I know that all the inconveniences and restrictions brought about by the still ongoing quarantine can’t defeat your indomitable spirit.
Your search for tasty treats that sate your appetite and excite your taste buds continues.
And if you happen to chance upon one that from enterprising young ‘uns, then all then all the better, right?
Take Clingy Wingy, for example.
A partnership between twenty-two-year-old Gabrielle Carreon and nineteen-year-old Dana Amores, Cainta-based Clingy Wingy is one of the newest (and most welcome) entrants into the online food selling business.
Best friends Gabrielle and Dana decided to extend the reach of their family’s kitchens and offer their well-loved flavored chicken wings to stuck-at-home foodies at affordable prices. These include:
Classic Buffalo. Crispy chicken wings coated in a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce for an unbeatable mix of tangy and spicy.
Spiced Honey Garlic. A sweet-savory sauce made with a combination of honey and garlic flavors the chicken pieces.
Garlic Parmesan. Garlic butter sauce topped with parmesan cheese add flavor to chicken wings that kids love.
Hickory Barbecue. Smokey barbecue-flavored wings reminiscent of Southern-style barbecues.
You can munch on these pieces while camped out in front of the TV, while having an e-numan session with your buddies or you can serve them with lots of rice to the fam for dinner.
These chicken wings are available in boxes of four pieces (Php119), eight pieces (Php229) and twelve pieces (Php339).
To order, message Clingy Wingy on Facebook or Instagram. Payments via BDO and GCash are accepted, as well as cash on delivery. These wings can be delivered for free within three kilometers of Midtown Village, Cainta, Rizal, and to anywhere in Metro Manila and Rizal with a delivery fee.
So quarantitas, show some love to these budding entrepreneurs and get yourself of box of Clingy Wingy wings!
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
These are the sticky rice cakes that many of us used to wolf down for merienda after a bout of running around the neighborhood with our pals.
The term kakanin is the portmanteau of the Filipino words kain (“to eat”) and kanin (“rice”). Made with glutinous rice and coconut milk, and sweetened with sugar or accompanied by sweet fruits, these rice treats can go a long way in re-energizing youngsters after playing all afternoon and tide them over until dinnertime.
One of my favorites is the suman, a kakanin in which the glutinous rice is cooked in coconut milk and streamed and is usually served wrapped in banana leaves. There are many ways to enjoy this rice dessert: the ones my lola in Bataan used to make is composed of short cylinders of that I would dip in sugar before eating, while my mom likes to lightly fry some in oil until they get a little crispy.
I was already an adult by the time I came across a new variant called suman sa latik. In this suman iteration, the rice cake is doused with latik, or caramelized coconut milk. This makes for a decadent dessert or filling merienda.
Thanks to a fellow foodie sharing his snack stash, I was able to get a taste of Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik one afternoon.
These suman are handmade with love, just like how our lolas used to make.
These are best enjoyed right away, but as I had a couple of telecons that Saturday afternoon, I delayed eating them for a while. No worries, though; I just reheated a piece in the microwave for half a minute before pouring some of the caramelized coconut cream sauce over it, and placed the rest in the fridge.
And since I couldn’t keep such a yummy treat to myself, I sent a few pieces over to my mom, who also loved it!
You can get your own box of Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik for just Php200. It contains six pieces of banana leaf-wrapped suman and a generous helping of latik, more than enough to satisfy your suman craving.
To order, send your name, contact number, delivery address and number of orders to Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik on Facebook or Instagram for delivery anywhere in Metro Manila or Cavite on Saturday. Cashless payments via BDO, BPI and GCash are accepted.
If you are not consuming your suman sa latik right away, they may be kept in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Aside from microwaving, they may be reheated using a steamer for thirty minutes.
Go ahead and order a box of Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik to share with the fam and reminisce about the good ole’ days.
Just like that: September is here, momshies. And so begins the world’s longest Christmas season.
