Chef Tatung Sarthou's Simpol Dishkarte Cookbook Bags Gourmand World Cookbook Award

(SPOT.ph) Here's some good news and Filipino pride to keep your day on the right track. Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou has just been awarded the 2023 World Gourmand Award for Best Celebrity Book in the World for his cookbook Simpol: Dishkarte. The award was conferred to Chef Tatung in an awarding ceremony held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 28. But what exactly did he win? Here's what you need to know. 

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Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou Bags 2023 Gourmand World Cookbook Award

ICYDK, The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards are often likened to the Oscars for film and the Olympics. Every year, the award-giving body recognizes the best food and wine books, printed or digital, and food television. The prestigious award is a coveted prize within the food community, and this year, Filipino chef-slash-author-slash-restaurateur Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou bagged the World Gourmand Cookbook Award for Best Celebrity Cookbook of 2023.

Simpol: Dishkarte is one of several cookbooks by the celebrity chef. This particularly focuses on creating Filipino dishes using simple and easy-to-follow instructions. Aside from teaching readers how to make the dishes, it also informs them of how to choose and differentiate the better ingredients that best fit the dish.

This isn't Sarthou's first win at this level. In 2017, Sarthou's Philippine Cookery: From Heart to Platter also nabbed the Best TV Chef Book Outside Europe at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, while in 2021, his Simpol: The Cookbook also won the Best Book by a Celebrity Chef and the Easy Cookbook Awards at the 2021 World Gourmand Awards in Paris. Simpol: Dishkarte joins its predecessors as another award-winning creation, beating out 205 other entries from all over the world. 

In an interview with SPOT.ph, Sarthou expressed his deep gratitude and pride for representing the Philippines on this global stage. "I'm really proud of this book because it is really part of my advocacy to teach Filipinos how to cook. At the start people were hesitant to publish it kasi it was too ambitious and baka walang bibili. Now, this recognition really proves that bold moves really pay off sometimes. My entire team is so happy about this win."

Sarthou has always been passionate about making culinary education and Filipino food accessible to all. "I really love what I do, and I really want to show people that one can achieve great things by hard work and dedication," he continues. "I must admit that it seems that an ordinary person starting from nothing could get this far. That's why I keep pushing, and like this book, I also want to give people access to skills and knowledge that they could not have otherwise. I really dedicate this book to all non-English speaking Filipinos who want to get a culinary education, especially those in the countryside—the reason I wrote this book in conversational Filipino."

What's next for Chef Tatung Sarthou?

Despite all his success, Sarthou isn't showing any signs of slowing down. Chef Tatung, as Sarthou is fondly called, is known all over the metro for his diverse restaurants and eateries, including Lore Manila, Azadore, New York Cubao, and Tindeli. He also hosts his own cooking-centric web series on his YouTube channel Simpol. Aside from these ongoing engagements, Chef Tatung is also scheduled to release his first children's cookbook entitled The Simpol Young Chefs Cookbook, a fully illustrated kid-friendly guide to the kitchen before Christmas. He also has an upcoming bakery-slash-bakeshop concept that's soon to come in Quezon City. 

For more information, visit World Gourmand Cookbook Award's website.

Also read: Erwan Heussaff + 3 Filipino Chefs Are Nominated for the 2023 James Beard Awards

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