51 Schools in Luzon join the Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge

announcement, food press, foodie events

The Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge (UCC) will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at the Hall 2, SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia from 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM.

The Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge (UCC) will once again open its doors to hundreds of young talents and provide them with a venue to learn from the best in the culinary and food service industry. The event will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at the Hall 2, SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia from 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Year after year, the contest successfully grows in size and coverage, gathering the Philippines’ most creative and innovative foodies, culinarians, professional and aspiring chefs.

According to Chef Russell Bautista, UCC Competition Head and Resident Chef of AJINOMOTO PHILIPPINES CORPORATION, “This one-day event is a golden opportunity for us to witness our future chefs showcase their skills and masterpieces. Ajinomoto hopes to contribute in discovering and maximizing their true potentials.” 51 schools with more than 400 student-competitors signed up for this year’s competition. UCC has expanded its reach in Luzon with participants coming from Ilocos, CALABARZON, NCR and CARAGA regions. Last year, UCC was also brought to Iloilo and Cebu to reach students in Visayas and Mindanao.

announcement, food press, foodie events

Schools will compete for a chance to be the Umami Bowl Champion and to win a kitchen classroom showcase.

There are six (6) contest categories including a national cooking showdown. Hercor College from Capiz earned their chance to compete against the school who will win the Best Filipino Umami Dish-Luzon in the upcoming Manila leg of UCC. On the other hand, the school with the highest score from Luzon will be named the Umami Bowl Champion and bring home a kitchen classroom showcase. Distinguished judges include culinary and nutrition experts like Chef Sau del Rosario, Chef Eugene Raymundo, Chef Seiji Kamura, Chef James Antolin, Dr. Zenaida Narciso and Ms. Joan Sumpio to name a few.

Other event highlights include new and unique culinary competition categories, Eat Well, Live Well.® Cooking Class facilitated by well-known celebrity chefs and Umami and MSG Safety Presentation by Dr. Nemencio Nicodemus. This event is presented by AJINOMOTO PHILIPPINES CORPORATION and sponsored by La Germania, Solane, and Masflex KitchenPro.

All About Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation

Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) is an affiliate of Tokyo-based Ajinomoto Co., Inc. Established in 1958, APC is committed to the unification of deliciousness and well-being as a corporate brand value. Its food brand slogan “Eat Well, Live Well” communicates the company’s competitive edge of offering food products that are both flavorful and nutritious. Likewise, APC advocates culinary nutrition, which is all about cooking with culinary skills and nutrition knowledge to create delectable and nourishing meals. APC’s brands include AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning, Ajinomoto® brand Ginisa Flavor Seasoning Mix, CRISPY FRY® Breading Mix, CRISPY FRY® Seasoned Crumbs All-in-One Coating Mix, TASTY BOY® All-purpose Breading Mix, The Ajinomoto® brand Sinigang, AJI-SHIO® Seasoning Mix, FRES-C® Concentrated Powdered Drink Mix and Ajinomoto® brand Chicken Powder.

Press Release

a delicious discovery: calda pizza

Did you know that I really love pizza? I love it too much, I must’ve been Italian in one of my previous incarnations! That is why I guess it was serendipitous that the jeepney driver stopped right in front of this pizza store in Tabang over the weekend. We made plans to go to Puregold earlier so that I can buy some stuff, but decided to go check this out, instead. I am guessing this place has just recently opened as I’ve never seen this in this side of town before.

Calda Pizza’s has a clean and pristine air about it. It sure is a small place and it was a welcome break that the owner did not clutter the place with unnecessary items. Apart from the four big tables and the long chairs that almost crowded the entire store, the wall is empty apart from the pizza cartons glued onto it. A nifty decor and a handy guide for those ordering for the first time.

Right in front of everyone is the counter/kitchen, with the delectable pizza ingredients, an insanely huge amount of cheese weighted out at the weighing scale, and a front-row view so you can watch the crew as they create the beautiful pizza.

After giving the menu much thought, we settled for their Bianca pizza which is a delicious concoction of mozzarella cheese, ground beef, oregano and roasted garlic! Sure sounds yummy, won’t you agree? We had to wait for another 25 minutes or so for the pizza to be ready, and time did flew fast as the little man entertained us with his antics and tricks 🙂

To say that it is delectable is an understatement. The thin-crust pizza is just everything I want in my pizza with all the generous amount of cheese, the hint of roasted garlic and oregano, and the meaty goodness of ground beef. For Php230, I’d say it is a good buy, especially when 3 grown ups enjoyed the wonderful meal.

I will surely go back to Calda Pizza and this early, while writing about www.reidsupply.com/, am already thinking of a great excuse to buy one of their Super 30″ pizza! 😀

Calda Pizza
Catindig Bldg., 118 Cagayan Valley Rd.,
Sta. Cruz, Guiguinto, Bulacan {near Puregold}
0933-379-5586/896-0141

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