The Great Grande Cook-Off

I've only used a couple of oil variants in my kitchen which consists mostly of Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Vegetable Oil, Palm Oil, Peanut Oil and Olive Oil. Other than that, I'm quite oblivious to other types of it because as you may know it's uncommon here in the Philippines. I was schooled by Chef Miko Aspiras a couple of weeks ago about Rice Bran Oil. This newcomer called Grande Rice Bran Oil comes from rice which is staple for us Filipinos. It's naturally loaded with anti oxidants, has got a high temperature smoking point, and has got a balanced fat profile. During the small event, he used it to cook great dishes and did a main course plus a lovely "no diet" dessert.

What I immediately noticed is that aside from it's attractive golden color, is how it actually is good for any type of cooking method that needs oil. Whether it's for deep frying, sauteing, pan frying, or even desserts, it doesn't actually change the way the food tastes which is remarkable in my books. I thought it would be slightly nutty since it comes from rice bran but no, it was just as good as them but healthier. I guess that is it's main selling point because you can't see anything that is as au naturelle as this is compared to what we have out in the market.

Tun Aburi Tataki was seared on both sides then sliced thinly. Served with tartar sauce, beet root, and a side salad. Fish tasted like fish, as its supposed to be.

Twice Fried Pork which was brined first, boiled, then fried to get that crisp exterior. It was served with spices, chorizo, and seasoned potatoes.

For dessert Chef Miko Aspiras prepared and ground up some sugar coated Pili Nuts from Bicol. Then he got unsalted butter and melted it with the ground nuts. Et voila! That's Pili Nut Butter for you! So good!

He also deep fried sourdough donuts made into balls then thrown into cinnamon sugar. They poured in a hefty amount of the Pili Butter and now, we have to marvel at this piece which was gone in 20 seconds LOL!

Rice Bran Oil may have been a little too hard to get hence it's price (but I find it competitive), but think about the benefits on how it could lower your bad cholesterol levels, boost you immune system, lessen the chances of cancer, improve your skin health and even help in your weight loss. Women can also get relieve from your usual menopausal symptoms, protect your heart from disease and lower allergic reactions. All you have to do is get good rice bran oil like GRANDE. If you want to know more visit https://www.grande-rbo.com.

KUMAGCOW
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MFT's SALADSTOP! Ventures Into Spanish Market

Have you ever wondered why there are thousands upon thousands of brands around the world that are here in the Philippines but not quite a lot of our own venturing into other countries? That's depressing to know huh? Have you guys seen Saladstop!? I've had the privilege of seeing and experiencing it over at San Juan but they're pretty much everywhere as they have outlets in Makati and Bonifacio Global City. The brand originated in Singapore and is now present in other countries too like Japan and Indonesia.  

Albeit not being that into salad, I tried out several of their best sellers. The Vegetarian Bowl I had is called IRON WO MAN and is comprised of fresh Spinach, salty and creamy feta cheese, roasted pumpkin, sweet and tangy raisins, nutty toasted almonds, in a tangy Raspberry Vinaigrette.

This one is one of their signature wraps. It's got romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, creamy avocado, green apple, celery, grapes in a Ranch dressing. Pretty good and very filling.

This is Fried Kale, it's very nutty and fresh.

The MFT group Joan of Regional Marketing Head says "We were established in 2009 and is one of the world's leading nutrition brand. It is the first time that we are taking this out of the country, to Spain in particularly. Our brand puts holistic customer experience to the forefront because we want this to be an experience for them. The founders are vegetarian and we are sharing the values for the brand. 12 Signature wraps, 4 tortilla wraps, our dressings are home made and fresh made everyday. We source our food locally so for the Spanish branches we maintain a good relationship with the farmers and suppliers. We want people to eat wide awake, in September we are putting this movement in Spain and we are so happy about that."

Paul Paraeda who's handling their operations in Spain and Portugal says "We are moving to these countries in a few months and why not. It's a good place to start for a Philippine business to venture out into the EU. We will have more as soon."

MFT Group CEO Maria Francesca “Mica” Tan adds "MFT is a diversified holding company. We are not limited in regions, involved in 22 subsidiaries under our wing including medical equipment, petroleum, and now SaladStop! in Spain. Barcelona has 5 million people and is an emerging area. There is a very diversified economical structure home to 90% of investments in Spain. Hopefully we would be doing it in the whole of Europe later on. We are not just tied with food, they are also looking for something healthy and this is evident in food clusters in Spain. MFT group is confident about this franchise in Europe and we are present in 6 countries, we love emerging markets. We want SALADSTOP! to be our flagship food product. In SaladStop Spain we have our own suppliers and farmers so it will be a level up as Spain and there is a big demand for what we are offering. The carrier of the food is the sauces, the freshness is still with the farmers that we have locally and you'll only get the best produce."

This is very promising and I can't wait to see how they (being a Filipino owned company) would grow BIG in the European region.

KUMAGCOW
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PH Ice Athletes Promise GOLD in Upcoming SEA Games

Spent the afternoon over at the Ice Skating Rink at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall for the promising partnership of SM Lifestyle and Entertainment Inc. and our athletes who are preparing to represent the country in the Southeast Asian Games. During the opening remarks, their executives said "We are delighted and honored to join Ice games in the SEA Games and we are gearing to winning Gold Medals for the country."

