Local and International F & B Firms All Set for WOFEX 2009

The finest food and beverage (F & B) industry players, as well as representatives of allied services from here and abroad will again showcase their latest products and services at the 9^th International Exposition on Worldwide Food and Beverage, Technology, and Machinery (WOFEX 2009) to be held on August 5 – 8, 2009 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Dubbed as “The Ultimate Food Show Experience”, WOFEX 2009, organized by Premier Events Plus Group, Inc., will showcase the newest technologies, trends, products, and services in food preparation, storage and packaging, presentation and more. The annual event continues to co-locate events that bring together all segments of the food and beverage industry and allied industries.

Baker's Fair showcases different baked products, confectionaries, ingredients, and bakery equipment. Baking demonstrations are lined-up to provide this growth market up-to-date know how of the latest technologies and techniques.

Foodmatch Expo, on the other hand, brings in the various process and manufacturing machinery, providing solutions to the needs of the food & beverage industry. At Foodmatch Expo, the latest technologies in manufacturing, processing, packaging, handling, kitchen equipment, and other food service equipment will be on display for both commercial and industrial applications.

Taste Expo will highlight the culinary skills of the Filipino chefs and big prizes are at stake plus the prestige of being adjudged as the best by some of the most prominent experts in the field.

And last, the World Food Summit is a series of seminars and workshops that serves as forum for the dissemination of cutting-edge technologies and industry trends. The summit offers well-conceptualized seminars on different sectors of the F & B industry such as restaurants, manufacturing, supermarket, bakery, catering, and others.

The four-day event will be filled with numerous activities such cooking and baking demos, cake decoration competition, product demonstration, barista competition, flare tending exhibition, and seminars to help restauranteurs, managers, and aspiring entrepreneurs know how to improve and expand their business.

WOFEX 2009 is sponsored by Petron Gasul, Sun Cellular, KLG International, Inc., Foodservice Division, Gomeco Metal Corporation, Multi-Mach International, Inc., Cosmic Chemical Corporation, Sunbest, Minami Tsushow Co. Ltd., Tefal, JIMAC, Inc., Joe Kuan Food Corporation, The Philippine Star, Business Mirror, Cook Magazine, Flavors Magazine, Philippine Graphic, and F & B World Magazine

For more information about the World Food Expo 2009, contact Premier Events Plus Group, Inc., at (632) 9297963, 9297993, 4269603, 4364209, 4364898, email info@pepgroup.com, or visit their website, http://www.pepgroup.com

Travel Tips for Your Destination Wedding

Destination wedding has started to become a trend, especially here in the Philippines. It is where couples decide to hold their wedding in venues outside their hometown and do it in another location of their choice. Popular destinations here in the Philippines include Tagaytay City, Cebu, and Boracay Island, among others.

If you and your partner decide to have a destination wedding, your main concern involves traveling. You and your partner will have to constantly travel, whether to meet with local suppliers or inspect your ceremony and reception venue. In this case, here are some traveling tips for your destination wedding:

