artisanal – Jellybeans in the City

Chef Jessie’s creations are now available for delivery and pickup!

Fans of Chef Jessie Sincioco will surely be glad that her well-lauded creations will be easily accessible to them as we all enter the New Normal.

From her memorable beginnings as the baking category grand prize winner in The Great Maya Cookfest in 1983, becoming the very first Filipina Pastry Chef in 1990, her hands-on management of upscale restaurants through own company JCS Gastronomie, Inc, to being hand-picked to cook for His Holiness Pope Francis during the Pontiff’s 2015 visit to the Philippines, Chef Jessie has shown time and again that she can adapt to the changing needs of her clientele while maintaining the quality and craftsmanship her food creations have become known for.

With the metro now under a general community quarantine, with some restrictions still being applied to people’s movement, especially when dining out, Chef Jessie has made many of her celebrated culinary ouvres available via pick up and delivery, some of which were sent to me to sample and enjoy with my family.

Ciabatta Bread (Php100/loaf). Italy’s response to the French baguettes, this long, flat and rustic-looking loaf of bread (named after the slippers it resembled, apparently) was only invented in 1989 by Arnaldo Cavallari, but has the look and taste of old-fashioned breads. It’s perfect as an accompaniment to pastas and other savory dishes or as an appetizer when slathered with butter or dipped in to oil and balsamic vinegar.

Chef Jessie’s Special Dip for Bread (Php450 for 220g bottle). Speaking of dips, I also received a bottle of finely chopped red and green bell peppers, pimiento and grated parmesan in herbed olive oil, which went so well with the ciabatta bread. I liked the dip as is but Hubby preferred adding more grated parmesan to the dipped bread. Aside from snacking on the bread and dip while binge-watching on Netflix, we also included this combo to our meal when I cooked up some Creamy Pesto Chicken for the fam’s dinner.

Chocolate Gateau ala Teddy Keng (Php1,000 for 6-in | Php1,500 for 8-in). Chef Jessie’s version of the decadent chocolate cake, this confection is made of alternating layers of light chocolate cake and rich chocolate cream filling all covered with a rich, shiny ganache and decorated with an unfurling flower fashioned from chocolate.

As you can see from the description, this gateau is a chocoholic’s delight! Named after one of Chef Jessie’s friends, The Landmark founder Teddy Keng, the cake is said to be a rich, generous and subtly sweet as he is. Well, high praise indeed!

These culinary delights and more are available at Chef Jessie’s Place, the newly-built building which houses Chef Jessie’s pattiserie, restaurant and corporate offices. You can read more about it here.

Chef Jessie’s Place is located at 1997 Pililla corner Obrero and Tanay Streets, Valenzuela, Makati City, open daily from 9am to 4pm for pick up and delivery. To order, text or call +63 917 8967880, +63 917 8330797 or +63 977 0976649 or email chefjessiesplace@chefjessie.com.

Missing the experience of fine dining? Well, here’s some good news: Chef Jessie Rockwell Club is now open everyday from 10am to 5pm for dine-in. Prior reservations are required at +63 2 88906543, +63 2 88907630, +63 2 77290122 or +63 917 8967880. Read about my fine dining experience at Chef Jessie Rockwell Club here.
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.

Papa Diddi’s celebrates ice cream day with Scoop-All-You-Can

Here’s a fun scoop (pun intended): National Ice Cream Day is coming up! To celebrate the occasion, Papa Diddi’s Handcrafted Ice Cream will be having a scoop-all-you-can promo on July 15 for only P250.

With a wide selection of unique flavors such as their famed Tres Leches, you can now mix-and-match different flavors and scoop to your heart’s content at a Papa Diddi’s near you. And better yet, these artisanal ice creams are made from all-natural ingredients and have less sugar content, allowing you to have as many scoops as you want, guilt-free!

To avail of the Scoop All You Can Promo, visit Papa Diddi’s Handcrafted Ice Cream in the following:

168 Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village Quezon City
Pobstacion, L11 B4 Valdez Street, Poblacion Makati
The Community Kitchen, G/F The Community Bldg., Metropoli Drive, Metropoli Residenza, Bagumbayan, 1110 Quezon City, Philippines

Want more? Papa Diddi’s also offers a pint subscription service. Subscribers can get their ice cream fix for the summer with two handcrafted and hand-packed pints delivered fresh straight to their doorstep. Papa Diddi’s also offers an Ice Cream mobile bar for special events.

Papa Diddi’s Handcrafted Ice Cream is small batch, hand-mixed & hand packed all-natural premium ice cream, using produce sourced directly from farms, markets & gardens all over the Philippines.

Promo details provided by Papa Diddi’s in a recent press release.

San Fernando, Pampanga keeps the tradition of handcrafting Christmas lanterns alive

San Fernando, the provincial capitol of Pampanga, is a bustling city that houses the provincial presence of some of the country’s largest retail outlets, financial firms, restaurant chains, manufacturing companies and more. The city also plans to further expand the modernization of its infrastructure and services.

