and organizers are planning to honor entrepreneurs who have started in Big Bite, grown their businesses, and become welcome additions to Centrio’s tenants.

Here are selected bites and nibbles from the food festival:

1. Binaki

Binaki is Northern Mindanao’s version of the corn tamale. A mixture of corn, milk, butter and sugar are packed and steamed in corn husks to make these delectable treats. Think of a somewhat wet corn muffin and you get an idea how this tastes like. Photo by author

2. 'Chookies' from Mercedes Bakery

Long known for its Pineapple Crumble, Mercedes Bakery introduced its own cookies about a year ago. The bakery installed ovens in all of its open-air kiosks and the aroma of fresh cookies coming out of the ovens is very hard to resist. While their “chookie” (chocolate chip cookie) is very popular, I really recommend the “brookie,” a hybrid brownie/cookie combination that just melts in your mouth fresh from the oven. Photo by author

3. Bavato Egg Rolls from Nai Cha Tea

These may look like barquillos, but they’re not. These Bavato Egg Rolls are similar to the Macanese versions that are much lighter and crumbly and come in Earl Grey, Dark Cacao, and Espresso varieties. Photo by author

4. Nenecitas Sorbetes

Nenecitas Sorbetes is a boon for lactose-intolerant ice cream lovers because it’s made of coconut milk. Though not as smooth as regular ice cream with bits of icy patches that could be felt per lick, this cold treat can’t be beat because a mini cone of the premium or regular flavors costs a fraction of a scoop of gelato. Photo by author

5. Kinilaw and Sinuglaw from Panagatan Seafood Restaurant

While you can get kinilaw all over the country, Cagayan de Oro’s kinilaw is unique because of the use of a lighter variety of vinegar mixed in with suha and “tabon-tabon” to build the souring liquid. Mixed in with ginger and onions, Panagatan’s Sinuglaw (sinugba and kinilaw) stands out because the malasugue somehow absorbed some of the grilled pork’s flavor giving it a unique tasty note. Photo by author

6. Nanay Choleng’s Muron

This Tacloban favorite was sorely missed after the devastation of Yolanda. The people behind Nanay Choleng’s temporarily resettled in Cagayan de Oro, liked the city so much, and permanently made it their home. These suman-like delicacies are made with rice that are cooked with coconut cream and cacao. Nanay Choleng’s adds an extra step by filling the suman with chocolate, ube, and other flavors. Photo by author

7. Cookiegato from Bowerbird Coffee x La Favorita Ice Cream

Take a scoop of La Favorita Vanilla Ice Cream, put it in a cookie cup lined with hardened chocolate fudge, pour on hot espresso brewed with Bukidnon coffee beans, and you get the Cookiegato. Photo by author

8. Sylvannas from Pane e Dolci

This store started making cakes and sans rival from a small store in the city. It has since grown with several branches in Cagayan de Oro. The Nutella, strawberry, matcha, chocolate, and coffee sylvannas are colorful additions to their product line that go well with their coffee brewed with Bukidnon-sourced coffee beans. Photo by author

9. Sansrival from Lola Gely’s

Lola Gely’s no-preservative recipes are faithfully recreated by her second- and third-generation descendants. This home baker bakes goods fresh to order and recommends consuming the goodies in three days. The rich and buttery smooth Cashew Sansrival draws a crowd when they appear at the Big Bite Food Festival, along with the torta, brazo de mercedes, caramel coated yema, boat tarts, and butter cake. Photo by author

10. Freezie Ice Cream

This favorite of Kagayanon millennials was hatched from experimenting with ice cream in a home kitchen. Now, Freezie is known for their edgy in-mall booth designs and punny flavor names derived from anything from Shakespeare to Filipino folk songs. Photo by author

11. Bisaya Express from Boy Zugba

Boy Zugba is the latest concept from local food group giant Bigby’s. The wait staff humorously entertain customers with Bisaya “hugot” lines while waiting for their orders. Besides the usual sinugba fare, come here for the cheesy chorizo and the Bisaya Express, its version of Bicol Express guaranteed to have lovers of spicy food sweating with joy. Photo by author

12. Yellow Curry from Thai Me Up

Setting up a restaurant with unfamiliar flavors was a challenge for Thai Me Up. Since then, they seem to have found the right balance to please the local diners such that they’ve moved from their old location to a prominent spot in Centrio. They started using local ingredients and making their own curries and sauces, such as the yellow curry used in this dish, resulting in friendlier flavors for those who aren’t comfortable with spicy food. Photo by author

13. Baked Goods from Bite Me Up

Cagayan de Oro is home to a number of food groups. The food group behind Thai Me Up have come up with boxed baked goods such as Brownie Bites, Cashew Crisps, and Crispy Brownies. Photo by author

14. Tartufo from Candy’s

The Tartufo, a ball of vanilla ice cream and French macarons soaked in hazelnut liqueur encased in chocolate cake and ganache, cements Candy’s reputation as the Cagayan De Oro’s go-to place for decadent desserts. Pictured here sliced up to reveal it sinful fillings. Photo by author