• Familiarize yourself with the landmarks and roads to your wedding ceremony and reception venue as well as the mode of transportation available.Remember, you will be the first person they will call if they need instructions on how to get to your wedding. Though you may provide maps on your invitations, it will still be helpful if you could guide them in looking for the landmarks indicated in your map. If you are getting married somewhere where your guests will have to pass by expressways, like North Luzon Expressway, South Luzon Expressway or Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, make sure to indicate in your map what exit your guests will have to take.
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  Your guests may also decide to have a short vacation after your wedding. Try to learn about the places of interest near your venue.
• Familiarize yourself with important establishment found near your wedding ceremony and reception venue. Important establishments include malls, convenient stores, fast food chains, and restaurants. You or your guests may need to buy something like food or toiletries.
• Send your guests save-the-date cards and information packets as early as six months in advance. This will allow them to book plane tickets, if needed, reserve hotel rooms, and organize their schedule. Also, this will give them ample time to find their way towards your venue.
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  In case you will not shoulder your guests’ accommodation, find out the promos and discounts of the hotel where you will stay in and suggest to your guest to book there as well. Some airlines and also offer group discounts.
• Consider getting local suppliers. It is good to hire local suppliers since travel will not be an issue for them. Unlike suppliers from the metro, it will be very tedious for them to bring their products to your wedding, unless they have a branch there. Also, local suppliers are very familiar with your wedding ceremony and reception, which would allow them to adjust better if something comes up. Then again, do not hesitate to hire suppliers from Manila that you really trust, especially those that are very mobile such as photographers, make-up artists, and wedding coordinators. But once you do, expect to be charged for out of town, travel and accommodation expenses.
• Travel light. It will be easier for you and you partner if you pack only the things you need for the whole time you will be staying at the hotel, especially during your wedding day. Settle for toiletries in sachets or smaller bottles. Avoid packing too many clothes and bring only that you are sure to wear.
• Bring basic medicines such as painkillers, anti motion sickness, for tummy aches, and your maintenance drugs, if any. You may not have ample time to scout for a drugstore or a pharmacy when the need arise.
• Plan your meetings and appointments well. Try to allot one whole day to accomplish your agenda such as meeting with local suppliers or inspecting your ceremony and reception venue. Create a contingency plan just in case something unexpected comes up such as delay of flight schedule, weather, or unavailability of suppliers for meetings.
• Bring an extra bag. You and your partner may have time to shop before or after your wedding. Your guests may hand out their gifts during your wedding. In any case, an extra bag will help you in packing up excess baggage.
• List down important local assistance hotlines. During unexpected circumstances, it is best to have a copy of important local numbers such as tourist information and assistance centers, police stations, fire stations, and medical facilities. It would be best to share these contact numbers with your guests.
• Charge up and load up. Make sure that you charge your phone regularly or have an extra battery with you when you leave the hotel. If you’re using prepaid mobile lines, keep extra call cards in your wallet or bag to avoid having a hard time looking for a load outlet when you run out of load.
• If in a place where the language or dialect you know is not widely spoken, keep table napkins, business cards or anything with the name of your hotel or venue on it. Also, keep identity cards with you (driver’s license, passport, company ID, etc.). This will help you in asking for instructions should you get lost.
  

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Kasal.com thanks the following sources for this article:

Sablan, Niño Mark, Philippine Daily Inquirer. Tips for hassle-free traveling (Posted April 1, 2009) Retrieved April 2, 2009 from
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/philippineexplorer/philippineexplorer/view/20090401-197425/Tips-for-hassle-free-traveling

Martha Stewart Weddings (U.S.) Planning a Destination Wedding. (Posted March 22, 2009) Retrieved April 2, 2009 from
http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/planning-a-destination-wedding?lnc=3e781aadd4b1d110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&xsc=eml_dwd_2009_03_22

Pash Weddings.com. Free Wedding Planner. (in .PDF format) Retrieved April 2, 2009 from
http://www.pashweddings.com/library/free-wedding-planner.php

Pinoy Resto Hailed in Asian Top 20 Guide

Whether it’s for a romantic dinner date with your loved one or for your wedding reception, choosing the best restaurant is a key factor to making your special day perfect. So, why not hold it in one of the best restaurants in Asia? Luckily, you don’t need to book a flight or reserve a hotel for this. One of them is located here in the Philippines, specifically in Tagaytay City.

Antonio’s Fine Dining was ranked as the 10th best restaurant in Asia out of 320 restaurants selected across 16 countries by the Miele Guide, an independent regional restaurant guide. On the other hand, Iggy’s, a restaurant in Singapore, was hailed as the best in the region.

The Guide described Antonio’s menu as “spoon-worthy as its ambience is swoon-worthy”. It further states that the restaurant “has consistently been considered among the top five restaurants in the Philippines and a favorite for proposals and intimate weddings”. This dining haven is located at Barangay Neogan, Tagaytay City, about two kilometers from the main road.

