Eat – Page 48 – Jellybeans in the City

Send love despite the distance with Ben’s Cookies

It sometimes seems that this time of being separated from our loved ones will never end.

While we look back on the days when we can venture out of our homes to spend time with our friends and family and look forward to the days when we can do so again, the fact remains that, for the time being, our best expression of love is to protect them by keeping to a safe distance.

That doesn’t mean, however, that we can’t bridge the distance to our loved ones with some sweet thoughts and sweet gestures.

For instance, how about sending a box of Ben’s Cookies?

This cookie brand itself was borne out of a mother’s love. Cookbook writer Helge Rubinstein set up a business baking and selling cookies in a stall at UK’s Covered Court in 1983 and named it after her son. Today, it has branched out beyond the UK and even reached our shores when it opened its first store at the Podium Mall in 2019.

Each palm-sized cookie creation is moist and chewy, made with chunks – not chips – of premium chocolate, unsalted butter, wheat flour, fresh eggs, cane sugar and nuts, all freshly baked everyday.

Ben’s Cookies come in crave-worthy variants such as:

Other variants include: Fruit & Nut, Peanut & Milk Chocolate, Oatmeal & Raisin, Cranberry & White Chocolate Chunk, Lemon, Triple Chocolate Chunk and Speculoos.

At Php90 per cookie, Ben’s Cookies are sure to deliver sweet joy to whoever will receive them.

Gift them to your special someone in prettily packaged in lovely tin cans (Php545 for 4 pieces | Php945 for 8 pieces).

You may also get an even sweeter deal by getting a Small Ben’s Box (Php495 for 5 pieces + 2 free) or Large Ben’s Box (Php990 for 10 pieces + 5 free).

With the holiday season coming, now is the perfect time to send your love with Ben’s Cookies.

Order now for your loved ones at Ben’s Cookies website. You may also drop by any of these branches:

Ground Floor, Main Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City
Ground Floor, The Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
Second Floor, Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City

The Manila Hotel reopens dining outlets

The Manila Hotel’s two restaurants, Lobby Lounge and the famed Café Ilang-Ilang, are now open to serve dine-in guests under Metro Manila’s current community quarantine restrictions. The reopening of both outlets will enable guests to enjoy great food, their well-loved dishes, connect and meet with their colleagues and friends while maintaining social distancing in spacious dining areas.

The Manila Hotel is equipped with fresh air dampers that circulate fresh outdoor air sanitized by air micro filters into the outlets, so guests are assured that cleaner and better air quality is circulated within the indoor dining set-up. Social distancing is also strictly implemented, with enhanced cleaning, regular disinfection, and safety protocols also in place.

The Lobby Lounge is the perfect spacious venue for meetings and meet-ups offering free Wi-Fi for diners. Already dressed in festive décor to bring some much-needed joy and a spirit of hope in these trying times, the lounge is also a great place to have a filling meal from breakfast to dinner. It has also adopted the bestselling items from the hotel’s signature Chinese restaurant, Red Jade. Guests can enjoy Local Delights like Kare-Kare, Crispy Pata, and Sinigang na Salmon, among others, and feast on chow mien, dim sum basket, and the crispy Lechon Macau paired with Yang chow fried rice. Drinks, cocktail of the month, and snack staples including the Filipino High Tea, Merienda Especial, are also featured in the menu.

For people who have missed the plethora of international and local food selections at Café Ilang-Ilang, the beloved restaurant brings together Italian, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and even certified Halal dishes under one roof for an Eat-All-You-Can feast. Add to that the popular carving station that normally features Lechon and the US Roast Beef; the Churrasco station where you can have choice meats and seafood grilled for you while you wait; and the Cold Station with seafoods, cold cuts, and salads galore. The Dessert Station is always the sweet last stop where guests can delight in the artisanal ice cream in various flavors; Puto Bumbong and Bibingka; fresh fruits and cakes; and so much more.

Cafe Ilang Ilang's Roast US Beef — Roast Beef

Cafe Ilang-Ilang Japanese station — Japanese Station

Although sitting capacity is still limited for now, both The Manila Hotel’s Lobby Lounge and Café Ilang-Ilang are eager to welcome guests. Under the IATF guidelines for GCQ Alert Level 4 for Metro Manila, The Manila Hotel is only allowed to accept fully vaccinated guests between 18 to 65 years old until further notice; it continues to implement standard safety protocols in line with the DOH and IATF guidelines.

