One-stop solution

A lot of people, young and old, have become sellers rather than buyers because every extra peso contributes to the livelihood of a family. Food is the most attractive item to sell, since everyone needs to eat. It is therefore good that trade fairs focusing on food continue to be mounted, offering a one-stop solution to anybody wanting to go into the business. We have made a habit of looking into all these exhibitions, discovering, in the course, facilities and supplies to set up a kart, kiosk, bakery, restaurant or home-based operation. These fairs are not limited to products, but also offer training through seminars tackling relevant subjects like catering, processing and marketing, among others.

The recent WOFEX 2006, the World’s Food Expo organized by Premiere Events Plus got a sizeable audience at the World Trade Center. Before going through the exhibits, we bought a cup of good Danesi coffee (Italian) from the Allergro booth. They have an attractive offer to interested franchisees–no fees, no royalties and low investment (P350,000). Call 817-1074. Balayong, a wood used in making furniture, is also the name of a bakery based in Cavite (046) 402-1487. The nearly 20-year-old enterprise is proud of their ensemada (that’s how they spell it), with outlets in SM and Robinsons. The sauce bandwagon has been joined by Taipan (522-3416) with barbecue and sweet-sour sauce and sugar-free ketsup.

Filipino tastebuds have taken to Thai cuisine, and as spices are sometimes difficult to find, we are pleased that packed Thai meals are now available at selected supermarkets supplied by Charroen Pakphand Foods Public Co. Ltd. Sales office in Manila can be reached through tel no. 242-4305. The brand is Thai Thai. The selection includes Tom Yum Kung, the very popular spicy soup at P153, Sweet Sour Shrimps and Shrimp Red Curry, enough for two, at P139, our favorite Thai noodle dish, Phad Thai Kung, P139. We’ll be looking for these in the market, so should you. If you are making your own Thai dishes, look for Pantai sauces, a brand that got the Prime Minister’s award for Distinctive Development and Marketing of "Thai Own Brand". The flyers we got from these distributors have challenged us to try and cook some authentic Thai dishes.

The family has become fond of Vietnamese food as well as Vietnamese coffee. Cha-Gio is a Vietnamese/Laotian/French-influenced restaurant in Malate. The charming lady, Lani V. Castillo, who is Laotian (her native name is Nguyen Thuy Hang), told us the place is her "extended home kitchen", a tribute to her mother and grandmother from whom she inherited the authentic cooking style of her country. Of course one of her specialties is spring rolls. We were convinced to get the individual stainless coffee drip cups (P150 each) to make the perfect beverage. The coffee is packed in 250 gms and costs P250 each. Franchise tel. 521-8589.

We are familiar with the Fat & Thin brand of siopao, but at the trade fair we discovered the extent of their inventory. They’ve got bread crumbs, mixes, spices and many more. Call the company, Hua San Wan Foodmart Inc., tel. 413-2911. Swiss Gourmet Deli (tel. 222-2418) has all sorts of sausages, cooked and fresh, from Spanish chorizo to schublig. They distributed a very useful guide for cooking sausages, like pan frying, grilling, simmering and oven-cooking.

We found two Prestige booths at the fair–one selling imported cookware and glasses, the other Prestige Plastics, producers of food containers (local and imported, mostly from Australia and Spain) to store or serve cooked food in. The latter has introduced Elegance Packaging, a one-stop display center at the Sekai Center on Ortigas Avenue, tel. 744-0698. Among their new items are clear bowls with dome lids and the rolled rim portion (per serving), leak resistant cups. Bakerex, the Bakery Exchange Inc. and RJ Roberts baking systems offer future bake shop owners a whole range of products from machinery and mixers to deck ovens and display equipment, tel. 637-4815.

The newsletter from the Culinary Center of San Miguel Good Food Club has come in handy for members who want to put up their own food business. It features the inspiring story of the young lady who left her airline job and is now the successful owner of the Perfect Loaf, a bakeshop in Angeles, Pampanga, a place we need to visit one day because good feedback has made us curious about what makes the bread perfect.

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