To further expand its influence on the community, the Adventist Church in Iloilo, Philippines, established its first Adventist restaurant. PiatoVerde is a one-stop resto shop situated at the heart of Iloilo City. The restaurant aims to not only introduce various delectable healthy options but also utilize the restaurant space for meetings, healthy conversations, and fellowship. PiatoVerde focuses on imparting the Adventist health message through the dishes prepared and the kind of experience diners encounter in the Center of Influence.

While the world offers a wide array of gastronomic experiences for everyone's palate, PiatoVerde teaches the value of satisfaction through the stomach and holistically through body, mind, and spirit. With the right kind of food, our bodies can reach their full potential to enable us to achieve a fuller, healthier life.

“The COI is needed to gain people’s attention, leading them to be closer to the church and Jesus Christ,” said Pastor Kerry Estrebilla, president of the West Visayan Conference in Central Philippines. “The center will become a relationship-building and evangelism hub open for everyone who seeks to feed their hunger and their longing for Jesus Christ.”

The restaurant is in the process of creating its presence in the city. Iloilo is known for many succulent dishes inspired by different cultures and creative fusion. PiatoVerde offers a diverse option of healthy delicacies to make its customers keep coming back for more.

When asked about what the church wanted to achieve in the establishment of the restaurant, Estrebilla quoted the Spirit of Prophecy: 

I have been instructed that one of the principal reasons why hygienic restaurants and treatment rooms should be established in the centers of large cities is that by this means the attention of leading men will be called to the third angel's message. Noticing that these restaurants are conducted in a way altogether different from the way in which ordinary restaurants are conducted, men of intelligence will begin to inquire into the reasons for the difference in business methods and will investigate the principles that lead us to serve excellent food. Thus they will be led to a knowledge of the message for this time. (White, Counsels on Health, p. 491)

This article was originally published on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division’s news site