From ballet to bread

Curtain-raisers:

• Nice to know that Randy Santiago and Marilou Coronel are together again. They must have spent what could be the most memorable Christmas of their lives (with their beautiful kids). Randy gifted Marilou with a brand-new van on her recent birthday just before they kissed and made up, letting bygones be bygones.

• Raoul Tidalgo, entertainment editor/columnist of the New York-based The Filipino Reporter, was moved to near tears when a foreigner-dominated SRO audience gave Lea Salonga a standing ovation during a pre-Christmas presentation of Flower Drum Song on Broadway. "It’s a great musical," gushed Raoul, "no wonder The New York Times (among other US papers) gave it a glowing review."

• Couples deadset on tying the marital knot this coming year: Gladys Reyes and Christopher Roxas, Melissa Mendez and JC Castro, and Rita Avila and Erik Reyes (director of the ABS-CBN early-afternoon soap Recuerdo de Amor).

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When Elsie Torrejon, mother of Viva Films executive June Torrejon (ex-Rufino), retired in 1977 from teaching ballet for 20 years first in her native Bacolod and 22 years in Manila (where she now lives), she didn’t just sit back and reminisce the good old dancing days, oh no! "Not my type," smiled the energetic and indefatigable "Mommy Elsie" who, at 80 (next June yet), can still dance as gracefully as she did ages ago.

Instead, taking after her mom Dolores who was a wizard in the kitchen, Mommy Elsie put up in 1978 her own bakeshop which she called LC’s Yummies, renamed simply Elsie’s last year. The shift from ballet to bread has proved not only fulfilling but also profitable, with Elsie’s bread products veritable best-sellers in any season (but more so in a season like this), found in the freezer section in several outlets (all branches of Rustan’s, Robinsons malls, Greenbelt 3, Podium, Landmark, Cash & Carry, Unimart, among others)

If we are to judge the yumminess of Mommy Elsie’s bread products by her children, all healthy, then it’s easy to conclude that they (the bread products) are, well, good.

"My bread products are non-fattening and non-oily," assured Mommy Elsie, "because I use very little sugar. Even diabetics can enjoy eating them without worrying. Ask Sanirose Orbeta, a dietician and nutritionist."

The STAR’s Joanne Rae Ramirez swears by Mommy Elsie’s French Bread (P40 per piece), Croissants (P75, four in one box), French Pan de Sal (P35, five in one box) and Fantans (P35, five in one pack) with which she and husband Ed have been filling up their dining table – "and ref" – these past 16 years.

"The good thing about my bread products," added Mommy Elsie, "is that you can store them up in the freezer for as long as three months and microwave them for 10 minutes before serving."

The so-called "Elsie’s recipe" was developed by Mommy Elsie (Uytiepo-Torrejon) in the ’70s maybe in-between those figure-friendly ballet (and other dance) lessons. She then launched her LC’s Yummies with her late husband, Ernesto, in 1978.

Elsie’s offers six major products are in the frozen foods departments of supermarkets. They are French Bread, Small French Bread, French Pan de Sal, Garlic Bread, Fantans and Croissants. All Elsie’s products are made with the finest ingredients and with no preservatives. The bread is parbaked and then frozen, ensuring up to three months of shelf life unlike other breads in the market. "The breads are easily stored in your home freezers. To serve, thaw the bread for approximately 15 minutes then bake in a 350ºF oven for 10 to 15 minutes until they turn golden brown. The result is freshly baked bread at your own convenience."

Elsie’s breads are perfect for breakfast, sandwiches or accompaniments to pastas and other entrees. Because of the 24-year-old recipes and the studied techniques, the breads are soft and chewy on the inside but crispy on the outside. It is a texture offered by no other brand.

Once a dancer, always a dancer. I could imagine Mommy Elsie swaying to an imaginary music while she whips up her bread wonders in her kitchen, "choreographing" the flour as it turns into mouth-watering goodies that will soon find their way to, yes, the freezer section of supermarkets and other outlets.

(For more information about Elsie’s, call 824-30-47 or 823-94-75.)

How they stand

The 2002 Metro Filmfest (now nationwide for the first time) is off to a good start, with the Magic 7 grossing more than P41 million on the 17-day filmfest’s opening last Wednesday (Dec. 25), with the Gabi ng Parangal scheduled tonight at the PICC. The Magic 7, plus the two other entries with deferred playdate (Jan. 1, 2003), namely Lastikman and Spirit Warriors 2: The Short Cut, are competing in the awards derby.

Here’s how the Magic 7 fared on the first day:

• Agimat (Anting-Anting ni Lolo) – P7-million-plus (and P7-million-plus outside Metro Manila)

• Alamat ng Lawin – P6-million-plus (and P6-million-plus outside Metro Manila)

• Home Alone Da Riber – P5-million-plus

• Mano Po and Dekada ’70 – P3-million-plus each

• Hula Mo, Huli Ko – P2.5-million-plus

• Lapu-Lapu – P1.5-million-plus

(Note: Provincial grosses of Home Alone, Mano Po, Dekada, Hula Mo and Lapu-Lapu were not available at press time. These figures are bound to change dramatically as the Metrofest goes on, especially after tonight’s Gabi ng Parangal.)