Dinner & Lecture by Dr. Fernando Zialcita; CHOP Annual End-of-Year Banquet, November 14, 2015

FILIPINO FOOD ANTHROPOLOGY & SUNSET MERIENDA CENA

CHOP'S END-OF-THE-YEAR BANQUET

DINNER by CHEF JESSIE & LECTURE by DR. FERNANDO ZIALCITA

at CHEF JESSIE'S at 100, Eastwood, Quezon City

Saturday, November 14, 2015

6:00pm to 9:00pm

Dr. Fernando Zialcita (a doctor of anthropology at the Ateneo de Manila University) was the special guest lecturer for this end-of-year banquet, and he spoke about the many concepts of our Filipino food identity, including a presentation about why our culinary heritage is invisible, even to us.

The dinner--which was intended as an interpretation of the lecture--was curated by Chef Jessie Sinsioco, and her Degustation Menu is shown below.

Chef Jessie's revolving restaurant is at the top floor of the 100 Building in Eastwood, Quezon City. While the participants dined and listened to the lecture, they enjoyed a moving panoramic 360-degree view of the cityscapes of Makati, Taguig, Antipolo, Marikina, and Manila.

DEGUSTATION MENU

Chef Jessie's Ciabatta Bread, Rolls, Butter & Special Dip

Tapenade of:

Tinapang Bangus

Inihaw na Talong

Pako, Watercress & Pancit-Pancitan Salad

With Crispy Dulong

in Calamansi Vinaigrette Dressing

Clear Essence of Manila Clam

with Moringa

Guyabano Sorbet

"Bistek" in Soy-Calamansi Sauce

with Crispy Onion Rings

OR

Grilled Cod Fillet in Bacalao Sauce

Served with Garlic Rice and Sauteed Beans

The Holy Father's Favorite Dessert

Flambeed Mango

a la mode

Coffee or Tea

Food Tour, Mid-Autumn Festival in Binondo, Chinatown (Latest Update)

Mid-Autumn Festival in Binondo, Chinatown - Latest Update

Saturday, September 26, 2015; 12 Noon to 4:00 pm

To:      All CHOP Members 

From:  Pia Lim-Castillo, President, CHOP

September 11, 2015

Subject:  CHOP Food Tour:  Mid-Autumn Festival in Binondo, Chinatown, 

               Saturday, September 26, 2015; 12 Noon to 4:00 pm

Hi everyone,

Last year, we went to Chinatown before Chinese New Year to see the preparations for the most important event in the Chinese calendar, also known as the Spring Festival.

Food Tour: Mid-Autumn Festival in Binondo, Chinatown - Save the Date!

Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinatown - Save the Date!

Saturday, September 26, 2015

From:  Pia Lim-Castillo, President, CHOP

To:      All CHOP Members

August 24, 2015

Subject:  CHOP Food Trip:  Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinatown, Saturday, September 26, 2015

Informal Board Meeting, July 9, 2015

Held at the Manila Polo Club, 10:30 am

Present:
      Pia Lim-Castillo
      Alvin Reyes Lim
      Nanette Medina
      Ige Ramos
      Regee Newport

Lecture/Seminar, Promoting Pinoy Food on Social Media, August 1, 2015, Aguinaldo Shrine, Kawit, Cavite

[This posting is in the process of being updated. Thanks for your patience.]

Following is the latest announcement sent out by Pia to the membership on July 11, 2015:

Food Tour, A Taste of Negros, July 24-26, 2015

[The text below is in the process of being updated, and the photos will be posted soon; please visit CHOP's Facebook group page for the posts on the tour. Many thanks for your patience.]

"A TASTE OF NEGROS"  -  This is the first time that CHOP will venture as far as a plane ride away to the land of smiles:  BACOLOD. We will be hosted and led by CHOP's husband-and-wife team, Tom and Mitch Bascon, who will bring us through Bacolod, Silay, and Talisay in two full days on Saturday and Sunday. The tour will include a market tour, food demonstrations, meals at several establishments, and shopping for pasalubongs. Airfare and accommodations will be to the individual’s account, and only the internal tour-related costs will be covered by the fee to be charged. Additional details will be sent to the membership as soon as they are confirmed. 