Despite its drive towards modernization, the city also stays true to its roots as the home of Christmas Lanterns, as manifested by its support to its handcrafted parol industry. San Fernando Pampanga’s parol makers are known for their grandiose creations: colorful and ornately patterned lanterns which light up and blink in cheery rhythms. Largely because of this, San Fernando, Pampanga has been hailed by CNN as “Asia’s Christmas capital.”

The Kapampangan tradition of handcrafting lanterns can be dated back to the 16th century when the Augustinian friars started the practice of holding processions honoring the town’s patron saints leading to the cathedral. This practice coincides with the Misa de Gallo, or dawn masses held for nine days leading to Christmas. The processions would later evolve and become locally known as Lubenas.

During these processions, the candles held by the devout would sometimes get blown out by the hanging amihan (cool northeast wind). The enterprising Kapampangans took to covering their candles to protect the flames from the breeze, thus making them lanterns. And since Kapampangans are also characterized by their appreciation for beauty, joy, grandiosity and pomp, the lanterns grew in size and complexity of design as the years went by. They evolved from being made of simple bamboo and other indigenous materials to incorporating dancing lights as well as the use of colored plastics and fiberglass in the design.

This interesting origin story of the parol was retold by Rolando Quiambao, the lantern maker/designer behind RolRen’s Lanterns and General Merchandise. The parols of this home-grown business have enjoyed not only national, but also worldwide acclaim. If you chanced upon the bombastic parols used during the Metro Manila Filmfest or those gracing the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), chances are, these were supplied by RolRen’s.

RonRel’s also produces lanterns for Saipan, Korea, Guam, Taiwan, Palau and more. While its products geared towards the international market retain the Kapampangan parol at their core, the execution of these lanterns reflect the culture of the country they are going to. Palau-bound lanterns, for instance, depict the nipa huts and boats used in local culture.

Recently, RolRen’s supplied San Fernando’s Heroes Hall with colorful life-size depictions of the Paskong Kapampangan (Christmas in Pampanga).

RonRel’s has also incorporated innovations in parol into its parol design. Its designers worked with computer programmers to facilitate choreographed blinking of the parol’s various lights via rotors, for example. Previously, these lights were manipulated using on/off switches.

Mr. Quiambao shares other interesting snippets of trivia as well. Did you know that what sets the Kapampangan parol apart from other Christmas lanterns are its component parts which are steeped in tradition? These are:

The middle portion called the tambol (base drum) so named because its round shape resembles that of the drum
The star-shaped portion after the tambol is the pito-siko, named after the way the star’s corners resemble bent elbows
Surrounding the star is the palimbon from the Kapampangan word for procession that circles the town on the way to the cathedral
The outer layer is called the ponteta, from the Kapampangan word punta, which refers to it being the final component of the parol.

The artisans of RolRen’s don’t have a monopoly of Kapampangan parol-enthusiasm either.

With the approach of the holiday season, amateur lantern makers from various barangays in the city are gearing up for this year’s Giant Lantern Festival. Already on its 110th year, the festival displays the artistry and passion the Kapampangans have for their parols as representatives from participating barangays contruct lanterns up to 20 feet tall to compete with those from other barangays.

Barangay San Jose, in particular, is represented by the Ambrosio family, the only team that has a female lantern-maker, Mary Anne Torres. (The lantern makers of the other contest entries this year are all male.)

This year’s entry from San Jose will reach up to 19.8 feet and will requires 10,000 lightbulbs.

Barangay San Jose’s last win in the Giant Lantern Festival was in 1991. Their winning piece was later displayed during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

The Giant Lantern Festival Competition will be held at the Robinsons Starmills on December 15, 6pm at the Robinsons Starmills. Participating barangays include Calulut, Del Carmen, Del Pilar, San Jose, San Juan, San Nicolas, San Pedro, Sindalan, Sta. Lucia, Sto. Nino and Telabastagan.

Want to take part in this fun and light-filled event as well as check out the local delights that San Fernando, Pampanga has to offer? Check out these packages centered around the competition night from tour operators accredited by the city government:

M.A.G. Travel & Tours

Tour Highlights: Giant Lantern Grand Competition Night, visit and learn how to make giant lanterns, Kapampangan cookery and food crawl, learning indigenous ways of preparing and cooking meals, a visit to the Sunken Church of San Guillermo Parish, a visit to the San Fernando Train Station
Rate (with overnight stay ay Imerex Hotel): Php5,650 (single)/Php4,280 (twin)
Contact Details: +63 2 3598699; +63 045 4995139; +63 917 6311459; +63 920 1172333; and +63 923 4258888

Don’t Skip Manila

Tour Highlights: Early Buffet Dinner of heirloom Kapampangan recipes; lantern-making workshop and factory tour; Giant Lantern Festival Show
Rate: Php2,000 pax
Contact Details: dontskipmanila@gmail.com