And while the whole world is still battling that dread virus, you still shouldn’t let it keep you from celebrating what joys you can, right?
Life does go on, so let’s celebrate it with good food, especially now when you won’t have to slave away in the kitchen to serve the fam a show-stopping meal, thanks to SilverSpoon.
The brainchild of thirty-year-old financial advisor and budding food entrepreneur Decebelle Montefrio, SilverSpoon brings tasty gourmet dishes to your table for your family to enjoy.
It was Decie’s dream since her college days to pursue her love of cooking and have her own food business. When the pandemic struck the country a few months after she returned to the Philippines from Canada, she decided to set up an online food business instead. By June this year, Decie has launched SilverSpoon, offering viands that appeal to the Pinoy palate which are also close to her heart such as:
Roasted Potato Wedge Snack (Php180). Generous wedges of potatoes, flavored with herbs and seasoning and oven-roasted until golden brown. It’s great for munching while binge-watching your favorite TV shows, or as a appetizer to a fabulous meal.
Butter Garlic Shrimp Platter (Php630). Plump shrimps lightly breaded and coated in a flavorful sauce of butter and garlic, great with lots and lots of rice! Also available in a solo meal with rice and veggies for Php230.
Honey Garlic Liempo Platter (Php380). Tender grilled pork belly glazed in a sweet-savory honey garlic sauce. Also available in a solo meal with rice and veggies for Php150.
Lechon Kawali Solo Meal (Php150). Deep fried pork belly with crunchy skin and flavorful meat served with rice and veggies. Also avail also as a Platter for Php360.
Spicy Adobo Solo Meal (Php150). Decie’s childhood pork adobo recipe with a bit of a spicy kick. True to the adage that adobo gets better in its second serving, leftovers from this generously portioned dish were also great as adobo flakes the next day. Also available as a Platter for Php350.
To order a belly-filling and heart-warming gourmet meal for your family, message SilverSpoon on Facebook or Instagram, or text +63 936 8102017. Pre-orders for next-day delivery are accepted until cut-off at 8pm. Payments via GCash, BPI or BDO, as well as cash on delivery are accepted. Orders may be delivered from SilverSpoon’s kitchens in Commonwealth, Quezon City to anywhere in Metro Manila (delivery fee to be shouldered by the buyer).
So, momshies, have a merry early start to your holiday celebrations with SilverSpoon!
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
If the past few months of quarantine has taught me anything, it is that we need every bit of comfort we can get.
These are not normal times and we are not operating at our usual capacity. Therefore, we need to treasure what sources of joy or contentment we have.
Personally, I take comfort in good food. When I feel overwhelmed during a busy workday or in the midst of mounting house chores, a bite into something delicious will soon set me – and the world – to rights.
To you, my dear foodies, I’m happy to share my discovery of a new source of comfort: 616 Burger.
This passion project of twenty-two-year-old recent UST grad Alyanna Manuel started off as her quarantine pastime and side hustle. Building on her family’s experiences in running food businesses, and her own love for cooking, she started whipping up her favorite comfort food and offering them online at affordable prices. Her menu items consist of familiar snack items that are leveled up by way of ingredients and preparation to satisfy the palate of discriminating foodies.
The Crunchy Bacon Burger (Php160), for instance, is made with pure beef burger patty flavored by six spices and well complemented by the smokey bacon, slices of fresh veggies and its garlic mayo sauce inside a freshly baked bun. Crunchy bits of Piknik add some interesting texture to every bite of this juicy burger.
The burger’s trusty sidekick, the Cheesy Overload Fries (Php85), on the other hand, has a crispier texture than other fries due to its light breading. The sauteed ground beef and cheese sauce added some heartiness to this side dish.
If you still can’t get enough of cheese, then grab a Cheese Quesadilla (Php110), buttery toasted soft tortillas encasing high quality cheese.
Snacking on these gave me and the kiddos a happy respite in an otherwise crazy day.
