As 2016 marks the 450^th anniversary of the Galleon Trade that bridged the gap between Asia and the rest of the world, Madrid Fusión Manila 2016 is bringing in 18 chefs from the east and the west for another installment of fascinating culinary discussions. Get to know the nine chefs who will be representing the East.

Michael Aspiras (Philippines)

Despite his young age, the chef Aspiras has already made quite a name for himself. His company, the Tasteless Food Group, operates three establishments: Scout’s Honor, Le Petit Soufflé, and Garde Manger, and he is working on the opening of Milk Trade, and Freezer Burn. Prior to this, Aspiras honed his expertise in pastry making at EDSA Shangri-La, Resorts World Manila, and Raffles and Fairmont Makati. His topic at the International Gastronomy Congress is “EsSense.”

Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan (Philippines)

The winning pair of Besa and the chef Dorotan has been in the New York restaurant scene for the past 20 years. Cendrillon, their Filipino Pan-Asian restaurant in SoHo in Manhattan, operated for 13 years and turned the heads of food critics and writers of respected newspapers and magazines. After the closing of Cendrillon, the pair opened Purple Yam in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn in 2009, and in Malate, Manila in 2014. Besa also founded the Ang Sariling Atin Culinary Heritage Institute, which aims to promote and support local cuisine. Both Besa and Dorotan will be discussing the borrowed dishes that Filipinos have made their own at Madrid Fusión Manila.

Kevin Cherkas (Indonesia)

Prior to fulfilling his lifelong dream of opening his restaurant, Cuca, the Canadian-born chef Cherkas trained in Michelin-starred restaurants Arzak, El Bulli, and La Broche in Spain, and Daniel in in New York. Then, he served at the helm of fine dining restaurants Lafite in Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur and BLU in Shangri-La Singapore. His topic at the International Gastronomy Congress is “Once Upon a Product.”

Leah Cohen (United States)

The chef Cohen has had quite an adventurous culinary career which began when she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. Her first job is at the Park Avenue Café, under the chef David Burke. She then studied the intricacies of slow food in Italy, and worked at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Madia in Sicily. When she returned to New York, she worked at Eleven Madison Park, and later in Centro Vinoteca in the hopes of elevating her passion for Italian cooking. After a successful run on the show Top Chef, she spent a year travelling across Southeast Asia to learn about her Asian roots. She returned to New York to open Pig & Khao, where she combines the flavours she disvoered in Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia. Her topic at Madrid Fusión Manila is “An Exploration of Tanguis from Mexico to Philippines.”

Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan)

The two Michelin-star chef Narisawa is an advocate of sustainability, pioneering the Innovative Satoyama Cuisine, which is a culture built on the richness of the natural Japanese environment (satoyama), and the respect of one’s ancestors. His restaurant, Narisawa, has been hailed as one of the most sustainable restaurants in the world. The chef has also created dishes such as Soil Soup, Water Salad, and Essence of the Forest. In his segment on April 8, he will be tackling the topic “Sakura.”

Tatung Sarthou (Philippines)

The celebrity chef Sarthou is a propagator of Filipino heritage cuisine, as evidenced by his book “Filipino Cookery, From Heart to Platter.” It takes the readers on a journey through the history of Philippine cuisine by the exploring local cooking methods. Last year, he opened his restaurant, Alab, which features traditional and authentic Filipino dishes with a bit of a modern twist. In the congress, he will talk about rediscovering Pre-Hispanic Filipino cuisine.

David Thompson (Thailand)

The Australian chef Thompson is a foremost figure in Thai cuisine, and his restaurants in Sydney, London, and Bangkok are proof. But before all of this, he first arrived in Thailand in 1986, where he stayed for three years to explore and learn the ways of the cuisine. He returned to Sydney and opened Darley Street Thai to great acclaim, and later opened Nahm in London, where he earned a Michelin star. In 2010, he opened Nahm in Bangkok. The chef will be discussing the Mexican connection between long leaf coriander, pak chii farang, and cilantro at the summit.

Nurdin Topham (Hong Kong)

The chef Topham opened Nur in Hong Kong with the aim of bringing forth a holistic food experience with great attention paid to nutrition and the exploration of local ingredients. Prior to his opening Nur, the chef spent most of his career with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons. His work at The Raymond Blanc Cookery School garnered him the credibility to become a nutritional therapist. He also spent time at Noma’s Nordic Food Lab in Copenhagen. True to his passion and craft, he will be talking about nutrition and gastronomy at Madrid Fusión Manila.

Jungsik Yim (South Korea)

The young chef Yim is the main driver of the New Korean cuisine movement, as his cultural roots and culinary training provided him with the background for it. His professional career has taken him to Zuberoa, Aquelarre, Bouley, and Aquavit. Yim’s process begins with the traditional Korean cuisine and ingredients, and then he applies avant garde techniques that give the dishes the highly conceptual characteristic. Despite this, he also finds no trouble in reversing the process: starting with Western ingredients and cooking them using Korean techniques. His restaurant in Tribeca has gained two Michelin stars.

Madrid Fusión Manila and the International Gastronomy Congress will happen on April 7 to 9 at the SMX Convention Centre.

Find out what happened during the kick-off party for Madrid Fusión Manila 2016, Tapas Night.

See where some of these chefs are going to present their creations while they're here for Madrid Fusión Manila.

Know more about the chefs from the West here.