Healthy is the new cool

I recall meeting Angelo Songco many years ago when he invited me to visit Pampanga to cover Butchie’s Recipes of La Moderna, and Sta Rita’s Duman Festival, which I featured in the Christmas episode of my show. I called him and shared my personal story that my family regularly passed by La Moderna in the ’70s when we went home to Bataan. We would buy pan de sal and their already famous sans rival. If I am not mistaken, I think my parents’ wedding cake was even made by La Moderna.

We had a blast in Santa Rita and learned a lot about duman, a special variety of rice that he called “the green gold of Pampanga” because it was priced at a couple thousand pesos per kilo! Of course, that trip to the Philippines’ culinary capital was chockfull of sumptuous foods like asado Sta. Rita, tender beef Calitiran, bringhe, crab adobo and lots more that left me and my staff so full and happy.

Over the past couple of years, I would contact Angelo if I needed a resource person about the food of Pampanga. He has helped me find interesting information or point me to small establishments that serve the best food. The common denominator of all our excursions would be that the food, though tasty, was not necessarily the healthiest option around.

Bestseller: Sugarleaf’s Turkey Waldorf sandwich is gluten-free and has Bifidus, a pro-biotic that helps digestion.

So it was a major surprise when I received an invitation from Angelo this year to the ribbon cutting of Sugarleaf, a “healthy-eats resto store” in Greenhills. Was this the same Angelo that fed us heaps of steamed shrimp and crab with bagoong? What happened to Butchie’s, which showcased the artisan-baked products of his grandparents’ La Moderna Bakery in Guagua? I remember munching on the piping-hot breads straight from their pugon in Guagua and the artisan biscuits that bring memories to our parents and grandparents. I was still eating the pan de coco and he would pass me a piece of turrones de casoy or masa podrida.

Foods That Nourish

Ilearned that he and new partners decided to realign the food offerings of Butchie’s to a more healthy selection early this year. It was more appropriate considering its market and location in the Health Cube Building, which has tenants like a physical therapy clinic, dialysis center, and doctor’s and dentist’s offices. He partnered with Gina Yambot and put up Sugarleaf selling organic produce, and a menu using these as a highlight. Since then, they have merged their company with Goody Kefir, a business set up by young entrepreneur couple Roman Lorenzo and Jeren Cabral, which makes a pro-biotic drink that has countless health claims, from colon cleansing to cancer prevention. I was pleased that they still chose to retain La Moderna products even if it uses refined sugar, because it still has a heritage that cannot be discounted. Angelo says that people still look for the bakery’s products and Allie’s peanuts. But they had to make the painful decision of taking chicharon off their shelves.

I found their tagline inspiring: “Foods that nourish.” I know that not all calories are created equal. There’s junk food that gives nothing but carbohydrates and empty calories with a lot of artificial ingredients. And there are foods full of quality nutrients that are not necessarily high in calories but provide energy and sustenance. This is one of the pillars of Sugarleaf’s menu and product line.

Healthy picks: Certified all-organic produce

Healthy is The New Cool

Sugarleaf is actually the English name for Stevia, which I am familiar with as a natural sweetener. Sugar connotes sweet, happy thoughts while Leaf embodies the organic aspect of the store. Business is good; they even have regular clients who anticipate and reserve their favorite gulay. They have seen a growth in their market from mostly older people who are already experiencing health issues to a younger set — parents feeding their young kids and infants organic products. This is attributed to the fact that they were able to find a balance between healthy and yummy. “You can make the healthiest foods you can but if nobody will eat it, then that defeats the mission of our store.” Sugarleaf’s best-selling items include its Turkey Waldorf Sandwich, which is gluten-free and has Bifidus, a pro-biotic that helps digestion. Their baker makes breads with the specifications that no enhancers and conditioners are used.

Kids love the Goody Kefir wraps and smoothies, which is a perfect example of how a not-so-kid-friendly sour ingredient is successfully combined with other ingredients to make great-tasting food and drinks. They even make kefir ice cream and cheesecakes!

Desserts scare some people because of its high sugar and fat content. I am sometimes guilty of going overboard on butter and white sugar, but Sugarleaf has managed to create guilt-free (or less guilty?) desserts using natural sugar substitutes. They make cookies, sans rival, pecan pie, and cheesecakes using coconut sugar, which is a low-glycemic alternative to white sugar, making it more suitable for diabetics. I missed out on their “Sweet and Healthy” talk due to my busy schedule, but was assured by Angelo that there will be repeats.

Healthy really is the new cool! In this day and age when younger and younger people are getting sick — high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes — it is a breath of fresh air to find a restaurant that serves food that actually promotes good health. And an additional bonus for us vain folk — it keeps you young with its antioxidants, makes you lose weight with its high-fiber content, and energizes with quality nutrition.

Rocking rolls: The organic chicken Goody Wrap

Super Foods, Goody Kefir

Ihave heard of super foods before but have a difficult time looking for it and figuring out how to use it in my pastries. Again, Sugarleaf, which tries to be a one-stop shop for organic, natural and healthy food items, has come to the rescue and made these hard-to-find items available under one roof: colon-cleansing chia seeds (they have organic whole seeds and cold-milled ground chia), anti-oxidizing acai (pronounced ah-say-ee) and hormone-balancing maca. They also carry indigenous Philippine super foods such as spirulina — which will be the next big thing in health — avocado, raw cacao and VCO products. Aside from selling these in their mini-mart, they also use it extensively in their menu, from main courses to drinks and desserts. The non-dairy banana split ice cream was to die for — not too sweet with the pleasant crunch of raw cacao nibs.

As for kefir, it has started to grow on me. I usually have to combine it with fruit, as Angelo suggested, but now I can drink it on its own or with my muesli or granola. It goes well with any kind of fresh or frozen fruit. I have yet to try using it in my pastries but for now, am content with Sugarleaf’s creations.

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Sugarleaf is located along Wilson Street in Greenhills, San Juan. Their operating hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Momdays to Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. They even have a comprehensive website for those who want to check out their new offerings and a workshop schedule at www.sugarleafph.com. Check out their Facebook page: Sugarleaf Foods That Nourish, and they even have a Twitter account : @sugarleafph. To find out more, call 385-0387 or mobile 0917-803-9055, 837-4257 or e-mail angelo@sugarleafph.com, gina@sugarleafph.com.

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