To get your hands on these comforting snack items, message 616 Burger on Facebook or Instagram or fill out the online order form. Cashless payments via GCash, Paymaya and BPI are accepted. 616 Burger’s snack items can be delivered from Don Enrique Heights in Quezon City to anywhere in Metro Manila.
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
Momshies, just because you spend more time at home nowadays doesn’t mean you’re less stressed, right?
With all that juggling between working from home, and all the stuff you need to work on at home, it’s enough to make you get frazzled sometimes.
Fortunately, the folks over at Jampax can take stress out of preparing your family’s next meal.
A group of friends who used to work in food industry before the pandemic hit our shores banded together and put their skill sets to bear to whip up tasty yet affordable rice meals for online selling.
Here’s a sampling of what you can expect from Jampax:
Gyoza (Php45/5 pieces). Mini-versions of the popular Japanese potstickers made with ground meat and minced vegetables flavored by garlic and aromatics wrapped in thin dough wrappers. This is my daughter’s favorite dumpling and she considers no Japanese meal complete without it.
Katsudon (Php110). Tender piece of pork loin, breaded and deep-fried served with egg cooked in a sweet and savory sauce over steamed rice and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. My little boy can’t get enough of it!
Chicken Inasal (Php85 | Php100 with rice). A boneless quarter leg of chicken flavored in the traditional Ilonggo marinade of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar and annato then roasted until tender and flavorfully smokey.
Other dishes from Jampax’s home-cooked menu include:
Chicken Teriyaki (Php85 | Php100 with rice)
Karaage (Php85 | Php100 with rice)
Tonkatsu (Php85 | Php100 with rice)
Pork Siomai (Php40/5 pieces)
Japanese Siomai (Php55/5 pieces)
Lumpiang Shanghai (Php45/5 pieces)
These dishes are jam-packed with flavor and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways:
A single order can be a busy office worker’s hassle-free lunch
Several orders can be family’s quick and easy dinner
Large orders can be a crew meal for outdoor projects and or party fare for big celebrations
Want to stock up on food you can cook later? Jampax also offers marinated chicken wings and chicken breast fillets at Php200 per half-kilo pack (in flavors garlic parmesan, hickory barbecue and buffalo flavors), as well as frozen pork siomai, Japanese siomai, gyoza and lumpiang shanghai for Php70 per twelve-piece pack.
So momshies, kiss the stress away for your fam’s mealtime. Just order your food at Jampax by calling +63 915 5850297 or sending a message on Facebook or Instagram between 8am and 6pm daily with a two-day lead time (same day orders may be accommodated depending on stock availability). Cashless payments via BPI and GCash are accepted and encouraged. Delivery is free in selected areas in Cavite.
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
If you still haven’t thrown yourself into one of the quarantine’s most popular pastimes because you lack the time, ingredients or equipment, let me share with you some hacks that will have you donning on your apron, ready to bake.
Let’s start you off with simple treats that will surely win the hearts (and tummies!) of the youngsters and adults alike: cookies!
Cookies seem to have been originated in 7th century Persia, a little while after the use of sugar became common in the region. Through the Muslim conquest of Spain, this baked goodies spread throughout Europe. It was said to have come to America through the Dutch in New Amsterdam in the 1620s with the Dutch word koekje latet Anglicized to “cookie.”
Since then, exciting cookie variants have been introduced, giving cookie fans more reasons to love their favorite baked treat.
Bringing these bits of sweet happiness to your home even got a whole lot easier with these beloved cookie flavors in packaged mixes from Betty Crocker.
Betty Crocker got its start back in 1921 through a sales promotion ran by Gold Medal Flour targeting home cooks. Along with the entries, flour milling company Washburn Crosby Company (the predecessor of General Mills, Inc.), received a deluge of questions about baking. The name Betty Crocker was formulated to personalize responses to these queries.
