Coffee after workout

By Ed Dychauco of Pots & Pans

I WAS back in the cool and beautiful city of Malaybalay and again, I had an extra wonderful time. I got to meet new people and see new places. I noticed that everybody is busy preparing for the annual "Kaamulan Festival" which is scheduled sometime next month. Seems like this would be a bigger and better event this year!

My gracious host, Ms. Raquel Odulio -- a great and in-demand baker and cake artist, together with sociable and outgoing Ms. Grace Sanchez, showed me around.

This time, I was able to check out more establishments because I had more time and wasn't really in a hurry. And one of the wonderful places I got to visit is Bukidnon Brew Cafe.

BBC (its other name) is nestled along Bonifacio Drive, a simple yet appealing coffee shop. At a first glance one would think it is a gym because of the lighted signage it has outside. No one would ever suspect that it also houses a wonderful cafe inside if one does not stop to take a closer look.

Opened way back in October 2005, Bukidnon Brew Cafe or BBC as it is fondly called, is the only cafe in Malaybalay city that uses a coffee espresso machine.

It is owned and operated by the energetic Mr. Norenz Gamo and his charming wife, Ms. Eileen Ortega-Gamo, both from Quezon City. However, Eileen's grandparents are originally from Malaybalay but have since migrated to Luzon.

Lorenz is into rubber farming and found this to be an excellent place to be when he arrived in Malaybalay in 2001. Eileen eventually followed in 2004. Armed with a degree in community development from UP Diliman, it wasn't hard for Eileen to land a job. She does organizational development trainings, airport emergency preparedness and the like.

Currently, Eileen serves as HRD Consultant for the City Government of Malaybalay. The couple has three kids, Nicole, 21 (taking her Masters in Political Economics at the University of Asia & Pacific), Coby, 18 (currently at ISCHAM taking up Diploma in Pastry Arts), and Joaqui, 9.

A coffee connoisseur by heart, Eileen started to look for coffee shops around and was disappointed when she found none in the area. So, together with her partner, they decided to open one, which eventually paved the way for the local people to feel, taste, and enjoy great coffee at very affordable prices. And since Lorenz also does a lot of workouts, they both decided to open the cafe with a gym. A perfect combination at that!

With an area of 100 square meters for the shop, the cafe has a good view of the mountain range especially when one opts to sit outside to enjoy the cool mountain breeze.

However, the main cafe is air-conditioned and can sit 20-30 people comfortably at one time. Bukidnon Brew Cafe only uses fresh coffee beans from locally produced and harvested Arabica and Robusta beans. So, in other words, they use Monks Blend, now a nationally recognized coffee brand!

To ensure freshness, they only purchase coffee beans when needed and ground them before making them into a freshly brewed cup of coffee. As one enters the cafe, one can smell the wonderful aroma of coffee surrounded by great books and magazines, be it fiction or non-fiction, ranging from inspirational to management to interior decorating books.

Music that fills the air are soothing to the ears and other senses as well as they play bossa nova and standard music, which is a welcome respite from the loud music we have been exposed lately! Here one can talk without screaming to be heard or read books without being annoyed by the sound of music.

Best selling coffees includes: Cappuccino, Mochacchino, Cafe Mocha, and Espresso while the iced concoctions include Cookies and Cream, Vanilla Frappe, Strawberry Smoothie (seasonal) and many others using World-class Torani Syrups. Not to forget, their specially concocted BBC Coffee using a vacuum flask in making this smooth and rich-tasting coffee.

To go with the coffee, BBC also has several mouth-watering desserts and foods like Cinderella Pie (made of squash), sinful chocolate moist cake, banana slice, chocolate chip cookies, baked macaroni, spaghetti, tuna, chicken sandwich and many more.

Several political and well-known personalities have visited BBC like Senator Ping Lacson, the honorable Israeli Ambassador & Consul, Hale Band, and many others. People who have visited BBC tremendously enjoyed the place and have since brought more friends. Word of mouth advertising as they say is the best advertising one can get.

As to their gym, they have an instructor from Monday to Saturday that oversees the clients working out and enjoying the thread mill machine, bench press, bicycle, biceps & triceps machine, boxing bag, etc. in an air-conditioned room adjacent to the cafe. At P300 a month, where else can you get more than your moneys worth?

The cafe is handled full-time by Lorenz and is opened 8am-10pm, Mondays to Saturdays and 3pm-10pm on Sundays. They have three well-trained baristas that works at different shifts. BBC also has some part-time students working for them during peak hours, which is normally in the late afternoon till closing time.

So, if ever you're in Malaybalay, drop by trendy Bukidnon Brew Cafe and savor a great tasting cup of freshly brewed coffee as you enjoy the nippy and fresh air of the city!

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2008/01/31/life/coffee.after.workout.html