The Lobby Lounge operates from 9am to 9pm, weekdays and 9am to 3pm on weekends. Café Ilang-Ilang serves lunch at 11:30AM and dinner at 5:30PM.

For more information regarding reservation and buffet rates, please call our hotline numbers at (02) 85270011 or 0998-9501912. You may also email restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com or check and book online via www.manila-hotel.com.ph.

For updates and promos, please follow The Manila Hotel on Facebook and Instagram.

#YouDoYou with Yellow Cab’s sloppy wedges and party trays

We’re down to the last quarter of the year and you know what that means: celebrations!

Yes, ‘tis the season for merrymaking and central to every shindig is the abundance of food to enjoy with friends.

You can have this merriest of times anyway you like but it’s always best to experience it with good food!

Starting this October, Yellow Cab brings good eats fit how you want to celebrate the holiday season.

Sloppy Wedges. We all love potatoes; it’s a very versatile vegetable. However, we’ve only just scratched the surface of its many possibilities.

Yellow Cab levels up its potato game with its Sloppy Wedges (Php129). These chunky potato wedges are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, a delight to the bite! Each order comes in your choice of sauce – Spicy Cheese, Garlic Ranch or Smoky BBQ – but if you can’t choose among the three, you can always go for the Ultimate option, which has all of them!

Feel like entertaining some friends to some snacks while watching a movie at home? Yellow Cab’s Sloppy Wedges are the perfect foil to Yellow Cab’s bestselling pizzas, pastas or wings so your little house party will have a wonderful time nibbling in between breathtaking scenes.

Sloppy Wedges will be available in all Yellow Cab outlets nationwide for delivery, takeout, curbside pickup, drive-thru and dine-in starting October 4.

Party Trays. I personally can’t get enough of Yellow Cab’s Charlie Chan pasta. Actually its a pasta dish that comes across as an Asian noodle dish with al dente spaghetti stir-fried along with mushrooms, chicken, peanuts and spring onions in a sweet, tangy and spicy Oriental sauce. Its complex flavors will have people going for multiple servings.

Now, it’s available as a Party Tray which is a great way to share good food with family and friends!

Other Party Tray variants include Chicken Alfredo – an old favorite with chicken strips, olives and basil chiffonade tossed in a creamy sauce – and Spaghetti and Meatballs – wherein giant meatballs are baked and simmered in a chunky red wine tomato sauce.

Pasta dishes go so well with wings so you can always pair your pasta party tray with the Yellow Cab’s Wings Party Box. This limited-time offer gives you your choice of four different flavors of chicken wing flavors – Yellow Cab’s original Hot Chix, buttery Garlic Parmesan, lip-smacking sweet soy and sweet and tangy Sriracha – all in a 1.75-pound box that’s good for sharing.

Pasta Tray prices start at Php900 while Wings Part Box start at Php1,000, which give you more than enough as your potluck contribution to an family gathering or an office party.

Both Pasta Party Trays and Wings Party Boxes will be available for delivery, takeout, curbside pickup and drive-thru from October 4 to January 9, just in time for the holidays.

Make this holiday season your own. Celebrate it the way you want with your old and newfound faves from Yellow Cab.

Yellow Cab delivers through its website.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature.

The Jelly List: Tasty food options available for delivery

While many of our old dining haunts have (thankfully!) re-opened for business, they are doing so at just thirty percent capacity for outdoor dining and ten percent capacity for indoor dining, catering only to customers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

That leaves many of us members of the dining public still with little recourse for our foodie adventures but to have them at home.

Fortunately, great food is only a few phone taps away with these food shops!

SaladStop!

Veggies are front and center at Salad Stop!, a salad-centric shop that espouses “Eating Wide Awake.” Its salad creations are not only fresh, nutritious and flavorful, their ingredients are also sustainably sourced.

Hubby likes to add some greens to our meals by ordering his favorite salad trays which consist of up to six servings of fresh salad variants.

Hail Caesar Salad Tray. A variation of the classic Caesar Salad with romaine lettuce, shaved parmesan, sliced cage-free eggs, croutons and bacon bits tossed in Caesar Salad dressing.

