Chefs on Parade (COP): Bigger, Grander, Tastier!

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP) brings back Chefs on Parade (COP), the Philippines’ longest running culinary competition, on February 10, 11 and 12 at the SMX Convention Center. COP’s return has gotten the Filipino food industry celebrating. Restaurants and hotels are already choosing who among their chefs will be fielded. HRM colleges and culinary schools are signing up to join; their students busy with research and training for D-day. Foodies have hailed COP’s comeback as the answer to the community’s craving for a sumptuous gastronomic experience.

“Chefs on Parade is a prestigious event,” affirms Christopher Park, General Manager of the Manila Pavilion Hotel and Vice-Chair of the COP Competitions and Judging Committee. “It is recognized as the first national culinary competition in the Philippines and the only culinary event organized by the official association of the industry, the HRAP.”
Mother of all culinary events
The COP began in 1974 as a simple food display. Held for only a day at the Sea Breeze Hotel in Bacolod, it attracted a modest audience. But thanks to the efforts of organizers, most especially the chairpersons, COP grew in scope and support. “It is considered to be the mother of all culinary events in the country,” says HRAP Board Director JM Tanalgo who is also the head of the COP 2011 Ways and Means Committee.

Tanalgo further states that the COP is an HRAP creation. “The term ‘Chefs on Parade’ was made popular by HRAP and the association even owns the trademark and registration of COP.”

As the event became more popular, it attracted more participants and bigger crowds. From hotels, the COP was housed in big venues like the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), World Trade Center and the Intramuros Clamshell Pavilion.

The competition was held yearly from 1979 to 1998. It was then held every two years from 2000 to 2004. It stopped after 2004 due to financial constraints and the country’s challenging economic situation.
Back by popular demand
That is, until the intercession of the current HRAP who noted that new developments called for the COP’s return.

Richard Masselin, COP 2011 Over-all Chairman, explains: “Food has taken center stage in the lifestyle of a large and growing consumer base. Restaurants and food concepts are flourishing like never before and finally, on the human resources front, the country has thousands of young individuals undertaking college degrees, courses in culinary and or Hotel and Restaurant Management. … With established and new talents eager to showcase, compete and certainly celebrate, the COP will be a great platform for all of us to share our passion amongst professionals and also with our Public.”

He sums up the decision to mount the COP again as a “moral consideration.” Masselin says, “It was a response to requests from the community and the supporters of the HRAP as the industry and partners were urging us to revive the COP.”

The greatest cooking show
However, the current group of organizers realized that if they were going to do so, the event cannot simply be a revival; the COP would have to be on a grander scale and at par with global standards. Masselin says, “We set one condition… make it the greatest culinary event in the country!”

To this end, the HRAP prioritized raising the necessary funds. “The financial aspect of the operation was rationalized early… We have decided to form several partnerships to meet our financial requirements. As of to-date, we are well on our target,” says Masselin. “COP requires a massive amount of work and organization as well as for the logistic. We have a dedicated team on board with a lot of things to do until February 2011 but we are moving forward.”

Asian-wide
Based on the venue and the line-up of activities, alone, Chefs on Parade 2011 is set to be the biggest in its history. Halls 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the SMX Convention Center will be utilized for three full days. “So that is about 9,000 ++ square meters of culinary experience,” says Tanalgo.

More than food
Aside from the culinary contests, there will also be several free cooking demonstrations form known chefs, a book launch and several free workshops from industry experts. Two of the biggest highlights will be the presentation of the Larry J. Cruz Culinary Award to an individual who has made a great contribution to the food industry, and an ASEAN & Filipino Culinary Journey featuring historical cuisine and savory dishes from the Southeast Asian countries.
All these will be open to the public. The HRAP assures that the entrance fee and the tickets will be at popular prices.

JURA coffeemachines: Aroma boost, Eco-Intelligence..it’s all about perfection

JURA Elektroapparate AG of Switzerland extracts the aroma better than their cheaper, commercial counterparts. This in turn, naturally translates to some of the best-tasting cups of coffee you’ll ever get the pleasure of sipping.

Originally a home appliance company founded way back in 1931 in Niederbuchsiten, Switzerland, it wasn’t until 1994 when JURA started to specialize in fully automatic espresso machines with the very first of its innovative and now very popular IMPRESSA line. Since then, JURA has sold more than 2 million espresso machines, each one meeting JURA’s three main criteria of outstanding design, simple operation and the best coffee result. By outstanding design, JURA means compact espresso machines for the home characterized by clean lines and beautifully finished surfaces that have consistently won international design prizes. One look at JURA’s IMPRESSA J7 and IMPRESSA J9 One Touch machines and they look like high-end audio appliances that would look great not just in the kitchen but in any other room in the house, for that matter.

Ditto with the IMPRESSA C9, the Top of the Line IMPRESSA Z7 and the slim and sexy ENA7 and ENA9 machines that all embody elegance, sophistication and function in compact enclosures that are conversation pieces in themselves. As simple operation goes, nothing can be more intuitive than JURA’s interactive plain text dialog screen that makes it easy for anyone to serve a cappucino or latte machiato at the touch of a single button. Coffee strength, temperature, water and milk quantities are all adjustable not only in the IMPRESSA J9 One Touch but also in other equally state-of-the-art models like the IMPRESSA J7, the IMPRESSA C9, the IMPRESSA Z7, the ENA7 and the ENA9 models.

David Phoenix vs Skittles Fans

Drown a man in Skittles! Watch him, right now, right here: www.dazzletherainbow.co.uk. Your visits will add more Skittles!

