It’s always a winning duo- a renowned chef whipping up a fancy banquet sold per plate of which 100% of the proceeds will be donated to charity.

Such was the case of IChef and Chef Sharwin Tee’s collaboration—the two nights of charity dinners were sold out the instance the announcement was posted on social media.

“It was quite overwhelming because five hours after we got the word out, all 168 seats were taken,” shared Nicole Hao Bian, VP for Educational Development of JIB schools and host of the IChef Charity Dinner.

“As much as we would like to accommodate everyone interested, we cannot. But hopefully within the year we can have another one.”

The project came up when Chef Sharwin, host of Lifestyle Channel’s Curiosity Got The Chef, was in Davao last December for IChef’s Global Skills affair and suggested to Nicole they host a charity dinner with the students involved when the scholol’s new building opens.

Apparently, Chef Sharwin does a lot of charity dinners in Manila for the foundation he personally supports, the Ahon Foundation. The institution’s main objective it to build libraries in public schools and he’s looking forward to construct its first one in Davao.

The second beneficiary is the Divine Mercy Foundation, founded in Davao by Nicole’s grandmother, for its corporal works of mercy.

A couple of months after, the plan materialized— the new International Management School building was inaugurated and the grand lobby was turned into a dining hall, the students eagerly volunteered their services and Chef Sharwin flew to town (his plane fare on him. Yes, he’s very serious with his charity work) and his menu was whipped up and served.

“We wanted to celebrate what makes Davao really unique. When we searched the cuisine of Davao, what’s truly unique is the fruits. So we decided to create a menu that highlights all the fruits that’s enjoyed in Davao,” shared Chef Sharwin.