Today, Betty Crocker is considered an icon of food expertise and reliable products, offering reliable and accessible recipes, sound cooking advice and dependable products. Its trademark red spoon and the Betty Crocker brand evokes that feeling of warmth and homeyness.
Among its products are the Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes. These mixes have no colors, no artificial flavors and no preservatives, just honest-to-goodness ingredients that will enable home cooks to have freshly baked treats from bowl to oven in minutes.
And really, these cookie mixes are so easy to use; I made three flavors of cookies using just my trusty mixing bowl, a fork, a 1 1/2-in diameter ice cream scoop, and, of course, my trusty oven (preheated to 375 deg F (190 deg C).
Each 17.5oz (496g) cookie mix bag produces twenty-four 3-inch cookies, enough to sate the cravings of any cookie fan.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
This beloved cookie was invented in 1938 by chefs Ruth Graves Wakefield for the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, then a popular spot for home cooking. She chopped bits from a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar into a cookie dough made with flour, butter, brown and white sugar and vanilla, and a legendary cookie was born.
The Hack: Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Mix together the cookie mix, one stick (1/2 cup) softened butter and egg until a soft dough forms.
Scoop the dough into round balls and drop them in an ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart.
Bake for nine to eleven minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
Each cookie is chewy and bursting with sweetness, a sure hit for kids and adults alike!
Oatmeal Cookie
A descendant of the traditional Scottish oatcakes which has been around since the middle ages, the recipe of the oatmeal cookie was first published in 1896 by Fannie Merritt Farmer author of the Boston Cooking School Cook Book. When it became popular in the US in the early 1900s, it was considered a health food due to the increased fiber content from the oatmeal.
The Hack: Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix
Mix together the cookie mix, one stick (1/2 cup) softened butter, 1 tbsp water and egg until a slightly stiff dough forms.
Scoop the dough into round balls and drop them in an ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart.
Bake for ten to twelve minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
A bit heftier when compared to other cookies, this moist and chewy oatmeal cookie packs a lot of texture as well as flavor in each bite.
Peanut Butter Cookie
The peanut butter cookie was invented in the 1910s by George Washington Carver when he published a peanut cookbook to promote the crop. While his original recipes called for chopped nuts, these were substituted in later iterations with peanut butter, and a classic cookie fave came to be.
The Hack: Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie
Mix together the cookie mix, three tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp water and egg until a soft dough forms.
Scoop the dough into round balls and drop them in an ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart.
Bake for nine to eleven minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
From the smell of peanut butter wafting to your nostrils to the satisfying bites into salty-sweet chewiness, this cookie is a feast for the senses.
(Traditionally, fork marks are associated to the peanut butter cookie. I just forgot to apply them before baking, my bad!)
Want some more cookie hacks?
Allow the cookies to cool for one minute on the cookie sheet before removing them.
Baked too many? Store leftovers in an airtight container and reheat in a 300 deg F (150 deg C) oven for four to six minutes or until warm
Want to save some cookie dough to be baked later? Place the dough balls in a container with lid and place in a freezer. You can pop these in the oven and bake for few minutes longer.
So stock up on these cookie mixes so you can easily treat the fam to bites of cookie happiness at home.
We Pinoys don’t have a dessert tradition that involves these three ingredients but in the US, no campfire is complete without them, combined to form S’mores.
A contraction of the phrase “some more,” this campfire treat was first known as the Graham Cracker Sandwich which was very popular among Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The marshmallows are normally placed on sticks to be toasted using the campfire until golden brown on the outside and gooey on the inside. It is then sandwiched between two graham cracker halves along with a piece of chocolate.
Well, we city denizens might not be able to gather around a campfire anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean we have to deprive ourselves of this campfire treat.
Charlie Baker is a new online business, currently specializing in S’mores. It is managed by thirty-one-year-old Charles Rosales, a recent culinary school graduate who decided to introduce the little-known dessert S’mores to Metro Manila foodies.