Food Tour, Ubud Food Festival, Bali, Indonesia, June 5, 6 & 7, 2015

Six CHOP members plus one friend (Pia Lim-Castillo, Regee Newport, Nanette Medina, Beth Romualdez, Ige Ramos, Ginny Roces-De Guzman, and Ginny Mata) traveled to Ubud in Bali, to participate in the inaugural Ubud Food Festival, a three-day celebration of the richness and diversity of Indonesian culinary culture, serving up a program rich in food mythology, authenticity and taste. The program featured at least 15 Cooking Demonstrations; 15 free Food Forums; 12 Workshops and Masterclasses; 14 Special Events, Book Launches and Wine Tastings; 2 guided visits to the local Markets; 2 Film Screenings; and a memorable Closing Night Party.

L to R:  Nanette Medina, Ginny Roces-De Guzman, Pia Lim-Castillo, Beth Romualdez, Regee Newport, and Ige Ramos. (Missing from the photo:  Ginny Mata)

Food Tour, Cavite Midlands/Rice Routes, March 14, 2015

Food Tour, San Pablo, Laguna, January 24, 2015

San Pablo, Laguna Food Tour

January 24, 2014

Membership/Election Meeting, January 17, 2015 (S. Forbes, Makati)

Food Anthropology Lecture & Sunset Dinner, November 9, 2014 (100 Revolving Restaurant, Eastwood)

Food Anthropology Lecture & Sunset Dinner

100 Revolving Restaurant, MDC Building

Eastwood, Quezon City

Sunday, November 9, 2014

At this Lecture/Dinner (the last of our events in 2014), we will try to piece together many concepts about our Filipino Food Identity with Dr. Fernando Zialcita, a Doctor of Anthropology at the Ateneo de Manila University. He will give a presentation on why our culinary heritage is invisible, even to us.  And as the light of the day changes from midday to dusk, we will watch a beautiful sunset where we will be able to see all the way to Manila Bay. To shutterbugs, please bring your cameras so you can take photos and have cocktails prior to the lecture. Dinner will start at dusk while we are seated in the revolving area of the restaurant, where our sights will change as we view the cityscapes of Makati, Taguig, Antipolo, and Marikina down to Manila. By the time dinner ends, you will have had a 360-degree view of Metro Manila and beyond.

Informal Board Meeting, August 28, 2014 (Lugang Restaurant, MegaMall)

Items for Discussion - Planning for 2015:

1.         General Meeting/Election (set the date in January 2015)

2.         Food Tours

-           Cavite Midlands or Highlands (c/o Ige)

-           Iloilo

-           Pampanga (c/o Salie Naguiat)

-           Taal lake towns (c/o Dindo Montenegro

-           Lipa (c/o Nanette)

Coconut Oil Lecture, August 16, 2014 (N. Forbes Pavilion)

Our two distinguished and renowned scientists/experts in their fields, Dr. Fabian (Toby) M. Dayrit and Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell, took us on an enlightening journey through the facts and falsehoods of fats in food and the scientific validation of the health benefits of coconut oil and the coconut as a whole, the perfect health nut.

They effectively debunked the myth that the fats in coconut are bad for your health; on the contrary, scientific studies have shown that coconut oil is cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, and heart-healthy. The saturated fats in

Food Tour, Bulacan, April 9, 2014

A smashing success of a food tour. This is CHOP's third food tour of the year, and we went to Bulacan (Bulakan and Malolos), and learned a lot about (and tasted) their amazing cuisine and its history.

Our heartfelt thanks to our amazing Bulakenya (and CHOP member) Rheeza Hernandez and her team (Roly Marcelino, Bing Tubid, Marichell Santos, Rapsody Magbanua, Rheeza's hubby Jonathan Hernandez, Naty Ocampo-Castro, Boyet & Nina Enriquez, Sir Dez Bautista, and Makata Jeremy Lord Mercado Dancil) for making

Reunion of Yolanda Fundraiser Organizers, April 3, 2014 (Swiss Residence)

Clockwise, from left:  JJ Yulo, Regee Newport, Gracita Sieber, Gretchen Consunji-Lim, Erwin Lizarondo, Nora Tolentino, Amy Besa, Ige Ramos, Pia Lim-Castillo, and Alvin Reyes Lim.

