Cebu once again
The lure of
Our group, coming in on separate flights, landed at the Mactan airport full of anticipation and excitement as members of the panel of judges. Waterfront’s Marco who heads the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) and Isa, executive director of the event, attended to us along with the team of Joanna, Martin and Gino, of the Unilever Food Solutions (UFS), one of the sponsors.
We were actually there not only to examine the entries, but to encourage and inspire the participants, to enhance their skills and creativity. The theme was “A Celebration of Traditional Cuisines” and for two days we saw how professionals and students interpreted and adapted dishes of old to the current techniques and flavors. It was not a surprise that the fresh talents of the amateurs shone and even challenged the seasoned team. Hence, the
Down on the ground floor of the hotel was a food exhibition, consisting mostly of industrial equipment. We caught up with our friend Cherry who heads Equilibrium, whose products are Bialotti coffee makers, Café Mauro beans and the Torani line of flavored syrups. There were new coffee companies, Illy, Echonolux; Roundup Hotdog equipment and processed food exhibitor, Belgris, now ready with a variety of Christmas hams under the brand Tins.
In the course of our stay, we managed to drop in on two supermarkets, Save More at the new wing of E-Mall and Fooda. Pork belly costs P74 for half a kilo, ground pork at P82.50 and beef at P190. Eggs sell at P58 a dozen while prawns were at P550 a kilo. At E-Mall, we discovered that Julie’s Bake Shop has expanded to serving food, cafeteria-style. Of course we sat down for a while and had merienda. Fooda now has butterball turkey for P247.50 a kilo. Cebuanos might want to get what they need for Christmas now, before an expected price increase.
Finally, our search for the Belgian lace cookies ended when we met its creator, Lynn Moro at the culinary fest. This is a must as pasalubong. Cebu-based
In the course of our stay,
Back in the city where our sister Mila was to be feted with a sumptuous Chinese lauriat at White Gold on her birth anniversary, we checked in at the Park Lane International Hotel, a new place that must be considered when visiting
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