A food lover's guide to RP's largest food expo
By Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 06/17/2009 10:16 PM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
MANILA - To get an idea of how grand this year's Manila Food and Beverage Expo (MAFBEX) is, take it from world-renowned celebrity chef Bobby Chinn: "I don't have to travel around the globe anymore to get the flavors of the world because it's all supposed to be inside this building."
Truly, the World Trade Center in Pasay, where the event is being held, is jam-packed with people and food - lots and lots of food. Featuring culinary treats and kitchen equipment from Malaysia, the Philippines, USA, Europe, and China, the 3rd MAFBEX is definitely a foodie and restauranteur's dream spot.
There are various kinds of Hungarian sausages, steamed dumplings, Chinese and Polish "hopia," Hong Kong noodles, Malaysian sweet yogurt, various cookies, sauces, dips, olive oils, American burgers, Italian pastas, and dried seafood at the international pavilion. Local fare include various cured meats, "polvoron," cakes, cookies, and vegetable products.
The expo also has samples of alcoholic beverages like Russian vodka, blended coffee, carbonated beverages, and colon-cleansing red juice. Sections are dedicated to lovely catering and table-setting displays, world-class kitchen appliances and utensils, as well as industrial equipment like heavy-duty donut machines.
Jill Ang, Managing director of Worldbex Services International (the group that organized the event), said that this year's MAFBEX is the biggest ever, with over 480 local booths and 60 international booths. The number of exhibitors is much more than in the previous two years - a positive development considering the economic climate.
Ang said the event is relevant in the economic crisis because it encourages overseas Filipino workers and entrepreneurs to start a business. "This is the right time for them to look at what opportunities they have," she said.
"Basically we want to help the food and beverage industry. We want to help small and medium enterprises (SME) to promote their products. Aside from that, we help some people if they want to go into business. They can visit the show and we can help them get a franchise or help them with business ideas," she said.
Aside from showcasing various products, the MAFBEX will also hold seminars throughout the week from June 17 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For just a P50 entrance ticket, guests can sample food at the expo and participate in workshops like food photography, butchery basics, wine appreciation, and restaurant management.
MAFBEX is also hosting the ASEAN Bartending Championship on Friday (June 19), the first time that the international competition will be held in the country. There are also various inter-school competitions organized by the De La Salle University-College of Sainte-Benilde like ice-making, cake decorating, table-setting, and cooking demo competitions.
Food legends
The expo's launch was also attended by Filipino food legends like 80-year-old Nora Daza and her son Sandy, along with hundreds of other visitors who flocked to the World Trade Center despite the rains.
Eager to make MAFBEX a world-class event, the organizers even invited celebrity TV chef Bobby Chinn as their food ambassador of sorts. Ang said this is the first time that MAFBEX invited a celebrity chef from abroad to take part in the expo.
Chinn had been to Manila once before, while filming an episode of his popular show "World Cafe Asia" on the Discovery Travel and Living channel, where he samples Asian cuisine and unearths the history behind each dish and ingredient.
Although he admitted that he is confused with Filipino food, because it mixes unlikely ingredients and is an amalgam of cultural food influences, he said he found the offer to take part in MAFBEX irresistible.
"I came back because of Filipinos' wonderful spirit and the wonderful time I had filming here last year. Filipinos have very interesting food. I've got a TV show where I get to meet passionate people about food and talk to them about their history. In my recent trip here in Manila, I was able to hang out with Chef Gene Gonzalez who is a very passionate guy. We made paella, Spanish food in Manila. I think that's interesting," he said.
Chinn, who was seen poking around the exhibits half an hour before the expo's doors were officially opened, said he was pleased by what he saw. "It's the largest food and beverage expo in the Philippines, so it's pretty impressive," he said.
The half-Egyptian half-Chinese chef, who styles himself as a comedian in the kitchen, even held a special cooking demo where he taught audiences a "less cruel" way to kill a lobster (a knife straight through the brain), how to keep the lobster tail straight by "anal probe" (read: a thin skewer through the spine), and how to make his favorite Vietnamese sauce with Filipino "patis" or fish sauce (which he found salty) along with some sugar, water, and lime.
Chinn served up lobster paella and a Vietnamese noodle dish, jokingly refusing to cook up porky Filipino favorites like "adobo", "sinigang", and "lechon kawali" because of the "swine flu."
Ang said Chinn's cooking demo was just a taste of other promising things to come at the 3rd MAFBEX event. "We try to uplift the food exhibitions here in the Philippines, hopefully to be at par with the international ones," she said.
SCHEDULE OF MAFBEX 2009 EVENTS
:
Comments