Italian Festival at White Hat this October

Celebrate the Italian Way at White Hat this whole month of October. Try the Italian Hat - a blend of Fresh Kiwi, Strawberries in Syrup, White Chocolate Chips and Biscotti.

Regular Cup Php. 125 and P155 for the Large Cup Php.155. Free biscotto when you avail of the combo.

Save the date for Yoshinoya's Jumbo Plates Buy 2 Take 1

Yoshinoya's newest promo "Buy 2 Take 1" on their Jumbo Plates will run from Oct. 25 - 31, 2010. Save the date for a Jumbo Plate!

Mang Inasal now delivers within selected areas

Mang Inasal endeavors to adhere to elements that bear a distinctively Pinoy stamp-grilling with charcoal, rice wrapped in banana leaves, a marinade concocted out of local spices and herbs, bamboo sticks for skewers, and the ambience that encourages kinamot (the Ilonggo term in eating with the hands) whenever chicken inasal is served. All these evoke a rush of nostalgia for tradition, culture, and most of all, Home.

Now they deliver within Metro Manila, Antipolo and Cainta! Just call 733-11-11

Josiah's Catering's Black and White Thanksgiving Party

"Great food. Elegant setting.Excellent service. A night of exquisite dining experience.."

Indeed that was what we experienced at Josiah's Catering's Black and White Thanksgiving. The Blue Leaf Events Pavilion was transformed into an elegant venue with a fresh ambience plus of course great food..a really wonderful dining experience!



*For more information: 9342163 / 9417032 / 9425738 / 9345134 / 9349253 loc. 101 to 112 or email us at info@josiahcatering.com

Wendy’s Greenbelt reopens with a new look

Jason John W.S. Lim, newly appointed president of Wenphil Corp. (the Philippine franchisee of Wendy’s International), said Wendy’s International has seen the wisdom of creating a more "modern and clean feel" to their stores as a way of attracting a more diverse clientele, specifically from among the younger market aged 16 and up. The company decided to renovate its stores starting this year and to date, he said the company has spent P200 million to renovate 18 of its current 30 stores. Mr. Lim said Wendy’s has allotted another P150 million for the face-lift of the remaining 12 stores next year.

Wendy’s Greenbelt was the fourth Wendy’s branch in the country. It opened in October 1986. It was first renovated in April 1991, and then in June 2004. The store was renovated earlier this year, and was closed for 45 days until its soft reopening last month.

As Wendy’s improves on the look of all its stores, Mr. Lim said the company is also gearing up to aggressively expand next year. He said Wendy’s plans to open at least 15 new stores, mostly in the provinces like Cebu and Davao. "We feel it’s the best time for Wendy’s to change and keep up with the competition," Mr. Lim said.

Go crazy over garlic at Krazy Garlik

Yes, another restaurant from The Bistro Group that serves anything with and almost everything with garlic.. Krazy Garlik!

Recommended favorites are their Garlicky pizza, Krazy drinks and the Crema Catalana (creme brulee with caramelized garlic of course!) Plus for the daredevil in you, try the Hara Kiri Rice!

Located at the 2nd Floor, Greenbelt 5 (near the border of Greenbelt 1) Makati, they are open from 11 am to 11 pm.

*For more information: 501-3752 or log on to www.krazygarlik.com

McDonald’s Twister Fries is back!

It’s time to get twisted once again as McDonald’s Twister Fries makes its mouth-watering, eagerly-awaited return.

Made from only the best, freshest, high-quality potatoes, with each strand twirled and curled to perfection, McDonald’s Twister Fries has a unique and scrumptious taste you won’t find anywhere else. One bite of its tempting, crispy goodness will make you surely ask for more.

Show how much you love McDonald’s Twister Fries by liking the McDonald’s Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/McDo.ph and watch out for exciting Twister treats and updates. The fun starts as McDonald’s Twister Fries takes over Yahoo! Philippines and Munch Punch - Visit www.ph.yahoo.com from October 15 to 17 and www.munchpunch.com from October 15 to 28 and prepare to be mesmerized by the crazy twisting frenzy.

You’ve waited long enough for this. Visit any McDonald’s store and treat yourself, your family and friends to a twisting good time with the one and only McDonald’s Twister Fries.

WENDY's New Baconator Mexican Melt

WENDY's New Baconator Mexican Melt

Recently, Wendy’s introduced its biggest burger to date -- the Baconator Mexican Melt. It boasts of two 100% beef patties weighing a quarter of a pound each, combined with six strips of smoked bacon, and one generous slice of American cheese before it gets topped with cheese sauce, and sliced Jalapeño peppers. It is served on warm kaiser buns.

For the more health conscious, Wendy’s will soon offer shrimp fritters to complement the restaurant’s very popular shrimp sandwich, and its wide variety of salads.

PAPA JOHN’S PIZZA—US consumers’ top choice¬—is coming to the Philippines!

Papas John’s International, Inc. and Berjaya Pizza Philippines have sealed a deal to bring to the Philippine market the better pizza from Papa John’s in 2010. Filipinos, who are great pizza lovers, will surely appreciate and enjoy Papa John’s pizzas that are renowned for using high-protein flour, cheese made from 100% mozzarella, real meat toppings and other high-quality ingredients.

Papa John's has consistently been rated No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) honored Papa John's with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment. Papa John’s is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLV, XLVI and XLVII.

Papa John’s will open outlets in major malls in Metro Manila and near Residential and Commercial Business Districts to cater to the delivery service segment. Filipinos who have stayed in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, China and other Asian countries all attest to the great experience they have at Papa John’s.

For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.