Unilever Food Solutions launches "Food Trends"

Food service industry has been growing every year and chefs now are more commercial and becoming a superstar in and out of the kitchen. Today, even though food business is a bit hard and tricky because of the trends, businessmen still venture into this becoming a restaurateur. New concepts and fresh restaurants are popping out here and there in different places. With the boom in this field, Filipinos are becoming more adventurous with food.

I was invited to be a part of a group for the launch of Unilever Food Solutions series of online videos entitled "Food Trends" at Abe's Farm in Pampanga. Food Trends is a bite-size series featuring 6 Southeast Asian food trends  – Food Tourism, Serving Portions, Dish Innovation, Creating Memorable Experiences, Smarter Kitchens, and Rise of the Chef — that Philippine chefs and restaurant operators need to look out for. Available at www.UFS.com/foodtrends.

Tourism is also a big factor to the growth of Philippine dining. Philippine's local cuisine takes the spotlight year after year as more and more people, domestic and international tourists visit the different places of the country and plans their itineraries around food. Traveling would not be complete if people don't get to eat the local cuisine. The more daring and exotic, the more they look forward to it.

Unilever Food Solutions Philippines Marketing Manager Seanta Reyes

“As the food service arm of Unilever, we at Unilever Food Solutions believe it is our mission to keep chefs and restaurant operators, big or small, equipped with the knowledge and skills to run their food business successfully,” shared Unilever Food Solutions Philippines Marketing Manager Seanta Reyes. “The Food Trends videos at UFS.com are intended to help food business owners and operators. We believe that for them to stay in touch with customers, they need to stay in touch with the latest trends in the industry – that’s what Food Trends aims to provide.”

We headed to visit Abe's Kitchen in Pampanga and was treated to the best of what Filipino food can offer.

Chicharon Bulaklak, deep fried frog or Betute, Paco Salad and Sisig Kapampangan

Sinigang na Bangus Belly sa Bayabas

Binukadkad na Plapla

During the visit to Pampanga, UFS Philippines’ team of chefs explained how the trends on Food Tourism, Serving Portions, and Dish Innovation apply in restaurant practices. “Travelling for Filipinos is not just about the sights anymore. People are now going around the Philippines in search of authentic local eats,” said UFS Philippines Sous Chef Pipo Aluning on Food Tourism. 

“Another trend is how restaurants are now serving smaller plates. This fosters a more communal dining experience, as it allows people to share food from common plates, family-style.” Apart from this, it can also be seen how maverick restaurateurs are introducing new concepts: pop up restaurants, supper clubs, gastropubs – that refresh the dining experience.

Kanin sa Bamboo

Liempo

With the demand and competition on the rise, operating a successful commercial kitchen is not an easy task for restaurant owners and chefs. But having these food trends in mind, they open themselves to happier customers and bigger business opportunities. 

Knock out Knuckles

Laing

Pinakbet

Kare-Kare

So how are you liking the food so far? :) After eating lunch there was a short demo on how to make Abe's Farm famous dessert Sikreto Ni Maria. Ingredients: Mango, panutsa, macapuno ice cream, suman.

Cut the mango into strips (or which ever you like it), cut the suman in half, cover it up with macapuno ice cream (chef says it's better if its more creamy/melted), and top it off with panutsa.

Now that's like innovation! A yummy innovation! Sikreto ni Maria.

So, for you guys to stay updated on the latest trends, visit www.UFS.com/foodtrends. The site has online video series provides the much-needed resources to keep up with the quickly evolving industry.

You can find more photos of Abe's Farm here.