The core organizers of the very successful November 20, 2013 Fundraising Dinner for Typhoon Yolanda victims, in which CHOP collaborated with Amy Besa (of Ang Sariling Atin Culinary Heritage Foundation), the Swiss Ambassador to the Philippines, Ivo Sieber, and his wife, Gracita Tolentino Sieber, got together for a mini-reunion dinner hosted by CHOP member Gracita Tolentino Sieber at the Swiss Residence. The evening was filled with a joyful reminiscing of the big success of

Informal Board Meeting, March 13, 2014 (Manila Polo Club)

Meeting at the Polo Club
March 13, 2014

Food Tour, Coastal Cavite, March 1, 2014

Coastal Cavite Food Tour

March 1, 2014

TV/Radio Interview with Lisa Macuja, February 10, 2014

Membership/Election Meeting, February 8, 2014 (Serye Restaurant, Eastwood)

Meeting with Mendy re SEC registration, February 6, 2014 (Elks Club Makati)

Meeting with Atty. Mendy Mendiola
Regarding SEC Registration
February 6, 2014, Elks Club Makati

Items to be Discussed

Items to be included in the next membership/election meeting: 

1.         Election of the Board of Trustees 

2.         Organization of the Board of Trustees

3.         Adoption of the amendments to the By-Laws, and confirmation of these amendments by the membership.

Meeting with John Leyson, January 29, 2014 (Wildflour Cafe, Taguig)

Meeting with John Leyson

President & Owner

liquid and liquid CREATIONS (a Brand Design Company)

January 29, 2014

We have CHOP Vice-President Alvin Reyes Lim to thank for introducing us to John, who offered to design a logo for us after reading up on what the organization was about. He shared our passion for CHOP's mission, and we were utterly grateful when he offered to do the design for free.

What John delivered took our breath away:  a unique and beautiful design that embodied the essence of the organization, and fulfilled our desire to use the "palayok" (clay pot) as the central focus of the design. (The palayok is considered by many Filipinos as representative of their culinary heritage, and is still used to this day in many parts of the country.)

Binondo Pre-Chinese New Year Food Wok Tour, January 25, 2014

Organized by Pia Lim-Castillo with Old Manila Walks’ co-owner and CHOP member Ivan Man Dy. The large group of 36 (18 of whom were CHOP members) nibbled its way through Binondo, tasting dishes that have made their way to the Philippines through the Chinese migrants (Tsinoys), and learned about the transformation that these dishes have undergone through the years. Ivan, who tailored the tour specifically to CHOP’s purposes, personally guided the group through several food establishments where the group had a taste of the restaurants’ specialties. The tour was a resounding success; a good number of the non-CHOP members who were in the tour subsequently joined CHOP. 

General Meeting, December 2, 2013 (APEX Business Center, Ortigas)

MEETING to PLAN the 2014 ACTIVITIES

Monday, December 2, 2013, 2:30PM

APEX Business Center, Ortigas Center

Fundraising Dinner for Typhoon Yolanda Victims, November 20, 2013 (Swiss Residence, Makati)

Fundraising Dinner for Typhoon Yolanda Victims

The Swiss Residence, Makati

November 20, 2015

General Meeting, November 16, 2013 (Sugarleaf Organic Market & Café)

General Meeting

November 16, 2013, 2:30 p.m.

Sugarleaf Organic Market & Café

MEDICard Lifestyle Center, Makati

Clockwise:  Meng Perez, Bing Berenguer, Lisa Estrada, Alvin Reyes Lim, Vicky Yu, Gracita Sieber, Angie Tolentino, Ada Bernal, Phine Tolentino, Angelo Songco, Regee Newport, Erwin Lizarondo, Pia Lim-Castillo, Ivan Man Dy.

AGENDA

1.         Quick Recap of Previous Meeting

2.         Treasurer’s Report

3.         Welcome New Members

4.         Quick Recap of Recent CHOP Events

Board Meeting re SEC Registration, September 30, 2013 (Elks Club Makati)

SEC REGISTRATION of CHOP
Meeting with Atty. Mendy Mendiola
Monday, September 30, 2013; 1:00 pm
Elks Club, Makati

AGENDA

1.  Reserving/registering CHOP's name with the SEC
2.  Registration and other related expenses
3.  Official address to use for CHOP
4.  Submit drafts of CHOP's By-Laws & Articles of Incorporation for Mendy's OK
5.  Opening CHOP's official bank account (determine requirements)


(The MINUTES of the meeting are in CHOP's Archives.)

