Flour power in ‘Flourish Pilipinas’ campaign

MANILA, Philippines - Starting out as a simple powder, flour is transformed in the hands of a baker. As the basic ingredient of a variety of breads, cakes and pastries, flour is an important component of the various delicacies and specialties that one associates with particular destinations.  During these times when the revenue earning potentials of food tourism are beginning to be fully appreciated, Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Flour Division does its share to promote Philippine food tourism though a campaign called ‘Flourish Pilipinas.’

At the launch of the URC Flour’s ‘Flourish Pilipinas’ campaign: Jasper Munji supply chain manager; Gerry Magadia , manufacturing director; Naida Ebora, national sales director; Joe Sowers-,US Wheat and Associates assistant regional director for Southeast Asia; Ellison Dean Lee, URC Flour Division general manager; Phil Shawl, agriculture councilor from USDA; Chinkee Andres, marketing manager; Evelyn Eglesias, HR manager and Nicanor Ines, technology manager

With the tagline “Bake it fun in the Philippines,” the goal of the recently launched promotion is to encourage pastry chefs, bakeshop owners, culinary students and other professionals to show off their skills and creativity at a “Flourish Pilipinas Bake-off.” This is a baking competition that seeks to encourage student pastry chefs and pastry professionals to come up with new Pinoy flour-based delicacies.

“This campaign celebrates the talent of our student pastry chefs and pastry professionals as they nurture flour-based Philippine delicacies through either time-tested traditions or bold innovations,” explains Ellison Lee URC Flour vice president and general manager.  “It also aims to preserve our rich, colorful food history from the many food hotspots all over the country.”  And thus, competitors are encouraged to use local or indigenous ingredients distinct to their region to create new baked products. They are also urged to innovate on, or further improve, existing traditional specialties.

“The concept of discovering new talent and new recipes from all over the country excites us endlessly,” enthuses Lee. “With these new delicacies spiced up by local ingredients, we will sink our teeth into the varied and unique food profiles of the different regions of the Philippines.  With just a bite, we will be able to travel to a particular Philippine location and understand its food culture.”

He explains that three award categories are open to Philippine residents who are at least 18 years of age. A Sampaguita Award will be given to the winning recipes using soft flour (URC’s Sampaguita Soft Flour); the Daisy Award is for the winner that uses URC’s Daisy Cake Flour; and the Globe Award will be for the winner that uses URC’s first-class Globe Flour. Apart from prizes in cash and kind, an additional incentive is that winners in the Bake-Off will be featured in the 2014 Flourish Pilipinas Calendar.

Partly to drum up interest in the competition, well-known chefs will also conduct baking demonstrations, workshops and lectures throughout the Philippines as part of the Flourish Pilipinas Baking Academy.

“We are very delighted to launch this exciting campaign in partnership with the Department of Tourism – Tourism Promotions Board,” adds Chinkee Andres, marketing manager of URC Flour Division. “This year-long campaign will certainly bring out the best in our Filipino food experts as they use their creativity and ingenuity in coming up with new Pinoy recipes that will stimulate our palates and showcase the best local ingredients of the different provinces of the country.”

“Forty years of delivering unparalleled service and commitment by the URC Flour Division is a reason to celebrate,” concludes Ellison Lee.  “All these years, it has been a conscious effort to nurture our dream of constantly enhancing the daily dining experience of the Filipino with our products.  As we forge on to many more years ahead of us , we are exerting all efforts to preserve our status as an innovator, trailblazer, and pioneer in the food industry.”

URC Flour Division is one of the top flour millers in the Philippines, with three flourmills: CMC – Pasig, CMC – Davao, and the new URC Flour Plant in Pasig, with rated production capacities of 700, 300 and 550 metric tons per day respectively. The new flour mill features state-of-the-art milling and blending facilities and an advanced quality control laboratory that allows for improvement in flour coloration and yield, as well as customization of products tailor-fit for specific needs.

Entries can be submitted to the Flourish Pilipinas Facebook page or emailed to operations@dtc.com.ph. Shortlisted contestants will be invited for a bake-off in designated cities in GMA,Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and the winner in each category will win P10,000 plus gifts from sponsors.