Thursday, September 17, 2009

The Nuestra Senora de Gracia Parish Church

You may think that I am commiting an error or must been forgetful and still, must have had amnesia. A double entry is a possibility or perhaps you may think that I am running out of churches to capture and feature here on my blog.

The Nueatra Senora de Gracia Parish Church is indeed truly one of the hidden gems of the metropolis and one of my personal favourites.

This is Makati's oldest church and some refer to it as the Guadalupe Ruins. This was used by Filipinos as a fortress against the Spaniards in 1896 and against the Americans in 1898.

Built by the Agustian friars and follows the baroque architectural style.

The St. Andrew the Apostle Parish Church

The Flavours of Negros

El Ideal Bakery

My first introduction of El Ideal Bakery was when I read the column of the late Doreen Fernandez and lately from Phil. Daily Inquirer's Michaela Micky Fenix

Old bakery, at least 75 years or older, occupying the Lacson Residence, El Ideal is an institution in Silay, baking traditional cakes and pastries in a huge wood fired oven located at the back of the counter. El Ideal has a few tables for diners. There are no pretensions to create ambiance, because the place itself speaks eloquently of the past.

The one I like best among the lot, besides the hojaldres which are similar to otap but are not as flaky and softer, are easily the biscocho prinsipe. I like Ilonggo biscocho prinsipe. The qualification prinsipe (prince) is a deserving adjective - it is indeed a royal biscuit. Although for me, this isn't even a biscocho, it is more like a slice of dried butter pound cake - crumbly, buttery sweet, finger-licking good.

The Casa Carmela

The recently concluded 24th Negros trade fair brought to us innovative products as well. One of them is the Casa Carmela pastries and baked products.

Casa Carmela has earned the distinction of having recently bagged the two top awards for Food Product Innovation in the annual Bulawan Awards of the Association of Negros Producers.

Owned by Millie Locsin Kilayko, a Negrense who traces her family’s past to a line of people who loved good food, the company’s products are inspired by the richness of her heritage, and propelled by the challenges of a dynamic contemporary palate.

Casa Carmela makes gourmet cookies, preserves, confecionaries and an assortment of interesting and innovative food delicacies using traditional old-world heritage recipes and heirloom recipes as well, but redefined/reinvented to a twist to make them distinctive and innovative.

Casa Carmela’s products consistently keep that element of ‘WOW’ or magic and surprise in its products making it the element of sustainability in the market. It made its debut as a food manufacturer when it introduced the now popular Crisp and Thin Piaya, a take-off and a bold revolutionary approach from the traditional flaky, muscovado sugar-fillled pastry for which the owner’s home province of Negros Occidental, Philippines, is made famous and known for.

Since then on, it has began to develop an interesting array of food delicacies. It was the foundation. It has also handpicked complementary food products from her home province and partnered with its manufacturers to match Casa Carmela’s distinctive qualities before including them in the company’s roster of items.

The 24th Negros Trade Fair

24th Negros Trade Fair
posted on Saturday August 15, 2009
The Negros Trade Fair, the Philippines’ longest -running provincially organized Trade Fair in Metro Manila, will move to another dimension soon when it will make available its Negros-made products through its online store.