Try Korean and Japanese treats that fit your palate

Following the success of Wee Nam Kee, Osaka Ohsho, and Kumori, The Relish Group introduced in 2015 their first homegrown concept: Rock and Seoul.

A play to 'rock and roll,' Rock and Seoul incorporated three concepts into one restaurant: the growing fondness of Filipinos for K-Pop, the increasing awareness for healthy eating, and the consistent love of Filipinos for rice.

"Innovation is very key to the group. We’ve come up with strong concepts over the years and we continue to stay relevant by coming up with new products and new concepts," said Linfred Yap, managing partner of the Relish Group.

Rock and Seoul is a 'make your own bibimbap' fast-casual restaurant, which serves Korean-fusion meals. Yap explained, 'rock' was for the rock dish the bibimbap is cooked in and 'Seoul' is in homage to Korea.

He said they had a consultant on Korean cuisine who is also knowledgable on different foods around the globe.

Before launching the restaurant, Yap and his partners first had to test their food and the branding they were to execute. They also settled into a fast-casual food concept to reach a wider base of customers.

Meanwhile, Relish Group's Kumori offers traditional bread with a Japanese spin as well as the famous half-baked Japanese cheesecake called Juku.

"Bread is a staple part of our everyday life in the Philippines—people have it for breakfast, people have it for merienda, snack and some have it also for light lunch," Yap said.

Kumori was so well-received by Filipinos that the Relish Group is already mulling opening it for franchise.

Yap attributed their five years of steady success to a strong team, starting from his partners to their management teams on ground. Awareness of customer feedback, he added, also helped them fix problems immediately.

But with more and more competition going into the market, he maintained "it’s gonna be the survival of the fittest and we’re really going to have to stay on top of our game to make sure that we can continue to stay productive."

He noted that while they're not as fast in expanding as other restaurant chains, they see new opportunities in bringing fresh concepts into the Philippine market, like Peruvian-Japanese cuisine.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How your excess calories can help people in need

MANILA – On a diet? Imagine your excess calories being given to people who need it most.

The Young Global Leaders' Table for Two launched on Thursday the "Calorie Offset" initiative, which aims to “transfer excess calories” from products to people in need, in the Philippines.

In a press conference at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on East Asia, Table for Two executive director Masa Kogure said the excess calories from products will be monetized into donations for agriculture training, development of school gardens, and other sustainable activities.

“[With] excess calories [being] transferred to people in need, particularly other children… [it will be] monetized into donation for agriculture training, school gardens, and other sustainable initiatives," Kogure said.

The group will be partnering with different brands, sporting events, and manufacturers that will be able to promote the benefits of having a healthier lifestyle.

“[We will] partner with exercise [initiatives], brands, and sporting events that promote burning of calories," Kogure said.

The Calorie Offset program was initially launched in Tokyo, Japan last May 2014 with the participation of companies such as LAWSON, Oisix, Ezaki Glico, Nagatanien, and FiNC.

Among these, LAWSON and Oisix has already begun promoting and selling products supported by the program.

Takeshi Niinami, chairman of Lawson Inc., said the government of Japan supports the initiative.

Although they are still in talks whether the products will cost more than the regularly produced commodities in the market today, Niinami said that they will have to consider the value added function of making the product still top quality.

“This much be a very good tasteful product. We can allow [it to be as it is] but [it will] taste really bad. [We will make sure that] they are very tasteful," Niinami said.

Kogure noted that consumers now pay more to become healthy, and as a branded product, they are looking on providing the worth that they will be offering.

“These days, consumers will actually pay more to become healthy. We are hoping to charge extra on those branded products…but really still in negotiation.”

Kogure said that the products will be produced with local manufacturers, using available ingredients in the area.

“Depends on the location, available local ingredients, [and we will] evaluate the nutrient level of children and examine the micro-nutrients they are lacking," he said.

He said that they are already working on partnerships with different local institutions and chains, including fast food giant Jollibee.

When asked if how long the program will run, Kogure said it will be a long-term project.

“[It] needs to be sustainable, [so we’ll] stay in the Philippines as long as needed.”

Niinami said that this initiative was started to address the problem of obesity evident not only in Japan, but in the world.

He said that they hope the program will be able to provide a solution to the social problem, and at the same time, also help children in need.

“Social problem is that intake of calorie is too much. I hope this initiative will penetrate to other bigger [problems] in Japan, even here in ASEAN… [and provide a] big solution for people in need," he said.