Man-Go Wild! Salad Tray. A salad that makes vibrant use of the tangy green mango, with crabsticks, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, white turnip, yellow raisins and fried garlic tossed Mango Vinaigrette.

Salad Stop delivers via GrabFood.

Juliano’s

While its menu are mostly made up of ready-to-eat meals, this Antipolo-based enterprise also curates its own grazing spreads such as this Sampler, which consist of two kinds of cold cuts, two kinds of cheese, nuts and chocolates prettily and conveniently arranged in a 3×2 can.

While this sampler gifted by my brother-in-law is perfect for solo nibbling while watching TV or for sharing with a special someone over a glass of wine, Juliano’s also has bigger grazing spread variants for family dinners or parties.

Juliano’s accepts orders and bookings via Facebook.

Slow Burn MNL

Chef Chryso Morales crafts platters and food trays that highlight the enhanced flavors of food grilled to burned perfection through the business set up with his brother Dale: Slow Burn MNL.

Mother-in-law has the delicious habit of marking special occasions by sending us a tray of Slow Burn MNL’s Surf and Turf Tray (without shrimps) which features fall-off-the-bone tender Smoked Ribs over Umami Rice served with cherry tomatoes and French beans.

To order, call +63 956 0270730 or send a message via Facebook or Instagram.

Naked Bones

Barbecue is really close to our hearts, and appealing to our tastebuds because those barbecued ribs are always a hit with the fam.

Naked Bones’ Feast, for example, is portioned just right with a full slab of barbecued ribs, four cups of rice and four side dishes, all in one box, ready to serve!

Naked Bones accepts orders via Facebook and Instagram.

Let’s Get Litson

The roast beef has expanded its horizons beyond hotel buffets and is now in-demand as a food delivery item, particularly in its Pinoy iteration: the litson baka.

Cloud kitchen Kraver’s Canteen houses Let’s Get Litson which offers litson baka that’s been marinated for twenty-four hours, smoked and slow-cooked for six hours to tender and flavorful perfection.

It comes in an All-Meat Tray (all-meat, no rice), which contains roast beef slices good for up to four people accompanied by its own dipping sauce.

It’s perfect with rice and leftovers (if there are any!) can be added to salads. Yum!

Let’s Get Litson accepts orders through the Kraver’s website or via GrabFood.

Baked Sushi Manila

One of the top quarantine food trends – the Sushi Bake – has evolved into many delicious varieties such as the ones offered by Baked Sushi Manila.

Salmon Kani Avocado Bomb. Loaded with fresh toppings and premium Japanese spices, it’s a healthy and savory spin on the dish.

Cheesy Beef Gyudon. Thinly sliced beef cooked in a sweet and savory mixture of mirin and soy sauce and torched to smokey perfection.

Baked Sushi Manila accepts orders via Facebook.

These online food shops make it easy for us epicures to sate our cravings and discover new favorites.

Foodies, as you can see, you don’t need to venture out of home to enjoy great food. Just keep your phone handy and get to tapping for those orders!

Header photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com

Good times and good eating with Hodai’s newest Daebag Set

With all we’ve been through during lockdowns and quarantines, one can’t help but hold out hope for better times ahead.

At the same time, we can’t help but look back on all the things we used to enjoy, like dining out to savor our favorite and spending fun times with family and friends.

Personally, I miss going out for Korean BBQ (or “mag-samgyup” as we Pinoys like to term it). The sheer adventure of grilling our own food as we talk, laugh and banter with our companions always proves enjoyable.

A prime destination for this experience is Hodai Restaurant in Quezon City. Located in a remodeled two-story house along Examiner Street in Barangay West Triangle built in the 1960s, it lives up to its name (“Hodai” translates to “all you can” in Nihongo), it’s where you can get your fill of unlimited meats and side dishes.

To mark its recent re-opening, Hodai Restaurant celebrates the good times ahead with its Daebag Set. For just Php599 per person, this set brings together everybody’s Korean BBQ and yakiniku favorites, plus more, into one table for everyone to enjoy.

Seafood. Includes salmon sashimi, assorted sushi rolls (California Roll, Kani Roll and Mango Roll) and Salmon Sushi (Torched Salmon Sushi with Spicy Sauce, Salmon Maki with Mustard Sauce and Salmon Sushi) as well as fresh shrimp.

