ONE annual event I wouldn't dare miss is Wofex (World Food Exposition). This is a yearly affair that takes place in three major cities in the Philippines. Wofex is held at the World Trade Center in Manila in the month of August, Wofex Visayas at Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in April and Wofex Mindanao in the month of June, at the Bangko Sentral in Davao City.
I was invited to conduct a demonstration by the Premier Events Plus Group, Inc. which is skilfully chaired by the youthful-looking Mr. Joel Pascual and his two equally pretty "angels", Ms. Ria and Ms. Chari. This year, the event took place from April 15-18 at CICC. I flew to Cebu on the third day instead of the usual first day because of prior commitments. Besides, my demo was scheduled on Saturday, April 17 in the afternoon.
Click here for Election 2010 updates
CICC was packed with so much people who are either in the food industry or planning to be in it. This year was a lot better than last year (although I attended only the first day) in terms of exhibitors, participants and activities. It was also held back to back with the Dairy Congress on the second floor of the center. I also got to meet Ms. Wilma of Highland Fresh manning the booth, whom I haven't seen for ages.
Entitled "Simply Blooming Edibles...An Exciting Introduction To Basic Gumpaste Flower-Making", the live "hands-on" demo was well-attended by several baking and cake decorating enthusiasts. The basic fundamentals and major discussion was on the making of Philippines gumpaste (the medium for making sugar flowers), the things to consider like preparation, storage, coloring, etc.
Bringing with me several basic flower cutters and moulders, the participants eagerly had their share of fun in creating their own "edibles". They were also taught to make flowers "free-hand", meaning without the use of cutters. Several variations and varieties of daisies were made. Other flowers include: calla lily, gerbera, Easter lily, assorted leaves and roses.
Nino Tello Lazo of Darling Food Products was also invited to do a demo on Basic Meat Processing in the afternoon of April 18th. With him was his beautiful wife, Lourissa who actually served as our "official photographer" during our presentation. A short lecture on the "ingredients" was done prior to the actual Chorizo, Longganisa and Tocino-making. Freshly cooked processed meats as mentioned were also delightfully tasted by the participants.
After my demo, I was able to take time to visit the booths. I also get to meet suppliers and friends from the industry. I had a good time talking with them, tasting their products...for free of course! Again, it was an eye-opener for new me to see new trends, products & services in the culinary industry.
I would like to thank Mr. Tony of Sinmag Bakery Machine Corporation for the new baking equipment and utensils, Mr Jack of Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation for the delicious coffee, Mr. Marvin of Virginia Foods for the Hungarian Sausage and Hotdogs, Ms. Ria and Ms. Chari for making my short stay in Cebu remarkably enjoyable and also for the fantastic "token of appreciation"!
Of course, I would also like to thank all our "official" drivers and tour guides (friends of Nino and my new found friends): Mr. Jude del Rio of Judphilan Corporation who picked us up at the airport and treated us to a hearty and delicious breakfast at Inaputi, a restaurant located at Cebu Business Park, Mr. Tata Yap of Aromatise Corporation who pampered us to a sumptuous late lunch at the newly-opened Classic Savoury Restaurant(a restaurant we frequently dine with my family in Manila during my younger days) in SM Mall, Mr Roel Gallo, and my Kumpadre, Mr Dave Ong and his sister, Gracie for the many exciting dinners and sinful-desserts treats (will feature my food finds and escapades in my future write-ups) and Ninong Samson Ong for making my stay always a memorable one at their abode.
And last but not the least, to Mr. Pascual and his staff for believing in me and inviting me to participate in this prestigious event. See you in Davao City!
Email at potsnpans1976@yahoo.com website: www.potsnpans1976.weebly.com
thank you very much.... got so busy lately.... will have to update my blog pretty soon...
ReplyDeletehappy new year!