Table for Two is an official affiliate of the Forum of Young Global Leaders. They have launched previous projects which promoted healthy eating while providing for school meals of children in developing countries.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Health, weight loss tips from Erwan Heussaff

MANILA – Most people know Erwan Heussaff for three things – for being the boyfriend of Kapamilya star Anne Curtis, for being the brother of actress Solenn Heussaff, and for his food blog, The Fat Kid Inside.

His popular food blog is named such as a reminder of his past – Heussaff used to weigh 240 pounds due to a sedentary lifestyle and eating a lot of processed food.

Through discipline and healthy eating, he was able to lose 90 pounds and went on to become a heartthrob in his own right.

So how did he do it?

In an attempt to answer the question in five minutes, Heussaff recently uploaded a clip showing some of his tips on how to lose weight in a fast, safe and enjoyable way.

The video, simply titled “Get Healthy in Five Minutes,” tells viewers what types of food to eat and what to avoid, with Heussaff addressing common misconceptions related to dieting and exercise.




“Weight is lost through the kitchen, and then through sports,” Heussaff said in the clip, adding, “A balanced meal for me is a cup of broccoli, a tablespoon of olive oil, 200 grams of cooked chicken, one cup of salad and one banana.”

Addressing crash dieters, Heussaff discouraged skipping meals, saying the body needs to “get used to digesting food.”

He also urged those who want to lose weight to get rid of products with ingredients “you can’t pronounce,” as well as anything deep-fried.

“Try cooking most of your meals. Prepare your own snacks. Portioning is so important. Keep a food diary. Don’t skip meals. Have one cheat meal a week where you eat anything you want. Chew your food,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Healthy eating for Christmas? Drop it

MANILA, Philippines -- Singer-actress Rachel Alejandro has been getting calls requesting catering services for a "healthy" Noche Buena, but the performer-turned-culinary entrepreneur would rather encourage voracious eating even at the disadvantage of her business.




"May mga clients na nagpapa-cater pa ng Noche Buena, gusto pa nila healthy. We advise against it. Kainin niyo na kung anong kailangan kainan, Pasko naman eh," Alejandro said during a sit-down interview with reporters on Thursday.

"There's a time and a place for healthy eating. We also don't believe in being on a diet forever and ever and ever. Dapat din naman, enjoy-in mo 'yung things na gusto mong kainan," she added.

The Sexy Chef, co-owned by Alejandro, her sister Barni and their mother Myrna Demauro, is a culinary business that offers catering and delivery of healthy meals that are tailored to clients' specific diet programs.

"Healthy eating is really a challenge for everyone who's busy," Alejandro said. "Karamihan naman kasi ng clients namin are busy professionals who don't want the hassle of having to shop, prepare and weigh [food]."

"So we like to provide the  convenient solution for people who don't have time to prepare their healthy meals," she added.

Among the famous personalities who are known to be clients of The Sexy Chef are singer Martin Nievera, Asia's Songbird Regine Velasquez, and actress-host Ruffa Gutierrez.

Roots, trends

Like these local celebrities, Alejandro's sister Barni had to address her unhealthy weight gain at one point. At that time, when Barni was in college, the sisters' efforts to manage her weight eventually paved the way for The Sexy Chef.

According to Alejandro, Barni had resorted to eating "junk food, instant meals and canned goods" as part of her college lifestyle. Heeding the advice of a doctor -- prompted by Barni's weight gain -- Alejandro bought cookbooks for her sister, who then somehow found "cooking healthy food as her forte."

Now, The Sexy Chef has over 10 diet programs offered to their clients. The variety of selections, according to the singer-actress, is a way of tailor-fitting meals to the needs and preferences of their customers.

Anything too "alien" to a client's taste, Alejandro noted, may only discourage his start to a lifestyle of healthy eating.

"Right now, nandoon na kami sa point na pag merong usong diet program, basta may demand, we try to interpret it... Sumasakay kami [sa] bagong technology, kung ano 'yung know-how pagdating sa diets," Alejandro said of their expanding business.

As an example, she related, "Noong araw kung ang kalaban natin ay kanin at [carbohydrates], this time around ang kalaban natin ay preservatives at wheat. Ngayon it's no wheat, no bread, no preservatives, everything's all natural."

On the horizon for The Sexy Chef, according to Alejandro, is a lifestyle show that goes in-depth on healthy cooking.

For her part, the singer-actress is not slowing down when it comes to her showbiz career. In addition to releasing a new album, Alejandro is set to star in the re-run of Atlantis Productions' staging of the "Rock of Ages" in July 2013. She will also appear in the upcoming ABS-CBN series "May Isang Pangarap" in a guest role.

source: abs-cbnnews.com