LA Galbi. Barbecued beef short ribs cut thinly along the bone usually served during special occasions.

Cheese Spicy Ribs. Tender pork ribs marinated in gochujang sauce with stringy mozzarella cheese.

Five kinds of pork. Includes Herb Pork Steak, Daepae Pork, Plain Pork, Yakiniku Pork and Gochujang Pork.

Five kinds of beef. Includes Enoki Beef Roll, Plain Beef, Herb Beef, Yangnyeom Beef and Gochujang Beef

Side dishes. Includes Beef Tteokbokki, Galbi Fried Chicken, Potato Marbles, Kimchi, Japchae, Fishcake and Sour Radish.

Did you know that “daebag” translates to “Awesome!” in Korean? In Korean dramas. it’s usually uttered as an expression of surprise at a positive situation. No doubt you will echo the same sentiment when this sumptuous spread is laid before you and your companions.

Such a delicious bounty sure seems like a portent of great things to come, doesn’t it? Well, invite more good fortune into your life by gathering your nears-and-dears and celebrating being alive and being together over good food. (While practicing physical distancing, of course!)

If you feel that luck is on your side, here’s your chance to win a free Daebag Set. From September 27 to October 10, paying adults ordering the Daebag Set can play a fun game wherein they can choose one out of four boxes containing a dalgona candy with an imprinted shape. They will be tasked to trim away the candy outside the imprinted shape using just a toothpick. Any customer that successfully accomplished this feat will be awarded a free Daebag Set.

(You might be getting flashbacks to similar scenes in the Netflix Show Squid Game, but this activity is actually a favorite pastime of Korean kids.)

So if you feel that you have been without fun times with family and friends over good food for too long, go meet up at Hodai Restaurant and feast over the Daebag Set.

Hodai Restaurant is located at 14 Examiner Street, Barangay West Triangle, quezon City, open daily for dine-in from 12 noon to 10pm. Note: Al fresco diners is available for all customers regardless of vaccination status while indoor diners are required to present their vaccination cards.

To reserve your table, call +63 956 4605848.

Disclosure: Together with fellow foodies, I attended a food tasting held at this restaurant. Food items were served to facilitate this feature and were not paid for by the attendees.

Grazing box of goodies from Home Table Deli

With the holidays nearly upon us, it’s time to think about what we can give to our loved ones as a token of our affection and to spread the joy of the season.

Despite most of us still spending most of our time at home, we do experience the struggle of dividing our time among our many responsibilities. A thoughtful gifter, therefore, would consider the following:

Will the gift help the recipient save time and energy?
Will the gift itself be something the recipient will enjoy?
Will the gift enhance the recipient’s enjoyment of being at home?

And the gift that ticks all of these boxes is a lovingly curated grazing box from Home Table Deli.

This online delicatessen offers an array of deli products which include choice and seasoned meats as well as box selections, pasta trays, coffee and cheeseballs.

Its grazing box tastefully curates its various products into one exciting package, which includes:

A massive 250-gram Bacon Jalapeno Cheeseball…

… together with crunchy veggie sticks, succulent fruits, nuts, olives and tasty cold cuts…

… ready for a round of snacking while binge-watching heartwarming TV series or for intimate celebrations at home.

It brings a whole table of goodies – great for sharing for up to seven people – all in one box!

You can order this grazing box from Home Table Deli for your special someones for just Php650 by visiting its online store or by sending a message via Instagram with at least a 24-hour lead time. If ordering online, indicate “give as gift” in the special instructions upon checkout.

Payments via GCash, bank transfer (Metrobank), credit card (via Paypal) and Paymaya are accepted. Home Table Deli can ship orders to customers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces for fixed rates or you can opt to book your own third-party rider to pick them up and deliver them to your giftees.

With a tasteful Home Table Deli grazing box, you can express your love and spread the holiday cheer to your loved ones with a thoughtful present that will make staying home for the holidays so much more enjoyable!

Want to have your boxes customized? Reach out to Home Table Deli via email (hometabledeli@gmail.com) or call +63 917 7016886 or +63 2 82879850.

Disclosure: Product sample was provided to facilitate this feature article.