Informal Board Meeting, September 22, 2013 (Via Mare, Greenbelt)

Informal Board Meeting

September 22, 2013
Via Mare, Greenbelt, Makati

AGENDA

1.         Membership fees

2.         Proceeds from Vinegars/Adobo event

3.         Binondo Wok Tour – finalize arrangements with Ivan

4.         SEC registration – lunch date with Mendy

Artisanal Vinegars Tasting & Adobo Demo, July 22, 2013 (N. Forbes Pavilion)

Artisanal Vinegars Lecture/Tasting and Adobo Demo

North Forbes Pavilion

Monday, July 22, 2013

Seated: Nora Tolentino, Pia Lim-Castillo, Nancy Reyes-Lumen, Editha Singian, Nanatte Medina.
Standing:  Amy Besa, Tina Morados, Angie Tolentino, Ada Bernal, Alvin Reyes Lim, Gretchen Lim, Carmen Perez.

The lecture/tasting/demo event was very successful. It was organized by Pia Lim-Castillo, who was ably assisted by the following CHOP members:  the wonderfully dynamic tandem of Alvin and Gretchen Lim; Tina Morados of Pamora Farms; and Meng Perez.

Kumbira LuzViMinda, May 26, 2013 (Chef Tatung Restaurant)

General Meeting, April 29, 2013 (Chef Tatung Restaurant)

General Meeting

April 29, 2013, 2:00 p.m.

Chef Tatung’s Cafe, Acacia Estates, Taguig City

Membership/Election Meeting, April 2, 2013 (Twin Towers Function Room)

Some of the members who attended the meeting (we forgot to take a photo of the whole group!):
Regee Newport, Myke Sarthou, Nora Tolentino, Meng Perez, Pia Lim-Castillo, Nanette Medina, Vicky Yu, Dedette Gamboa, Niña Colayco, Marinela Reyes-Castillo, and Gracita Tolentino-Sieber.

Amy Besa Lecture, March 7, 2013 (Makati Sports Club)

Amy Besa Talk, "Ang Sariling Atin"

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Makati Sports Club, Club Café

L.P. Leviste cor. Gallardo Sts.

Salcedo Village, Makati City

Amy Besa with some of the CHOP members/organizers of the Lecture:
Nina Colayco, Nanette Medina, Meng Perez, Amy Besa, Rica Cortes Rentzing,
Nora Tolentino, Ada Bernal, Gracita Tolentino Sieber, and Regee Newport.

This was CHOP's first sponsored event, which was a well-attended affair and which brought us many new members. Amy spoke about the latest project of her non-profit foundation, Ang Sariling Atin Culinary Heritage Institute (ASA), which is dedicated to documenting and preserving Philippine

General Meeting, February 28, 2013 (Twin Towers - Nigna's home))

General Meeting
February 28, 2013
Twin Towers, Makati

AGENDA

1.         CHOP Logo

2.         Treasurer’s Report

5th Meeting, November 20, 2012 (Eastwood, Q.C. - Nora's home)

Nigna, Rica, Meng, Nanette, Nora, Gracita, Ada & Regee

4th Meeting, March 26, 2012 (S. Forbes - Gracita's home)

Fourth Meeting

March 26, 2012

S. Forbes (Gracita’s home)

AGENDA

1.  Status of our SEC and DTI registration - update.

2.  Status of our membership funds.

3.  New members - welcome to Rica - recruitment in general.

4.  Planned collaboration with Amy Besa on the community kitchens - update and next steps.

5.  Any other business.

3rd Meeting, March 14, 2011 (Pasig City - Nanette's home)

Regee, Nanette, Nigna, Meng, Gracita, Nora & Ada

Third Meeting

Monday, March 14, 2011, 2:00 pm

Phoenix Subdivision, Pasig City (Nanette’s home)

2nd Meeting, February 23, 2011 (Twin Towers - Nigna's home)

Standing:  Gracita, Nigna.  Seated:  Nora, Ada, Regee, & Nanette (missing: Meng).

Second Meeting

Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 1:00pm

Twin Towers, Ayala Avenue, Makati City (Nigna’s home)

1st Meeting,The BIRTH of CHOP, February 18, 2011 (Fraser Place - Gracita's home)

The BIRTH of CHOP

Founded on:  February 18, 2011

Founder:  Regina (Regee) Newport

Founding Members:

Regina (Regee) Newport

Magdalena (Ada) Bernal

Maria Dolores (Niña) Colayco

Nanette Medina

Carmen (Meng)Perez

Gracita Tolentino Sieber

Leonora (Nora) Tolentino

Gracita, Nora, Regee, Ada, Nigna, and Meng (missing: Nanette)

First Meeting of CHOP

Friday, February 18, 1:30 pm

Fraser Place, Valero St., Makati City (Gracita’s house)