For just Php120, dessert lovers can enjoy a 14-piece tub of a handier version of the S’mores which consist of a crust of crushed Graham crackers, a thick layer of milk chocolate topped by toasted marshmallows. A 19″x12″ pan of these yummies – monikered as S’most – is also available at Php750.
You would have to keep this refrigerated before consuming but you can pop a piece or two in the microwave for a few seconds to have the marshmallow become a bit gooey and the chocolate a little melted.
Snack on it in during work or study breaks, or while binge-watching your fave series on TV. You can also serve it to the kiddos as a dessert to cap a meal.
Charlie Baker also offers Chocolate Crinkles at Php120/dozen as well as accepts orders for personalized cakes and pastries.
To order, message Charlie Baker on Facebook or Instagram. Payments via BPI, BDO and GCash are accepted. The S’mores can be delivered to anywhere in Metro Manila via Lalamove, Grab or Mr. Speedy (delivery fee c/o buyer).
Disclosure: Product sample was provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
Well, given the restrictions on mobility due to the community quarantine, many of us found ourselves stuck at home, though our hearts may be somewhere else.
If you’re yearning to be back in the hustle and bustle of the metro, or to roam free amidst wide open spaces, I’m sorry to say it but you may have long to wait.
In the meantime, why not take comfort in the haven of home by relishing the sweet delights you can enjoy there, with the people closest to you?
That’s the idea that the folks behind the new online store Tia Carmen Fresh Pastries wants to push. The enterprise is named after Carmen Escriva (sister of Saint Josemaria Escriva de Baleguer) who supported her brother’s ministry and championed a love for home.
Launched only last July 14, Tia Carmen produces homemade baked pies and crumbles that bring back happy memories of childhood and sharing good food with loved ones.
Its Apple Crumble (Php550), for example, is a masterpiece flavors and textures. From its buttery, slightly crunchy and crumbly topping that gives way to soft and sweetly-spiced apple filling, it is the quintessential comfort food, that can satisfy the sweet cravings of four to six people.
Did you know that the crumble originated in Great Britain during World War II? Because of the food rationing instituted by the government, the ingredients needed to make pie crusts were in short supply. Some enterprising bakers used what flour, fat and sugar they had into making a crumble topping and a new dish came to be.
The apple crumble is best enjoyed warm, with the aroma of apple, cinnamon and butter wafting to your nose. Add a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream to it and you’ve got an irresistible treat!
(Note: I’ve read in several sources that Americans sometimes enjoy apple pie with sharp cheddar. Curious if the same can be applied to apple crumble, but lacking authentic cheddar in my pantry at the moment, I substituted a few slices of processed cheese on a slice of apple crumble. The result? An interesting interplay between sweet and salty that I won’t mind exploring further.)
If your constitution – or refrigerator – can’t handle a whole pie, or you just want an intimate dessert for two – or just one! – get an Apple Crumble Cup (Php200) instead.
Go ahead and get yourself a taste of Tia Carmen’s Apple Crumble so you can also get a taste of the warm comfort of home.
Tia Carmen’s Fresh Pastries also offers Banana Crumble (Php450 for whole | Php180 for cup) and Apple Pie (Php500).
Its ovens are baking every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with pies for delivery on the same day to ensure freshness.
To order, just fill out this online form. Payments via BPI, Metrobank and GCash are accepted.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
Before I begin my workday, either back when I was in the office, or these days working from home, I like to take a quick coffee break and munch on some yummy baked goods.
My go-to orders from the panaderia near the office are cheese pan de sal and Spanish bread.
Pan de sal, the most common bread roll in the Philippines, is made with flour, yeast, sugar, eggs and water, a staple many breakfast tables.
Its softer, longer and more buttery and sugary version, on the other hand, is called Spanish bread.
These classic breads and my morning coffee have sustained me through many tedious reports, near-interminable meetings and more.
Now that I’m working from home (and I can’t go out to buy breads on a whim), jumpstarting my workday the way I like it has gotten a bit harder.