The Jelly List: Cooking hacks to turn newbie cooks into kitchen mavens

If the pandemic, along with being stuck at home, has taught us anything, it’s the value of a good home-cooked meal.

Preparing our family’s meals at home not only keeps us safe during this time of rising COVID-19 cases, but also helps us in taking more control of our nutrition – in terms of ingredients used and portion sizes – as well as in managing our food budget.

However, some people who have become used to eating out, ordering takeout or having their delivered from restaurants and fast food outlets may find themselves at a loss when venturing into their own kitchens.

Fortunately, newbie cooks don’t have to get started on their culinary journey empty-handed. With the help of these food products readily available at e-commerce site Lazada, they can skip many of the rigorous steps in preparing home-cooked dishes and get right on to enjoying their delicious meals with the family.

Purefoods Beef Tapa.

A perennial favorite Filipino breakfast is a tapsilog in which the beef tapa takes center-stage. Traditionally, the beef is cured with salt and spices, then dried or smoked to preserve the meat for later consumption.

With Purefoods Beef Tapa, the frozen beef slices just need to be defrosted then fried in oil. Served with fried rice and fried egg, it becomes a delicious and filling breakfast for the family.

Buy It

Del Monte Quick ‘N Easy Flavors of Asia Red Curry Mix.

Whipping up an exotic dish like Chicken Curry may seem like a daunting task. Buying and storing the myriad of spices need to produce the vibrant and complex flavors of this traditional Indian dish may also be costly and impractical.

Del Monte Quick ‘N Easy Red Curry Mix already combines the spices and flavorings in the right proportions to capture the unique taste of Chicken Curry. Just heat up the powder mix in oil before adding the coconut milk, chicken and vegetables, and soon, you’ll have a tasty and extraordinary dish ready to serve.

Buy It

UFC Fresh Selections Whole Corn Kernels and Coconut Cream.

Gone are the days when home cooks would have to manually shave off the corn kernels from the cob as well as squeeze and strain the cream from freshly grated coconut just to be able to incorporate these in their dishes.

Picked and canned on the same day, UFC Fresh Selections enable newbie home cooks to conveniently include healthy and wholesome ingredients in their cooking. To make this Ginataang Mais, for example, just bring a pot with malagkit rice and UFC Fresh Selections Coconut Cream to a boil, then simmer until the rice is cooked before adding the UFC Whole Corn Kernels and sugar. In a few minutes, this classic Pinoy merienda is ready for the family to enjoy.

Buy It

Buy IT

Lemon Square Chocolate-Filled Lava Cake.

Many find baking to be quite intimidating. Whether it’s because of the need for precise measures or exact temperatures and baking times, some home cooks would rather avoid baking altogether, which is a shame since it’s a requirement of many scrumptious desserts.

However, my kids’ favorite snack during recess can actually be used as the cake base for a truly decadent Chocolate Dreamcake. Just crush a few pieces of Lemon Square Chocolate-Filled Lava Cake and press the crumbs into a pan before layering in the chocolate pudding and the melted chocolate to produce a truly show-stopping dessert.

Buy It

MY San Chocolate Graham Crackers.

There may be times when a fuss-free snack is in order.

A quick and delicious snack may be produced in a few minutes by bringing a pot of sugar, milk and butter to a boil, then adding oats, vanilla and salt and stirring in some crushed MY San Chocolate Graham Crackers once the oats are cooked. Shape these into balls and leave at room temperature , and soon, there’ll be a lovely treat for the kids to nibble on.

Buy It

With these cooking aids that help us skip many of the lengthy, time-consuming and tedious processes involved in preparing meals at home, budding home cooks really don’t have to be afraid of the kitchen. They can hone their cooking skills with ease and confidence, and still produce mouth-watering home-cooked meals for the family to enjoy.

Check out my Lazada picks to stock up on these pantry essentials and more.

Click Here

Photo Credit: Header by Anton Nazaretian of Unsplash.

Stock up on your favorite Tanduay Products in time for the holidays

Don’t wait for the holiday rush to stock up on your liquors. Head to www.shots.ph to purchase your favorite Tanduay products. Shop without the hassle with just a few clicks or taps. To make your shopping even easier, the official e-commerce store of Tanduay offers several product deals that you won’t find elsewhere.

