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| Our Company | | Our Brands and Products | | Country Explorer | | Recipe ideas | | Chef's kitchen | | Contact us |
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| Our Company | | Our Brands and Products | | Country Explorer | | Recipe ideas | | Chef's kitchen | | Contact us |
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Bringing Cantonese flavours closer to home In line with the thrust of offering fresh ideas and solutions, we invited the executive chef of Unilever Foodsolutions (UFS) Hong Kong, Chef Billy Yeung, to do a series of cooking demonstrations for the top operators here in the Philippines. A live cooking demonstration for the hoteliers, restaurateurs and caterers was held on 16 July at the Top Shelf of Fully Booked, located at Bonifacio High Street Branch. Over 70 foodservice clients from the different parts of Metro Manila were present to witness Chef Yeung, along with our local UFS chefs, demonstrating six authentic Cantonese recipes using Knorr Hoisin Sauce, Knorr Oyster Sauce and Knorr Chicken Powder. Cocktails and a friendly social gathering followed after, where the operators had a chance for a one-to-one encounter with the chefs to ask questions and get useful tips and suggestions for their operations. Chef Yeung also conducted an exclusive cooking demo the following day for the top foodservice customers of Makro, one of the largest modern trade channels here. In order to get an invite for the exclusive demo, Makro’s foodservice customers had to buy a Chinese pack consisting of Knorr Hoisin Sauce, Knorr Oyster Sauce and Knorr Chicken. Chef Yeung’s recipes were very well received, thus contributing an increase in sales for the Makro’s Chinese pack right after the cooking demonstration. Over 90 people attended the cooking demonstration, with guests coming from areas as far as Batangas. Also present was the top management of Makro. Rice from Lucky Choice and spatulas from Gurnamal & Sons were awarded to the lucky winners.
UFS makes its mark via ‘Passion Feeds Passion’ Campaign UFS, the foodservice arm of Unilever Philippines Inc, has embarked on the ‘Passion Feeds Passion’ campaign to further make its mark in the local foodservice industry. UFS carries a strong foodservice heritage dating back to 1975 when California Manufacturing Co put up Caterplan to address industry requirements at that time. Caterplan was integrated with all food businesses of Unilever when the latter acquired Bestfoods in 2000. Upon acquiring full control of all operating companies in 2004, Unilever Bestfoods Foodsolutions became UFS. “Our commitment to our clients goes way beyond providing them with quality products. We do more than simply observe a meticulous and precise process in developing ingredients for their recipes. We are also very keen on offering them effective solutions that address the actual needs of their respective business,” explained Zafer Ünver, managing director of UFS, Philippines. “Such passion for work and product excellence prompts UFS to service its clientele of chefs, restaurant owners and caterers in a way that allows them to pursue their own passions — the perfection of their culinary craft and the growth of their business. This is what the ‘Passion Feeds Passion’ campaign seeks to communicate and ignite among its target stakeholders, in keeping with UFS’ vision of being its clients’ partner for success,” said Ünver. Dedicated Corporate Chefs Giving the necessary kitchen insight into UFS’ products is a roster of full-time chefs who are highly involved in every step of product development, from researching the latest trends to product testing and kitchen demonstrations. The UFS team of passionate chefs is comprised of executive chef Joanne Limoanco, regional sous chef Dennis Hipolito, and sous chefs for Culinary Applications — Paolo Sia, Ryan Lastra, Datu Pendatun and Martin Kabigting. UFS’ clients stand to benefit from the wealth of culinary information that these chefs provide not only due to their diverse background but also resulting from their access to Unilever’s global network that spans 80 countries. UFS’ products include Knorr bouillons, seasonings, sauces and soups, Lady’s Choice and Bestfoods dressings, Carte D’Or desserts, Lipton Tea, and Selecta ice cream in packaging formats that correspond to the needs of the hotel, restaurant, and catering segment of the foodservice market. “These products have the Unilever mark of quality which assures our clients’ good results for their various food