Ube Fest celebrates Filipino staple's global rise
Calgary's first Ube Fest on June 13 honors the purple yam's cultural significance as the trendy ingredient takes over local menus.
Calgary is getting its first Ube Fest on June 13, the day after Philippine Independence Day — and the timing is no accident.
Ube, a purple yam native to the Philippines, has exploded in popularity worldwide. You've seen it on Starbucks menus, in viral social posts, and now at cafés and bakeries across the city. But organizer Maria Berena wants people to know there's more to the tuber than its photogenic purple hue.
"We're celebrating that it's becoming popular, becoming known, but I think it's important to realize that we should also ask for recognition because it's been in our family, it's been in our culture for decades," Berena said. "You are enjoying something and I want you to know where it's from, just like how everybody's enjoying matcha and everybody now knows where matcha is from."
Ube has been deeply ingrained in Filipino culture for centuries — it's a staple at family celebrations and desserts, and historically it was a lifeline during famines. Richard Quiambao, co-owner of Amihan Grill and Bakeshop, called it "a sacred product for some Filipinos." The root crop doesn't rot easily, which meant Indigenous tribes in the Philippines could rely on it for food security when other sources failed.
More than 30 vendors will set up at Ube Fest, including MIK (Made in Korea) Coffee and Shop on 17th Avenue S.W., which launched its ube menu last month. Marketing manager Paul Oh said the response surprised them. "We weren't sure if we should just do it for, like, one month or two months, but we launched ube and the demand was really, really high. So I think we'll keep this menu for as long as we can."
Quiambao has noticed some ube products on the market that are just purple — without the actual flavour. He hopes Ube Fest gives people the authentic taste. "It's a root product where it can retain the quality and be a source of food for a long time," he explained.
The festival is a chance for Calgary's Filipino community to set the record straight about what ube actually is, and for everyone else to taste it done right.