The Spirit of Escoffier, Tasty New Finds and Reconnecting with Old Friends at #MAFBEX2022

The Manila Food & Beverages Expo, or simply MAFBEX, recently showcased some of the very best culinary personalities in the country along with innovative new products in its 2022 edition at the World Trade Center. Founding Chairman of Disciples Escoffier Philippines, Chef Philip John Golding along with Chef Chad Joseph Datu and Donatella Chua led a cooking demonstration highlighting the ubiquitous mung bean into a lavish lentil soup prepared two ways with an elegant French style and a comforting local reinterpretation for an exciting new spin on a popular staple. Simple and common ingredients can be transformed into something new and different, all it takes is a fresh perspective. Read on and find out how...  

Hosted by Donatella Chua, the cooking demo by Chefs Philip John Golding and Chad Joseph Datu for Chefs of the World at MAFBEX 2022 presented how an inspired and refreshed perspective can transform a common and everyday ingredient like mung beans or monggo into something new, different and special. Good food, as we remember it, is always the simplest. Chefs Philip and Chad draws inspiration from the everyday staple and elevates it while remaining comfortingly familiar. And you can recreate it at home. 

As Chef Philip John Golding explained his French twist on the dish...

...Chef Chad Joseph Datu prepared his inspired reinterpretation of the everyday classic. Everyone is familiar with the local mung bean dish, and Chefs Philip and Chad applied some very innovative and creative spins leading to surprisingly elegant results. 

Both chefs explained each step of the process behind their dishes...

...and slowly, the familiar green gram or monggo is taken to a whole new level. Chef Chad adds creamy coconut milk to his dish for a silkier and smoother consistency as well as richer flavors...

...while Chef Philip infuses fragrant smoke for an added layer of flavor. 

Assisted by students from CCA Manila, Chefs Philip and Chad prepared their dishes with two contrasting styles. With the common mung bean as the base for their creations, the live audience were just as eager and excited as I was for the final dish. After all, I've had the dish pretty much the same for years now way back since childhood and it would be great to see and taste something new and different. 

The latest range from Breville were also showcased during the demo...

...including the Breville Air Fryer used for the pork belly which will be paired with both the French and local versions of the Lentil Soup...

...with excellent results. A slab of perfectly crisp and juicy pork belly fresh off the Breville Air Fryer is ready for carving.

During the demo, the seasoned chefs shared their knowledge to a new generation of culinary professionals from CCA Manila reflecting one of the core principles of Escoffier. The transmission of knowledge is one of the enduring traditions of Escoffier, a key principle in all of its activities around the world. At MAFBEX 2022, the spirit of Escoffier is seen in action with the young chefs gaining invaluable experience from their mentors.   

The anticipation builds as the dish takes shape with the final components and steps. The common lentil soup or monggo is given the full chef's treatment, opening up a world of possibilities for home cooks to replicate at home.     

The annual culinary event is all about possibilities, and MAFBEX continues to present these in the form of innovative ideas, exciting new dishes and creative new food products. 

The CCA Students add the final touches to the dishes...

...before being presented to the live audience. And no, none of the new creations look like the dishes we grew up with presented in an entirely new way combining both flavor and texture in an elegant weave.  

Chef Philip's French Style Lentil Soup (L) enriched with cream and infused with fragrant smoky hints with a silky smooth texture warms the palate with its comforting notes while the reimagined Filipino Style Lentils (R) of Chef Chad features a risotto-like finish rounded out by creamy coconut milk and topped with crisply slabs of pork belly for a hearty combo. Both recipes will be part of the Disciples Escoffier International Recipe Book now in the pipeline.

The French Style Lentil Soup by Chef Philip is a finely blended dish with a thick and grainy consistency delivering rich flavors smoothened by cream and hints of fragrant smoke...

...while Chef Chad's leveled up version with its equally creamy finish from the coconut milk is a meal in itself topped with slabs of crispy air-fried pork belly. Both versions presented creative new ways of enjoying the everyday staple, reinterpreting and updating it with modern culinary techniques. The dishes provided by Festive Home PH makes it even more special with its fluid and organic design. Chip proof, dishwasher safe and long lasting, Festive Home PH makes dining at home memorable with their line of dinnerware. 

There's always something new to discover at MAFBEX, and this year Chefs Philip and Chad pulls off a surprising and flavorful spin to an everyday dish.

The live audience were given sampling portions of both dishes, and it's pretty cool to see the surprised look on their faces after that first bite. For everyone at the Chefs of the World demo at MAFBEX, it was a moment of discovery and learning something new.