requirements,” said UFS marketing manager Pinky Laurena. “Moreover, new UFS products are scheduled to be launched within the year as part of the ‘Passion Feeds Passion’ campaign.” Culinarian Website UFS also launched www.theculinarians.com, an online portal where people who are passionate about food and cooking can gather virtually. A key component of the ‘Passion Feeds Passion’ campaign, the website offers information on new restaurants, latest culinary trends, innovative recipes and handy kitchen management techniques. “The idea is to create a spirit of camaraderie among people who love what they do and want to bring the entire food service industry to even greater heights. They’ll inspire each other to keep on pursuing and improving their craft. Through this exciting exchange of ideas and stories, our website becomes a space where passion really does feed passion,” explained UFS senior chef Joanne Limoanco. According to chef Limoanco, pastry chef James Antolin — an instructor at the Centre for Culinary Arts and a member of the Philippines team competing in the Valhrona Asian Pastry Cup in Singapore — said he welcomes the UFS website as another valuable tool in which he can rely on to further improve his craft as it provides him with information that he can use in his culinary classes. Spreading the Passion Taking place from 22 April to 25 April 2008 in Singapore is the Food Hotel Asia (FHA) 2008 Culinary Challenge. The FHA Culinary Challenge is an exceptional opportunity for chefs to hone and exhibit their skills in an international arena. In 2007, the same Philippines team was sent to the Hong Kong International Culinary Classic and made the best of the competition to bring home the gold award for the Gourmet Team Challenge category. It was a feat they seek to achieve again through the FHA 2008 Culinary Challenge. During the UFS ‘Passion Feeds Passion’ launch, the members of the Le Toques Blanches (LTB) Philippines culinary team were given their official send-off. LTB manager, chef J Gamboa of Cirkulo and Milkyway Restaurants, said the team took part in the individual live cooking, plated display and pastry showpiece events during the competition in April. Chefs, caterers and every member of the foodservice industry can look forward to an exciting 2008 as ‘Passion Feeds Passion’ goes into full swing throughout the year. Log on to www.theculinarians.com to keep abreast of current and ongoing activities. ### Media Reference: Mel Garrovillo / Rossana Unson mel.garrovillo@ogilvy.com / rossana.unson@ogilvy.com Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide / Manila Tel: (632) 885 0001
UFS, the foodservice arm of Unilever Philippines Inc, recently partnered with Crocs, the manufacturer of comfortable and superior-grip shoes, to provide chefs with no-slip footwear ideal for working in the kitchen. The partnership is one of UFS’ efforts at providing total solutions to their clientele. “The benefits of Crocs Bistro have already been lauded by UFS Culinary Chefs who swear by the combination of great food made in great comfort,” said UFS managing director Zafer Ünver. “It is a partnership that is very much in line with the convenience and precision that our products offer.” Aptly called the Crocs Bistro, the recently launched footwear line is designed specifically for people who are on their feet all day and working in potentially greasy environments. Built with the signature Crocs™ lock tread for a solid grip and Croslite™ material that conforms to the foot for custom fit, chefs are left relaxed and fearless in their work as they focus on the food being prepared. Crocs Bistro certainly meets the foodservice industry’s slip resistance standards while its hip design and colours appeal to the chefs’ aesthetic sense. It is no surprise then that Crocs was able to get ‘iron chef’ Mario Batali as an international endorser for the Batali Edition Bistro available in his signature colour orange. Together, UFS and Crocs provide passionate solutions from the kitchen table to the kitchen floor. The partnership was launched on 27 May 2008 through The Fearless Kitchen Challenge, a fun competition that gave media partners a chance to familiarise themselves with the fearless cooking experience that the UFS and Crocs have to offer in tandem. Held at the Cilantro Kitchen in the Unilever head office in Manila, media partners participated in a friendly competition that tested their skills at cooking using UFS’ gold mine of ingredients while donning their very own chef jackets and no-slip Crocs Bistros. The