Managed by Antonio ‘Tonyboy’ Escalante, this 5-year old bistro offers a wide range of salads and grilled dishes, together with its signature dalandan juice. One of the most reviewed dishes here is the Antonio’s Trio. It is a sampler of Tenderloin Medallion with Gratin of Assorted Mushrooms on Lyonnaise Potato, Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Truffle Clam Sauce, and Lamb Cutlets with Cardamon Buerre Blanc with Gnocchi.

Other Filipino restaurants that were included in the Miele Guide ranking are Sonya’s Garden and Kanin Club in Tagaytay; Le Soufflé in Rockwell; Abe, Aubergine, and Bistro Filipino in Bonifacio Global City; Casa Armas at The Podium; Heat and Shang Palace at the Edsa-Shangri-la, Manila; Elbert’s Steak Room and Apartment 1B in Makati; Prince Albert at the InterContinental Manila ; Old Swiss Inn in Makati; Sugi, People’s Palace, Museum Cafe, Via Mare , Italiannis, Pepato, Sentro 1771, and Chateau 1771 in Greenbelt; The Fireplace and Li Li at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila; Lolo Dad’s Café in Manila; La Cocina de Tita Moning near Malacañang; and El Cirkulo and Tsukiji in Pasay.

Did You Know? The Miele Guide is a collaborative effort of Miele, a German manufacturer of premium domestic appliances and machines for commercial applications, and Ate Media, Singapore-based media consultancy and publishing company. The German company has helped published several Asian cookbooks such as Foodlore and Flavours: Inside the Southeast Asian Kitchen, a cookbook commissioned by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and published by Filipino company Artpost Asia. Miele’s long passion for fine dining and support for the food and wine industry, especially in Asia, paved the way for the creation of the Miele Guide

The Miele Guide ranking began in the early months of 2008. 84 Asian restaurant critics were invited to create the initial list of Asia’s best restaurants. Online voting began in May and ended on July 31. Voters were also given a chance to add more restaurants to the list. After that, a selected jury composed of food and wine professionals gave their own votes. The fourth phase involved the in-house team of Miele Guide and its contributing editors to anonymously dine at the possible winning restaurants and verify the votes gathered online and from the critics.

The country’s shortlist panel for the 2008/2009 edition of the Miele Guide were Ernest Reynoso Gala, chef-instructor at Sylvia Reynoso Gala Culinary Art Studio and contributor for Philstar.com; Jeffrey Valisno, senior reporter for Business World; Ana Marie ‘Nana’ Ozaeta, F & B World Magazine Editor; and Margaux Salcedo, food writer for Philippine Daily Inquirer (who also served as one of the contributing editors for the 2008/2009 edition).

Please visit Kasal.com Wedding Resources directory for the complete contact list of restaurants.

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Kasal.com thanks the following sources for this article:

Salcedo, Margaux. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Filipino restos voted among Asia’s best (Posted November 12, 2008) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20081112-171812/Filipino-restos-voted-among-Asias-best

GMANews.tv RP restaurant ranks 10th in Asia's 'top 20' (Posted November 4, 2008) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/131149/RP-restaurant-ranks-10th-in-Asias-top-20

Miele Guide, The. Asia’s Top 20. Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.mieleguide.com/asias-top-20

Salcedo, Margauz. Margauxlicious. Filipino Restaurants That Made The Miele Guidem (Posted November 5, 2008) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.margauxlicious.com/2008/11/filipino-restaurants-that-made-miele.html

Diaz, Anton. Our Awesome Planet. Nothing beats an Antonio's Dinner @ Tagaytay! (Posted February 8, 2006) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2006/02/nothing_beats_a.html

Lone Rider, The. Food Odyssey: Antonio’s Fine Dining. (Posted June 26, 2005) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.thelonerider.com/2005/jun/antonio/antonio.shtml