CultureShockPH

Tour Highlights: Early Buffet Dinner of heirloom Kapampangan recipes; lantern-making workshop and factory tour; Giant Lantern Festival Show
Rates: Php3,000 (discounts will apply for multi-person booking, students and children age 12 and below)
Contact Details: +63 917 7146737 (Osep Reyes)

LQM Travel

Package Inclusions: round trip transportation (pick up from Clark or Angeles); entrance to Clark Museum and VIP Seat at the Giant Lantern Exhibition; Lunch and Dinner; Souvenir T-Shirt and Licensed Tour Guide

Rate: Php3,000 (discounts will apply for multi-person booking)

Contact Details: +63 045 3311036; +63 045 3311356; +63 906 0660521; or +63 919 8744984

Disclosure: Together with other bloggers, I participated in a tour and food crawl sponsored by the city government of San Fernando, Pampanga. The experiences and food served were not paid for by the attendees including myself.

Coco Dolce supports organic farming with its coconut-rich chocolate bars

Coconut and its various derivatives have long been touted for their contributions to the flavors and health benefits of food prepared with them.

My foray into Kultura Filipino’s “Crafts for a Cause” exhibit where I chanced upon the Coco Dolce stall, however, was the first time I heard about using coconut products in chocolate production.

This unusual feature is in line with the tenets that Coco Dolce producer, The Freefood Co., operate by. Its guiding principles include: better health, helping rural areas develop into sustainable communities, and respect for the planet and its resouces.

Its chocolate bars, therefore, are made from a rich blend of fine cacao beans, low-glycemic coconut sap sugar, virgin coconut oil and vanilla. These ingredients were sourced from Mindanao’s organic coconut farming communities and from local growers of indigenous cacao and nuts across the country. The resulting chocolate products are free from GMOs, harmful processing agents and preservatives and other chemicals that may adversely affect one’s health.

Organic coconut sap sugar, in particular, has a low glycemic index level of 35, making Coco Dolce bars suitable for people who need to manage their sugar intake.

The bars are manufactured by chocolate artisans using the traditional conching method. This involves the heating and mixing of the chocolate’s ingredients over long periods of time. The process helps in developing the chocolate’s flavor through frictional heat, release of volatiles and acids, and oxydation.

I bought two of Coco Dolce’s 45g chocolate bar variants: the Milk Chocolate (whole milk powder added to the other ingredients) and the 65% Dark Chocolate.

The bars hold well without refrigeration yet has a smooth texture upon biting. The chocolate flavor is rich, helped by the non-cloying and milder sweetness of the coco sugar.

Over the holidays, I plan to gift some bars to my titos and titas who are trying to control their sugar intake. Because the holiday season is a time to enjoy good food, right?

Aside from SM’s Kultura Filipino outlets, Coco Dolce chocolates may also be purchased online in The Good Store.

Check out my review of another artisanal chocolate –Malagos single origin premium chocolate.

Malagos brings award-winning single origin premium chocolate from Davao

As with most plants, cacao beans, from which chocolate is manufactured, take on the characteristics particular to the region where they were grown and harvested. This is called their terroir.

Cacao beans that have been blended lose their terroir, hence the preference of some chocolatiers for single-origin chocolate products.

Davao-based Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation, for example, produces the award-winning single origin premium Malagos Chocolate. This product line grew out of the resolve of the Malagos company matriarch, Mama Charita Puentespina, to reinvigorate the Davao’s cacao industry which crashed in the 1980s.

Instead of just exporting cacao beans to serve as raw materials for foreign chocolate manufacturers, Mama Charita drove the company’s cacao growing and post-harvest practices, as well as campaigned to make cacao a priority crop in the region.

Today, Malagos Chocolates is an internationally recognized and awarded brand. It is made from high quality cacao beans, grown in the Malagos farm in the foothills of Davao’s Mount Talomo.

The beans are carefully fermented, sun-dried and roasted in temperature controlled roasters, then ground to a fine texture at par with international chocolate standards. These processes are all done without the product ever leaving Davao, making Malagos Chocolates all natural, single origin and tree-to-bar.

I chanced upon Kultura Filipino’s “Crafts for a Cause” exhibit over the weekend and replenished my chocolate stash from the local brands featured there.

I picked the 65% dark chocolate; being the lowest percentage cacao content among the brand’s offerings, I think this variant offers the best balance between sweet and bitter chocolate flavors.

And apparently, I’m not the only one that thinks so. Malagos Chocolate’s 65% Dark Chocolate has won international awards, particularly in Academy of Chocolate’s Tree-to-Bar category in 2017, and in the World Drinking Chocolate Competition organized by the International Chocolate Awards in 2015.

Fancy a bite of this award-winning, single origin dark chocolate treat? Malagos Chocolates are available at SM Kultura Filipino branches in SM Mall of Asia, SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM AURA, SM North EDSA, Taal Vista and Pico Loro.

For more details, visit malagoschocolate.com.