judges for the competition were Centre for Culinary Arts’ very own chef James Antolin, chef Mike Yap and chef Brando Santos. “As chefs, we know that the right ingredients can make all the difference,” said chef Yap. “That’s something we discovered with UFS. From their simple base ingredients like industrial pastes such as the one kilogram of chicken broth and beef broth, we are able to whip up outstanding and unique creations that are flavourful yet affordable and not time-consuming. It is the combination of these elements that make very efficient kitchens.” Chef Antolin and chef Santos agreed likewise, adding, “With this new partnership between UFS and Crocs, we can expect even better solutions that can really benefit us as chefs, and the Fearless Kitchen Challenge is a great way for a first-hand experience of how these solutions can really work.” The challenge took place in a span of two hours, giving each team (guided by the expertise of UFS’ corporate chefs as team leaders) enough time to create a special seafood dish with UFS’ ingredients. The winning team won specially-designed trophies, heralding them as fearless kitchen champions who ‘cooked without fear.’ Without a doubt, UFS and Crocs are must-have kitchen essentials that provide total solutions. Log on to www.theculinarians.com, an online community where people who are passionate about food and cooking can gather virtually to share their culinary passions and learn more about the foodservice industry.
“Twist to Your Usual Cook-off Challenge.” We all know that chefs are competitive in nature. A chef wants to emerge and consider oneself better than the rest. He wants to feel that he’s the king of his kitchen and of others’ as well. This insight brought about the execution of the most excruciating and challenging of cook-off events organised by the Bistro Group Restaurant Concept, local franchisers of America’s casual dining restaurants like T.G.I. Friday’s, Italianni’s, and Fish & Co.; and Unilever Foodsolutions. On the 20 June 2007, everyone gathered in Unilever Foodsolutions’ Cilantro Kitchen to find out who would be the champion in the Bistro Group culinary challenge. The concept was for the three kitchens (Friday’s, Italianni’s and Fish & Co.) to come up with dishes in the following categories: starter, entrée and dessert. But this is far different from cook-off challenges like Hell’s Kitchen and Iron Chef as there are hurdles and twists before winners of each category are declared. First, participants must work as a team as each kitchen will be represented by a staff of chefs. Secondly, a featured item must be used in each category – starter: prawns, entrée: tuna and ox tail, and dessert: chocolate. Thirdly, selected UFS products have to be featured. Lastly, each kitchen has to present its dish to the judges in a creative manner. The judging of each category was based on following criteria: 50 percent for taste, 30 percent for visual presentation and 20 percent for creativity and originality. There were also the hard-to-please respectable culinary personalities on the panel of judges: Norma Chikiamco, the editor- in-chief of Food Magazine; Michaela Fenix, the food columnist of the Phil. Daily Inquirer; and Nancy Reyes-Lumen, editor-in-chief of Cook Magazine. Despite all these criteria, line-up of judges and twists, the spirit in the Cilantro Kitchen was described to be high, exciting and fun. Teamwork was apparent and the participants kept in high spirits in front of the camera as the event was happening. Finally, the winners were declared. For starter category, Fish & Co. with its dish, “prawn top”. For the entrée category, Friday’s won for its “tuna with wasabe chantilly cream” and Fish & Co. for its “BBQ oxtail”. For the dessert category, Fish and Co. took the honours for its mini-indulgence. Overall, the winner was named Fish & Co. Cash prizes were given away (Php5,000.00 each for starter and dessert, Php10,000.00 each for entrée seafood and meat), but what seem to be the most highly-coveted item that day was the title of being the king of Bistro Group. For Bistro Group and Unilever Foodsolutions Philippines, it was considered a win-win situation. They were able to execute this challenge using the Cilantro Kitchen and human resources. Unilever Foodsolutions Philippines, was able to further build our relationship with our operator with no outlay of resources. Furthermore, our presence in Bistro kitchen stood stronger as the winning dishes are now featured in their menus.
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