Assorted Bundles

Tanduay’s Asian Rum Gold and Silver are two of its most-awarded products. It has been recognized in numerous international wines and spirits competitions. With the Asian Rum Bundles, you can purchase these products along with add-ons. The bundles are available from PhP1,200 and up.

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for your rum-loving friends and colleagues, you’ll never go wrong with the Tanduay Asian Rum Gold and Silver in a specially designed packaging by Kenneth Cobonpue. It also comes with a rock glass designed by the renowned Filipino artist.

ASIAN RUM GOLD & SILVER - KENNETH COBONPUE EDITION - PHOTO 2

Other rum bundles that come with assorted freebies such as chips, ginger ale, and rock glasses are also available. There are bundles for whiskey lovers, too.

Not Just Rum

Not only does www.shots.ph carry Tanduay’s most popular and awarded spirits, it also offers premium Tanduay merchandise. Visit the merchandise page (https://shots.ph/collections/merchandise) for apparel, bags, and collectibles that would be the best gifts for the family.

The Theo, Philo & Tanduay Infused Chocolate is also available in the online store. This specially crafted bar combines Theo & Philo’s famous chocolate flavor with the Tanduay Asian Rum Gold’s oak and honey-like taste with hints of almond and vanilla.

Explore the website to learn more about the latest available products.

Available for Pickup and Delivery

Pickups are available from Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Pickup locations include the Shots PH Headquarters in Kapitolyo, Pasig; the Tanduay Sales offices in Pampanga, Cebu, and Laguna.

Delivery is available in Metro Manila and select areas of Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Albay, Laguna, Cavite, Cebu, and GenSan (only in areas without a liquor ban).

For more information, you may leave a message through Shots by Tanduay’s Facebook page or through Viber message at 09171330786.

Details and Images provided in a recent press release.

Baking hacks with Betty Crocker Muffin Mixes

With more than a year since the start of the pandemic, some people stuck at home have started pursuing baking as a hobby.

It’s a great way to whip up freshly baked snacks and desserts for the family to enjoy without breaking the bank.

Plus, speaking as a home baker myself, there’s this sense of accomplishment that comes with knowing that I have produced something delicious.

However, some would-be bakers may need to ease in to their baking adventures, especially if they don’t have the time or the budget to stock up on the needed ingredients, or if they don’t have a grasp of the basics in baking at the moment.

Fortunately, Betty Crocker has a line of muffin mixes that can introduce newbie bakers to the joys of baking. Betty Crocker Muffin Mixes consolidate the dry ingredients needed to produce muffins, conveniently packaged in portable pouches or boxes, needing only the addition of eggs and liquids, and of course, baking, to produce mouthwatering baked goodies.

They’re easy to store in the pantry and take out when you want to quickly whip up a snack, or pack into your food bags to take with you when you travel. Whether you’re at home or on the go, having Betty Crocker Muffin Mixes on-hand means a yummy baked treat is never more than a few minutes away. Just follow the instructions on the package, and, soon,you’ll be enjoying your fluffy and freshly baked muffins.

Check them out:

Betty Crocker Triple Berry Muffin Mix.

Living in a tropical country makes it hard to keep mixed berries on hand. With Betty Crocker Muffin Mix, you get triple berry bits mixed in with the other dry ingredients, ready to be transformed into a sweet and fruity dessert.

Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix.

Chocolate chip is arguable the world’s favorite cookie flavor. With Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix, it can be enjoyed in muffin form.

Betty Crocker Banana Nut Muffin Mix.

Perfect as an after-meal treat, this combines bananas and nuts into a fluffy muffin.

Betty Crocker Cornbread & Muffin Mix.

A savory baked good, this is a great side dish to barbecues for a Southern meal or a light and fluffy snack.

Even if you’re a baking newbie, you can whip up muffins for the fam to enjoy with Betty Crocker Muffin Mixes.

CITEM kicks off first digital food expo

A year before the pandemic hit in 2019, the Philippine agri-food sector turned in a strong showing, accounting for an estimated P6.1T to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The same year also saw the sector employ 42.7% of the national workforce.

In the new normal that changed our lives and livelihoods forever, The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) tries to recapture the same momentum for one of our country’s most lucrative export sectors.

This is made possible through the first-ever digital iteration of its banner sourcing event for Philippine food, the IFEX Digital Expo 2021, from September 23-25.

