Cooking With Heart: LTB Philippines
Champions Paella Gigante 2026

There is something deeply intentional about the way LTB Philippines shows up for a cause. Not with a check or a token gesture -- but with spatulas the size of shovels, and a paellera the size of a small stage.

On April 25, 2026, the premier chefs association of the Philippines once again took center stage at Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati, leading the culinary force behind the 9th Paella Gigante 2026, which is one of the most anticipated food-for-charity events in the country.

Paella Gigante was first launched in 2012 and has since been organized in collaboration with the LTB Philippines Chefs Association and other partner institutions, growing into a highly anticipated annual event.

For over a decade, this partnership between LTB Philippines and the Sociedad Española de Beneficencia (SEB) has been a testament to what the culinary community can accomplish when it cooks with intention. Year after year, the association has mobilized its network of professional chefs; turning what could have been an ordinary fundraiser into a landmark cultural and gastronomic event.

The scale of the 2026 edition was nothing short of remarkable. Thirty-five chefs and eighteen young chefs from the Philippine Young Chefs Club participated in the event. They are as follows:

LTB Philippines Chefs Association

Philippine Young Chefs Club

This collaborative kitchen is the heartbeat of what Paella Gigante represents. It is LTB Philippines doing what it does best: uniting chefs across institutions, backgrounds, and specializations in service of something larger than any one of them.

The numbers tell their own story. The event used 100 kilograms of rice, 15 liters of olive oil, and more than 200 liters of water, all prepared in a paellera measuring over 12 feet in diameter, capable of serving up to 1,000 guests. Behind every grain of that rice was a chef, or a young chef, who chose to give their Saturday afternoon to the cause.

At its core, Paella Gigante is an expression of LTB Philippines' long-held belief that chefs are more than kitchen professionals. They are community builders. They are culture bearers. And especially for this event, they were also advocates: for the elderly, for Filipino-Spanish heritage, and for the power of food to move people toward generosity.

As the Paella Gigante 2026 drew to a close and the last servings were ladled out to a crowd of a thousand, it was clear that this was more than a fundraiser. It was a statement, which affirms that Filipino culinary excellence and the spirit of service go hand in hand.

This success would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors: 3KA Vegetables, MIDA Food Distributors Inc., Espa-Fil Import and Export Corporation, Alternatives Food Corp., Jamon Bros Inc., Sweetlink PH, McAsia Foodtrade Corp., Cirkulo Restaurant, and Chocfull of Nuts. Their commitment to the culinary community and to this cause made the giant paella, and the greater mission behind it, truly possible.