MANILA, Philippines - The French Baker, the original French bakery-cafe that first opened in SM City North Edsa 25 years ago, together with Insight Vacations, Rajah Travel Corporation and Etihad Airways, launched “Visit Paris in Summer 2015,” a raffle promo where one lucky winner will get the chance to visit and experience Paris, France next year.
This promo marks French Baker’s 25 years of bringing European-style breads to the mass market, and the company’s way of saying “thank you” to the customers who have embraced and supported the patisserie over the years.
“It was in 1985 when I traveled to Europe for the first time that I fell in love with Paris and her baked goodies. Since then I’ve dreamed of doing the same so that I can impart a similar experience to our kababayans in the Philippines,” says Johnlu G. Koa, professor turned entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of The French Baker.
“It is for this same reason that we wanted to give back to our loyal customers the same French experience not just through our products, but by giving one lucky winner a chance to see and feel for themselves the beauty and charm of Paris.”
“Visit Paris in Summer 2015” gives one lucky winner and three of his or her companions an all-expenses-paid 10-day trip to Paris through luxury escorted tours provider Insight Vacations, together with Rajah Travel Corporation, and Etihad Airways as the official airline.
Every P500 worth of dine-in and take-out single receipt from any The French Baker branch entitles the customer to one raffle coupon. The promo is ongoing until March 15, 2015. Grand draw will be on March 20, 2015.
Twenty-five French Baker gift certificates worth P5,000 each are also up for grabs.
The grand prize winner will get to spend at least three days in each of France’s key cities, including Paris; the old Roman city of Nimes; and finally Monte Carlo.
“People may ask why four tickets for one winner, and not four winners with one ticket each?” Koa furthers. “The reason is that we wanted the winner to see the charms of France and experience that magical feeling together with family and friends, and not just by themselves.”
“We are very excited for this promo,” said Sheryl Lim, regional director for Insight Vacations. “We see it as a perfect way for The French Baker to celebrate 25 years in the country, and for showing their gratitude to their loyal customers.”
Meanwhile, Etihad Airways will fly the winner in utmost class. “Our winner will experience luxury on air, with the first-class amenities and features of our planes,” said Jackie Lim-Gonzaga of Etihad Airways.
25 YEARS OF THE FRENCH BAKER
Apart from the raffle promo, The French Baker also featured fashion, art, music, entertainment and food in the form of tableaus at the Fashion Hall of SM Megamall: The Art tableau, decorated with paintings from France; the fashion tableau, with models dressed in Parisian Chic; the Wine and Cheese tableau, which offered exquisite wines and cheeses from different parts of Europe; and the Food tableau, which provided a delectable choice of entrees and desserts.
The night was also highlighted with Koa’s award for the Outstanding Category of the Asia-Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA) held just the night before. APEA is an awards ceremony organized by Enterprise Asia that honors entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region who have shown outstanding leadership and innovation when it comes to managing their businesses.
Koa is one of the very first Filipino entrepreneurs in the history of APEA to be given the award.
A “selfie” contest also went on during the event, wherein guests could take a selfie with any of the four tableau backdrops in the area, and have it posted via Instagram or Facebook, with hashtags #frenchbaker25years and #thefrenchbakerph. Five chosen winners won P500 worth of gift certificates each.
The French Baker has 52 branches all over the country, and has expanded to include The French Baker “Salon de The” edition.
Recipe File: GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES
WITH BACON AND TOMATO
Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:
4 slices, bacon
4 slices, country-style bread (I like sourdough, ciabatta or a baguette, but thickly sliced white or wheat bread is great, too).
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, mozzarella, Gruyere or other cheese of your choice. I like a combination of the above.
4 thick tomato slices, drained on paper towels
2 tablespoons room temperature butter
Procedure:
Cook the bacon in a heavy skillet (I like a cast-iron pan) over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes, then drain on paper towels.
Press 1/4 cup grated cheese onto 2 slices of bread. Top each with 2 tomato slices and sprinkle with some black pepper. Place 2 bacon slices on the bread. Press another 1/4 cup of cheese over the bacon.
Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, then spread half a tablespoon of butter over top of each sandwich.
Wipe out your skillet and reheat on medium heat. Add the sandwiches, buttered side down, to the skillet. Place a plate (or another smaller pan) on top of both sandwiches to weigh them down.
Cook the sandwiches until their bottoms are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Spread the top of each sandwich with the remaining butter, and turn sandwiches over. Top with the plate again and cook until that side is golden brown and your cheese is starting to ooze out of the sides.
Cut sandwiches crosswise in half and serve immediately.
I like this particular combination for when I don’t have any tomato soup on hand. When I do, however, I like to leave the tomatoes out (and sometimes the bacon, too), and add some mustard and mango chutney. Other things I’ve added to grilled cheese sammies include caramelized onions, fig spread, mushrooms, cooked apple slices, and cranberry sauce. The possibilities are endless, so don’t be afraid to play around.