“One of the many things that the pandemic brought forth is the need to connect—now more than ever. COVID changed the way we at CITEM worked, especially with heightened activity online. With borderless communication at our disposal, we present through this expo how we can conduct the business of food in the new normal,” CITEM Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan shares.

Leveraging its access to advanced digital tools, CITEM stages the IFEX Digital Expo 2021 to provide an avenue for Philippine food brands and businesses to showcase homegrown food products and ingredients to a wider audience.

Themed “Salu-salo,” IFEX Digital Expo brings together business owners, restaurateurs, hoteliers, farmers, food manufacturers and distributors, retailers, culinary professionals and foodies. The event serves as a medium for strengthening the food community through storytelling, knowledge sharing, and creating dialogue. This year’s show features over 200 exhibitors from all over the country. There are also invited industry experts from global organizations and local government agencies who will share their knowledge and insights on trends, opportunities, and techniques related to food. Networking and business-to-business matching sessions will also be part of the online event’s features.

A Three-Day Digital Celebration of Philippine Food

One of the highlights of the IFEX Digital Expo is the launch of two online platforms foodphilippines.com and www.ifexconnect.com, developed by CITEM. FOODPhilippines.com will be the website of the banner brand for all of CITEM’s events and initiatives for the Philippine food sector. Meanwhile, IFEXConnect.com will serve as the agency’s new promotion and lead generation platform for the country’s food export industry.

Expo delegates can look forward to a wide array of Philippine food product categories, including fine food and specialties, biscuits and confectionery, organic and natural food items and ingredients, and snacks and crispy savory food products.

In addition to the informative discussions, the expo is set to excite the palate through happy hour sessions such as coffee brewing. Take in the rich aromas and flavors of Philippine coffee on Day 1. Savor mouthwatering dishes as Chef Angelo Guison explores the flavorful gifts of coconut, from tree to plate, in Coco Pop on Day 2. Distinguish craft from draft with the Craft Beer Association of the Philippines and Philippine craft kings beer connoisseur Jazel Paraiso, as you sample a beer set and learn about beer-food pairing on Day 3.

Source From a Wide Array of Products at the Expo Section

The IFEX Digital Expo 2021 brings you an all-new digital sourcing experience through its Expo section on Hopin. Browse through a catalog of flavors harnessed from the Philippines’ distinct terroir and by Philippine food companies from all over the archipelago. In the three-day expo, you can also initiate business with food brands, export enablers, and business support organizations.

The IFEX Digital Expo 2021 is organized with the help of RAPID Growth, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Export Marketing Bureau-Halal (EMB-Halal), Philippine Coconut Authority, and DTI Regional Offices.

To join IFEX Digital Expo, register for free at https://bit.ly/IFEXDigitalExpo.

The rest of the three-day expo are as follows:

About CITEM

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) export promotions arm committed to nurturing the global competitiveness of Philippine micro, small, and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs), exporters, designers, and manufacturers. The agency aspires toward the highest standards of creativity and innovation, and spanning industries including home, fashion, lifestyle, and food sectors.

About FOODPhilippines.com

FOODPhilippines.com is an interactive community platform with stories celebrating and promoting Philippine food. The platform is replete with narratives on food heritage, culinary personalities, and well-loved recipes as well as innovative takes on Pinoy food.

www.foodphilippines.com

About IFEXConnect.com

IFEXConnect.com is a promotions and lead generation platform with business functionalities catered toward the needs of food exhibitors and buyers alike.The business-intensive portal is envisioned to be a sourcing platform that features digital storefronts of Philippine food exporters. Ready to serve the global market, IFEXConnect also has a business-matching facility to ensure access to and discoverability of well-loved Pinoy food products.

www.ifexconnect.com

About IFEX Digital Expo

CITEM organized the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines, a homegrown platform for the country’s food sector and the country’s biggest and most respected business-to-business (B2B) event for Asian food and ingredients. The export promotions agency is also in the thick of preparations for the digital iteration of IFEX Philippines, the IFEX Digital Expo. From expos, workshops, business-matching, and networking sessions, the IFEX Digital Expo will have food-intensive activities suited to the taste of anyone who’s in the business and culture of food.

https://bit.ly/IFEXDigitalExpo

Details and images provided by CITEM in a recent press release.