Since Maui chef Sheldon Simeon put Filipino food on the map a few years back during his stint on "Top Chef," local foodies have been waiting for the cuisine to start making waves on the scene. Looks like momentum may finally be starting to build.

After his third-place finish on the show, Simeon opened Migrant restaurant on Maui, which features some Filipino dishes.

And last month, Philippine native and New York resident Yana Gilbuena kicked up a bit of dust after traveling the country to present Filipino pop-up dinners in all 50 states, wrapping up her journey with a long visit — and numerous dinners — on Oahu.

On Sunday more than 425 visitors — a sell-out and then some — feasted on Filipino fare representing four regions of the Philippines: Ilocos, Central Luzon, Visayas and Bicol. The event, dubbed the 1st Filipino Food Fare 2015, was a joint effort of the Philippine Consulate and the Philippine Celebrations Coordinating Committee of Hawaii and celebrated 117 years of Philippine independence.

"There are 7,100 islands in the Philippines and about 15 regions, so the array of food is endless," said Amelia Casamina Cabatu, chairwoman of the festival, explaining that the focus on the four regions reflects the populations living in Hawaii.

"The menu features staples in Filipino cuisine. Each region has specialties that are seasonal, but the basic Filipino flavoring starts with garlic, tomato, onion and patis (fish sauce). We use a lot of pork and shrimp, and lots of vegetables."

THOUGH A portion of the menu featured dishes long familiar to many Hawaii residents, such as lumpia, pinakbet and chicken tinola (also called chicken papaya), others were likely less so. Skewers offered Tagalog (Luzon) street foods of kwek kwek (breaded quail egg), bola-bola (fishball), walkman (grilled pig ear) and isaw (grilled pork intestines), while embutido, another Tagalog food of ground pork, red bell pepper and raisins, made for a tasty rolled meatloaf.

Laing from Bicol resembled luau with its taro leaves cooked in coconut milk, but the dish had a salty kick with patis and chili pepper and did not include meat. The Visayan dish shrimp pasayan sa palayok was a delicious, simple combination of shrimp, coconut milk and Hawaiian salt. Cabatu said Bicolan and Visayan foods are sometimes cooked in coconut milk, reflecting an influence from neighboring Indonesia, though she said coconuts are so abundant in the Philippines that its inclusion is rather a natural thing.

Meanwhile, the supply of lechon, the delectable roast pork with its crisp skin, dwindled rapidly, though planners ordered two pigs. Cabatu said the dish is a national food of sorts, and though it is always roasted rotisserie style, seasonings vary by region. These are often stuffed inside the pig to infuse flavor throughout the meat, she said.

SOME OF THE most delicious foods on the menu were vegetable dishes that serve as accompaniments to lechon. These were seasoned predominantly with vinegar to cut through the fattiness of the pork: Atchara was a shredded papaya salad that resembled pickles; enseladang talong, a grilled, vinegary, garlicky eggplant salad tossed with salted round onion; and dark green salayot leaves, cooked in vinegar and garlic for flavorful impact.

Festival planners said they hope to make this an annual event. Sated celebrants surely agree.