Ultimate Food show: WOFEX Marketplace at SMX July 31 - August 3

The World Food Expo (WOFEX) is finally happening this week! It's a humongous expo that happens every year, and it only gets bigger this 2013.

Here is what you need to know: The event is happening in two venues. The World Trade Center and SMX Convention Center.Where to go? If you are looking for ingredients to buy, then head to the WOFEX Marketplace at SMX. This is what I intend to do.

However, if you are a serious trader i.e. kitchen equipment then head to the WOFEX trade at WTC.



Unlike its trade counterpart, the WOFEX Marketplace is open to the public from July 31- August 3. Ticket price is Php 150. This is a serious venue to explore food trends, source ingredients for personal or small business use, and learn from the free on-stage cooking demos.

Important reminder: You cannot bring children to the venue. The crowd is thick and is not condusive for children's comfort. As much as possible, attendees are requested to leave as soon as they are finished with shopping to make room for other visitors. Yes, this is how packed WOFEX can be!

However, it's still a must-visit especially for people like me who are the designated "marketer" and "chef" at home. Apart from food shopping, I am keeping my eyes peeled for new recipes and business ideas. The organizers and partners are very generous in teaching. In fact, here's the line up of free stage shows for the WOFEX Marketplace attendees:

DAY 1 July 31, 2013 (Wednesday)

12nn-1pm No Compromise Cooking with Borges

1pm – 2pm Savor The Long Life Happiness

2pm – 3pm Yummy Dishes Made Easy!

3pm – 4pm Food Creativity by World Class Concepts

4pm – 5pm Gourmet-to-Go, A ScanAsia Cooking Demo

5pm – 6pm Difficult is Easy: Hassle-free Food Preppin’ with Breville


DAY 2 August 1, 2013 (Thursday)

12nn – 1pm Taste the Difference with Divella

1pm - 2pm Menu: The Magic of Cooking featuring Chef Ric Loteria

2pm – 3pm Everyday Food Made Better With Eden

3pm – 4pm Classic Touch by Chef Heny Sison

4pm – 6pm HRCAP-CATFABS Chefs Culinary Showdown



Day 3, August 2, 2013 (Friday)

10am-11am Sarap Super Q

11am – 12nn Cooking with Marca Chef

12nn – 1pm Yummy Dishes Made Easy!

1pm – 2pm Idol sa Kusina

2pm – 3pm Barista Choi Coffee Demo

3pm – 4pm Good Food Deserves Lurpak

5pm – 6pm Chute & Squeeze: Healthy Juicing Made Easier with Breville


Day 4, August 3, 2013 (Saturday)

11am – 12nn Everyday Creations by Chef Nino Logarta

12nn – 1pm Crumbled Goodness that Crisp to the Taste

1pm – 2pm Paella Arroz Caldo Toppings

2pm – 3pm Menu: The Magic of Cooking featuring Chef Ric Loteria

3pm – 4pm McCormick Foodservice Brings Passion to Flavor

4pm – 6pm Quick and Easy Cooking with Oster and KitchenAid


This is a lot of free knowledge not just for small business owners but for homemakers as well. Make sure you come prepared, and make sure you attend this year's ultimate food show! :)

Visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WOFEX

There's Taho in my Starbucks!

My latest Starbucks journey was at Wan Chai in Hong Kong, but nothing really beats home. I feel like our local Starbucks knows me (and you) like the back of their hands. The beverages, food, service, and overall coffee experience is a clear reflection of what we locals want. And what do you know, they've even added taho in their frapuccino!




Starting tomorrow, 16 July - you'll experience this new and innovative twist on your favorite Starbucks drinks. Ask your barista for a tall Dark Mocha White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino or, if you are a green tea lover like I am - ask for a Green Tea White Chocolate Pudding Frappuccino.

I had the pleasure of trying out these beverages before launch. They had the combined texture of chocolate chips, silky white pudding, and offered a very good mouth feel. Statistics are split, 50-50 between the two flavors.


I lean towards the Green Tea pudding frappe for it's Asian and healthy flavors. Most of all, it's cheaper by Php 10 compared to the Dark Mocha variant ;)



I wonder what Manong Taho would say! But I am guessing he'll give it a thumbs up. Our local vendor already invented chocolate taho that he sells in the afternoon. It's a fact, people can't get enough of it and how lucky are we that ther's a Starbucks version of our local favorite!

P.S. Starbucks doesn't call the secret ingredient taho, but  pudding which is more understandable for most people. 

By the way, don't be fooled at how the pudding appears as only 1/3 of your beverage. Once you slurp, everything mixes up in a perfect harmony, including the foamy whipped cream. For the benefit of serious pudding lovers, I hope our friendly braistas can soon allow us to customize the amount of pudding in our drinks : D