Thankfully, there’s a way for me to get my morning breads before I start my day working from home. Plus, they come with a colorful and flavorful twist, thanks to Tita She’s Bakery.
This new online store came about when twenty-four-year-old Kim Nunez was faced with slowed down projects as an events photographer and wanted a new source of income.
Chancing upon an article on Facebook about an online seller making Php7,000 a day from making and selling ube cheese pan de sal, Kim decided to try her hand at it as well.
With her mom’s help, she started baking the trending food item and started selling two days later.
She didn’t stop there.
Integrating her love for cakes and recognizing that Pinoys would love a new twist to their faves, she also came out with breads with popular cake flavors.
Pan de Sal flavors include ube, cheese, ube cheese, ube choco, choco cheese, choco hazelnut, banana cake, banana hazelnut and carrot cake.
These pan de sal are priced at Php5 to Php10 per piece for regular (65g) and Php7 to Php12 per piece for overloaded (90g with twice the filling as regular).
Spanish bread variants, on the other hand, include classic, ube, cheese, ube cheese, choco and choco hazelnut.
These Spanish breads are priced at Php8 to Php12 per piece for regular (65g) and Php12 to Php16 per piece for overloaded (90g with twice the filling as regular).
To get these yummy and freshly baked breads delivered to your doorstep, call +63 932 6032354 or +63 967 7613909 (cashless payments via BDO, BPI and GCash accepted) have them picked up at Lores, Antipolo City via Lalamove (pin “Tita She’s Bakery”). You can also check out Tita She’s Bakery on Facebook and Instagram.
Don’t worry about ordering a lot of these breads. Just store the leftover breads in the ref and reheat by microwave or oven toaster (two minutes at 150 deg C). They are still fluffy and soft after reheating, even if they’ve been in the ref for three days!
So, foodies, get ready to have a wonderful start to your workday with these flavored breads!
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
We all need a little (or in my case, a lot!) of sweetness in our lives.
Those little sugary treats can sometimes spell the difference between a disappointingly sad or a sweetly satisfying end to a day. (Foodies, don’t ever underestimate the power of a good dessert!)
That’s what you can expect from Cucina ni Sheng: classic desserts made with love. Every weekend, you can anticipate honest-to-goodness treats to sate your sweet tooth.
This little cucina is run by mompreneur Sheng Magcalas left her corporate job a few years ago to take care of her newborn. Aside from her daily routine of house chores and child care tasks, she also took up baking as a hobby and would sometimes gift her creations to friends and family.
However, the recent quarantine heightened her anxiety. Seeking a distraction, she tried out different recipes and expanded her baking repertoire. After three months of trial and error, she grew confident of her baking skills, enough to venture into online selling.
And thus, Cucina ni Sheng came to be.
Sheng takes pride in her little home-based operation: her cucina’s offerings are not outrageous nor avant-garde, just classic desserts that are tasty and affordable, such as:
Calamansi Muffins (Php180/6 pieces). The tangy taste of freshly squeezed calamansi juice adds a zesty, palate-tickling highlight to this fluffy and buttery muffin. It’s perfect when taking a break and leisurely enjoying a cup of your favorite coffee.
Decadent Chocolate Cake (Php400). A choco-holic’s dream come true! This tin-can dessert is made with super moist chocolate cake topped with a thick layer of creamy chocolate ganache and dusted with cocoa powder. Cap a fabulous dinner with this show-stopping dessert and you’ve got yourself a memorable meal.
So this weekend, treat yourself to something sweet from Cucina ni Sheng. You deserve it.
To get your hands on these goodies, place your orders via Instagram. Cut-off for orders is every Wednesday at 12 noon. Payment via BDO and GCash are accepted. Delivery and pick-ups of these freshly baked delights are scheduled on Saturdays or Sundays, charged to the buyer.
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
Jellybeans in the City 