During the press conference, Kathryn Magno (for Short Track Speed Skating), Jules Alpe (for Figure Skating), LR Lancero, Julius Santiago, Miguel Relampagos, BJ Imperial, Jorell Crisostomo and Francis Gautier for Hockey wanted to rally for the Philippines. They fervently hope that it won't be just the organizations supporting them, but the whole country. 

Kathryn says "I am the first speed skater and I want to promote the sport even after the games. I hope a lot of people get to see the potential of Filipinos in this sport and hopefully win more medals for the country soon. I started as a figure skater but did it in 2008, to be motivated no matter what age you are is adamant to success. This is a nice place to train, we are able to do this with SM SKATING to perform in well in Southeast Asia." 

Francois adds "We have been preparing and practicing this for a long time. We are also planning to have a short bonding session a few weeks before the games. Some have been playing for a long time but we have new ones so we need to bond so we won't be awkward on ice. There are private companies like SM LEI and some government agencies that help. Our toughest opponent would probably be Division 1 Gold Medalists Thailand but that doesn't mean we can't play toe to toe with them or with any team in the world. We had the liberty of choosing athletes based on the role they play on ice. We practice countless hours and prepare to play for a longer time, we do this three times a week and practice even more with conditioning on our off days. You'll see us perform more in the SEA Games and hopefully win the Gold for the pride of our country. We are not just representing ourselves as individuals here, especially in the SEA Games."

Here's to hoping they bring more Gold medals for the country and hopefully their best performance against our fellow Southeast Asian countries. 

KUMAGCOW
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Big Mouth, Big Heart, Big Night with Martin Nievera

Now I know you and I love Matin Nievera, but this news would make you love him even more. You see, he's been helping a lot of artists start their careers and support them in their concerts by appearing for free. You can ask the greats, and he'll probably be in their Thank You list because he's always been like that. In this concert though, he takes it even further. Outbox Media Powerhouse Corporation and Ka Tunying's Cafe will be producing this concert entitled BIG MOUTH, BIG HEART, BIG NIGHT for the benefit of our brothers and sisters from the Dumagat Tribe from Sitio Apia Barangay Calawis in Antipolo. For those who don't know, these tribes used to live in coastal areas but with the advent of modern living, had been pushed back to live in the mountains of Rizal, Aurora and Quezon. These people live off the land and most of them live below the poverty line. Their resource and means only come from the forest and to say the least, they live very hard lives. This is one of the instances that they knew they had to help. This is why they put up an annual benefit concert. Anthony Tunying Taverna, Ms. Rossel Taberna and Martin Nievera will be entertaining you for a good cause so if you have the time to watch the show, please do! 

Ms. Rossel says "We will try to be there and they mostly need medical assistance. We will go there personally. We will have programs, games for the kids and adults too. It's hard to get there but we will try to do a small activity in the remote school. It's also our first time to hear about them, imagine they are just 2 hours from here, so hopefully we can help them by climbing to their community this August. We want people to also be aware about this cause and we're thankful for Martin who wanted to do this with us."

Ka Tunying said "The truth is Outbox Media has been already there even before Ka Tunying's Cafe came in the picture. They have been doing this for 11 years. We did a similar show in the past but I'm glad that even if he's very busy, he still had us have him for the show."

Martin Nievera says "This is my second time to work with them. The past was with Pops and my kids, and I knew we had to help the Dumagats. Somehow I have big dreams, big intentions for the pleasure of where the money is going. It's more of what I think singers should start doing. I am glad to be one of their performers that evening. They don't have to do this but they are giving back. This is substance, I celebrated my 35th year in the industry and this is big for me -and is an achievement. My aim is to be priceless. It's their project and I am helping whatever way we can."

"When I choose songs for events like these it is mostly based on their wishlist, and we dedicate them to the people who will go there. It will be at the Metro Tent Conference Center. It won't be charity if you post about it on social media but if it's to get more fans and people to participate in this program, then we'll do it. I personally have a lot of low moments, there's a new purpose for me now. Hopefully this would be a beginning of something new too. Hopefully to be used for more other than business. There are a lot of singers who can do this, maybe not have the title, maybe better than me, you have to be grounded and humble though because their fame is as fast as the internet. I wanna do more endorsements and shows that last a long time. On September 4, I'll have a show in Hawaii at Blue Room. It would be hard to see that not filled. This concert, I don't have to do this but to set an example and hopefully to follow me with whatever fame I have left, just me doing this is an honor. These two (Ka Tunying and Rossel) don't have to do this either but they do and these are the things we have to emulate because it is selfless, it's a way to help and that's a great thing."

I was surprised Mr. Nievera is very well dressed, even if he told us he didn't have a stylist. He just buys em off the shelf and watches what people would wear. He must have really invested in clothing in the past. I envy him.

For tickets you may contact 7034239 and this concert will happen at the Metro Tent Convention Center. His guests includes Kakai Bautista the dental diva and super power belter KZ Tandingan. Make sure you watch as the Php 5,500 price of the tickets will include a plated dinner and this fantastic show.

KUMAGCOW

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