Media release 5 June
THE CALAMANSI STORY
A curated anthology of the Filipino-Australian Migrant Experience
The Calamansi Story is a project created by The Entree.Pinays, a Melbourne-based collective of enterprising Filipinas contributing their diverse skills to put the cuisine, culture, and communities of the Philippines on the map in Australia.
Calamansi represents possibility. Supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through its Australia-ASEAN Council grant program, this project aims to develop an Australian-first contemporary and community-led publication of untold personal stories, to celebrate the Filipino spirit and our balikbayan identities, promote Australia's multiculturalism and contributions to the ASEAN region, and inspire hope, possibility and action for the future of our community across Australia and the Philippines.
The Entree.Pinays, co-founded by Grace Guinto and Fides Mae Santos, will be working with key partners including Dr Kristine Aquino, award-winning author, internationally recognised research expert and commentator on global Filipino migration and diversity; and Cathie Carpio, a Philippines-based food and beverage consultant whose work provides greater understanding of consumer and industry trends in today's uncertain business environment. With their combined experience, The Calamansi Story aims to share research highlighting the connection and contribution of Filipino-Australians to Australia's economy and multicultural society, as well as a foreground to any new research, ideas, and balikbayan opportunities on calamansi international trade.
Forthcoming sales from the published The Calamansi Story will be invested into social enterprise programs supporting Philippine calamansi farmers via The Entree.Pinays’ partnership with AGREA Philippines - an innovative, inclusive, for-purpose, agri-business founded on sustainable agriculture, fair-trade, and replicable model of an agri-based economy - led by UN Food Systems Champion, Founding Farmer, President and CEO, Cherrie Atilano. Together with AGREA Philippines, The Entree.Pinays seek to find new opportunities for knowledge exchange between Australia and the Philippines in sustainable practices, education and technology in agriculture and urban farming, cross-border trade for innovative, health and wellness calamansi-forward products, and food tourism - all tied to investment in the sustainable future of calamansi.
To make The Calamansi Story possible, The Entree.Pinays want to hear from you.
They are inviting submissions of untold personal stories on Filipino-Australian experiences through calamansi from individuals of Filipino heritage, living in Australia. Welcoming diverse voices, experiences, and creative expression in written or visual format, The Entree.Pinays are seeking written submissions in the form of personal essays, short fiction stories, poetry, memoir, interviews, recipes; and visual submissions that may be an illustration, visual depiction, or expression, all tying into the theme of the ‘Filipino-Australian migrant or lived experience through calamansi’. The Calamansi Story will also be supplemented by a documentary to be produced and promoted in partnership with digital content creator Erwan Heussaff’s The Fat Kid Inside Studios and Featr Media.
Story submissions close 31 July 2022. Launch of the publication is earmarked for early 2023.
To participate in The Calamansi Story: A curated anthology of the Filipino-Australian Migrant Experience, please visit www.thecalamansistory.com
THE ENTREE.PINAYS
A Melbourne-based cultural agency of enterprising Filipinas contributing their diverse skills in business, design, storytelling, and hospitality with a purpose to grow representation, celebration and investment in Filipino cuisine, culture, and community. BARRIO, their debut event series for Melbourne Food and Wine 2019 was a sold-out success, a Filipino food celebration on a scale unseen in the festival’s 26-year history. In response to COVID-19, they launched virtual series In My Kusina and Coffee & Chikahan to build and engage its community with Filipino and Australian industry leaders in food, business, and the creative sectors; and Merkado by The Entree.Pinays, an online marketplace to discover and celebrate Filipino-owned, made, and sourced meaningful must-haves across pantry, home, lifestyle and learning including calamansi trees and first-to-market Saint C calamansi juice. The Entree.Pinays have featured in The Guardian Australia, The Age, Frankie Magazine, Gourmet Traveller, SBS Food, Herald Sun, ABC Radio, AFR, Mabuhay Magazine (Philippine Airlines), Smile Magazine (Cebu Pacific).
entreepinays.com | @entree.pinays | thecalamansistory.com | merkado-market.com
DFAT - AUSTRALIA-ASEAN COUNCIL
The Australia-ASEAN Council (AAC) was launched on 8 September 2015 to generate opportunities for Australian business, education, science, innovation and the arts to work with partners in Southeast Asia. The council's mission is to increase knowledge and promote Australia's interests in Southeast Asia by initiating and supporting activities to enhance understanding and links between people and institutions in Australia and 10 countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
DR KRISTINE AQUINO
Kristine is an award-winning author and internationally recognised research expert and commentator on global Filipino migration and multicultural diversity in Australian and Asian cities. Her writing sheds light on the inequalities and social injustices experienced by migrants but also unpacks how people find ways to live together in cities marked by complex social and cultural diversity. Her first book 'Racism and Resistance among the Filipino Diaspora' (2018) was shortlisted for the Australian Sociological Association's 2020 Raewyn Connell Prize (best first book by an author in Australian sociology) and awarded a Special Commendation. Kristine currently holds an academic appointment as Senior Lecturer in Global Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney.
CATHIE CARPIO
Cathie is a food and beverage consultant by trade whose work provides a greater understanding of consumer and industry trends that enables small to large organisations to make informed decisions in today's uncertain business environment. Her working vision is to integrate her capabilities as a consultant with her community work that fundamentally tries to improve the quality of life of community members, one household at a time. She hopes that her partnerships with communities in the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora will incrementally improve the route to market of generations of calamansi growers and beyond.
AGREA PHILIPPINES
AGREA, the first TESDA-accredited farm school in Marinduque and certified by the Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Training Institute as an Organic Agriculture Learning Site, offers scholarships in agriculture-related technical and vocational courses and are packaged from the competency map of the Philippine agri-fishery sector. Cherrie Atilano is the President and Founding Farmer of AGREA Philippines. She is also a co-founder of HATIENDA Holdings Inc., an agritourism and agri-processing space to produce Filipino agricultural products for local and export markets.
AGREA Philippines | Cherrie Atilano
THE FAT KID INSIDE
The Fat Kid Inside (TFKI) is a digital media production company founded by Erwan Heussaff in 2012, the French-Filipino digital content creator known for food, travel and fitness vlogs. With a total following of 7 million people across multiple platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Website), TFKI focuses on creator-driven content, which is proven to be one of the most powerful forms of content on social media.
The Fat Kid Inside Studios | Featr Media | Erwan Heussaff
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For a selection of high-resolution images, please view the folder here.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Sandra Tan
Media Manager
The Entree.Pinays
M: 0403 855 349
E: hello@entreepinays.com