Chefs Philip and Chad, Dona and the CCA Manila students all shared the spotlight from an appreciative crowd that day at MAFBEX 2022. And there was so much more to discover at MAFBEX 2022... 

From Ethiopia to Colombia and everywhere in between, you'll find the world's best in one place. A soothing cup of freshly brewed coffee from Aurora Coffee Roasters rejuvenates your mind and body with its rich yet smooth and mellow nutty hints...

...as you continue to walk around the expansive exhibit area where you find another tasty gem. Like Bibimbud, a kimchi-style sauce created by two Koreans who missed traditional homestyle flavors. And like they say, necessity often leads to the creation of inventive products to satisfy and fill a void or need. The bold flavors with a gentle and soothing heat drapes the palate with that flavorful punch. It's also versatile and can be used as a dipping sauce, spread, dressing, seasoning or in preparing homemade batches of kimchi. 

Earlier at the Chefs of the World cooking demo, Chefs Philip and Chad added generous dabs of Bibimbud to their French and inspired local styles of Lentil Soup adding a contrasting layer of flavor for that balanced finish. The deep nutty hints, nuanced sweetness and rounded flavors makes this kimchi sauce the perfect match for almost anything capped by its subtle spice. I've tried it on nachos, burgers and even plant-based sausages and it works. Packed in squeezable bags, Bibimbud is an essential addition to your home pantry. 

The increasing popularity of plant-based food and meat substitutes is both timely and relevant with health and environmental concerns high in everyone's agenda. It's a positive development, and it's good to see new players entering an emerging new market. Next Meats from Japan could very well be the next big thing in the culinary scene.

Advances in technology have led to savory plant-based substitutes that replicate the same flavor and mouth feel of meat in wide array of tasty options, including Canned Tuna... 

...and even Yakiniku Kalbi. The benefits of adding plant-based substitutes to your daily routine goes a long way in terms of both personal and environmental health. And with innovative products like these, encouraging trial and increasing awareness along with ease of access and availability should bring plant-based options into the culinary mainstream. The next big thing? Absolutely. 

A local product from Camiguin joins the growing number of homegrown brands in the premium artisan chocolate segment with the entry of SaBroso. Sourcing the finest chocolate from Camiguin, SaBroso is 100% all-natural pure Cacao Tablea and Cocoa Powder made from beans harvested by local farming communities. 

SaBroso is healthy and easy to prepare as a chocolate drink or baking ingredient with its bean-to-cup concept. It's 100% vegan, keto-friendly, HACCP certified and FDA-approved adding even more reasons for you to try it.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, with so many more culinary finds waiting to be discovered at MAFBEX 2022.

Seeing Zel Garcia Babas leads to a visit to her Coffee.Art.Tea stall in MAFBEX 2022, showcasing her wide variety of special coffee concoctions using local single-origin coffee beans. The Poblacion-based Coffee.Art.Tea is one of the coolest hang-outs in the eclectic Makati neighborhood (for more on Coffee.Art.Tea in poblacion, see my previous posts, A Sip of the Local Neighborhood Coffee Culture at Coffee Artea in Makati's Poblacion and New in the 'Hood: Art and Coffee at Coffee Artea in Makati's Poblacion).

Then, an old friend takes over the stall...

And when you hang out at Coffee.Art.Tea, the Liquido Maestro is always close by to share his wicked concoctions. Straight from Bhutan, Kalel Ervin Demetrio of Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen prepared his Purple Haze with its blend of Horchata, Espresso and the award-winning Agimat Ube Cream Liqueur (for more on Agimat Ube Cream Liqueur and the Liquido Maestro, see my posts, A Night Out in Monochrome, at Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen and Proudly Homegrown: Enchanting Libations by Destileria Barako with The Liquido Maestro at Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen).

The Liquido Maestro served his new creation to the royal family of Bhutan during his visit earning the royal seal of approval. And that's no surprise, as Kalel Ervin Demetrio continues to raise the bar with local artisan craft spirits. The Agimat Ube Cream Liqueur is just one of many artisan creations by the Liquido Maestro for Destileria Barako. 

The creamy notes of Horchata are tempered by the deep and bold flavors of espresso rounded out by the nutty sweetness of the Agimat Ube Cream Liqueur combining for one royal and elegant blend.

The Purple Haze by the Liquido Maestro is another gem of a find at MAFBEX 2022. If you missed it at MAFBEX and if you're lucky enough to spot the Liquido Maestro at Coffee.Art.Tea in Poblacion, go for the royal treatment with the Purple Haze.

The spirit of Escoffier, tasty new finds and reconnecting with old friends, all at MAFBEX 2022. Here's a toast to next year's edition...