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What happened during COOK Magazine’s 9th K-Pop Holiday Bash

What happened during COOK Magazine’s 9th K-Pop Holiday Bash

It’s that time of year again! For the 9th straight year, COOK Magazine has been throwing a thanksgiving party for all our friends and supporters. This year, we’re going K-Pop! Quirky, fun-loving and full of energy, K-Pop or Korean pop culture has taken the world by storm. While COOK Magazine hasn’t conquered the world just yet, our team is composed of mixed bag of quirks, unique personalities that come together each and every month to produce a magazine distinctly our own. At 19 years, COOK has been in the industry far longer than most. In fact, we’re the only monthly culinary magazine published now, a feat possible only through your support.

The Cook Magazine Team; from left: Account Manager Maribel Avelis, Editor in Chief Dino Datu, Managing Editor Magnolia Silvestre, Account Manager Leah Bonotan, Publisher T. Anthony Cabangon Chua, Advertising Sales Manager Marlon Aldenese, Graphic Artist Shaira Barnuevo, and Account Manager Michael Pituc

COOK’s 9th Holiday Bash is also an opportunity for our friends and advertisers to let loose a little, to bring out their fun and creative selves. We can’t be all work and no play! After another year of grinding, of partnerships and collaborations, it’s now time celebrate!

Certificates were awarded to COOK Magazine’s top advertisers: HÄFELE PHILIPPINES (BOSCH), SHARP PHILIPPINES CORPORATION, F1 HOTEL MANILA, EXCELLENCE APPLIANCES TECHNOLOGIES INC. (WHIRLPOOL & FUJIDENZO APPLIANCES), KING SUE, MEGA GLOBAL CORPORATION (MEGA PRIME), HYUNDAI HOME APPLIANCES, DERMALINE INC. (DIANA STALDER), RICHMONDE HOTELS, PHOENIX PETROLEUM PHILIPPINES, INC. (PHOENIX SUPER LPG), and HAVAS MEDIA (PHOENIX SUPER LPG). A Special Award was given to COOK’s Magazine Venue Partner HOUSE MANILA.

Some of COOK Magazine’s columnists were also on hand to receive their certificates of appreciation.  Consultant and Chef Theodore “Day” Salonga, Chef Bruce Lim, Award-winning Baker Chef Gel Salonga-Datu, Recipe Developer and Consultant Chef Editha Singian, Baker and Instructor Chef Jojo Cuesta-Javier, Pastry Chef and Instructor Edward Mateo, Culture and Travel and Food Writer Roel Hoang Manipon and UK based travel writer and photographer Lisa Asuncion-Feliciano are the magazine’s regular columnists.       

Theme: Runway

COOK Magazine’s yearly theme has become a costume event wherein guests who take the trouble to wear the prescribed attire get to walk the “runway” stage. This year’s theme is K-Pop. This was also an opportunity for Lariza Garcia, COOK’s grand prize winner three years running, to transfer her literal crown. Wearing an authentic embroidered fuschia hanbok that she borrowed from a Korea-based friend, Lariza said she had it flown specifically for the event, which she has to dry clean and immediately send back. This kind of effort reminds us why she is in our Hall of Fame. 

Second Runner-Up went to budding instagram influencer Sylvester Sy, First Runner-Up is Chef Lena Tan-Arcenas, Culinary Services Manager of San Miguel Foods Culinary Center who channeled a K-Pop Schoolgirl complete with a Blackpink lightstick. She said she consulted her daughter for the look who advised her that her the attire shouldn’t be matchy-matchy.  First place went to Joe Abad (technically), but he and Chuck Aquino, are more popularly known collectively as IG influencers “Chuck and Joe” presented their BTS inspired animal prints with a short choreography. 

Grand prize winner of Sharp TV

 

Hundreds of raffle prizes such as appliances, hotel restaurant buffets and overnight stays at the country’s top hotels were given away.  The grand prizes include a refrigerator from Whirpool, a stove from Tecnogas, a SHARP TV, and  a 3-day, 2-night stay at Maribago Blue Water Hotel in Bohol complete with a round trip airfare for 2 pax from Cebu Pacific.    

Perry Gamboa, Choi Soriano, and COOK Advertising Manager Marlon Aldenese hosted the event.   

Food and Wine

Because food and dining is the crux of what COOK Magazine is all about, expectations are always high when we hold this bash that the food will be good and plentiful; and for that, we can only thank the generosity of our sponsors and friends, without whom this holiday feast would not be possible.

Selah Hotel is located at 715 Park Ave, Pasay, Metro Manila which offered: Assorted Maki, Caesar Salad, Spinach and Crab Meat Soup, Pork Spareribs with Smoked Hickory Sauce, Chicken Cordon Bleu with Tartar Sauce, Mixed Tempura, Chicken Parmesan Pasta, Brocolli with Beef Tendon, Baklava Fingers, Mango Ball Tapioca

The Aristocrat Restaurant is certainly a restaurant that needs no introduction, and they offer their most iconic dishes:  3- pc Chicken Barbecue with Java Rice,

For over 15 years, Cowboy Grill has been the place for live bands, great food where everybody can enjoy. Entrance to their establishments is free and everybody is welcome to the party. On their Holiday Bash Table:  Rice, Bam-i, Pork Sisig, Steamed Vegetables, Beef Caldereta, Adobo, Coffee Jelly

Kabaleyan Eatery

Kabaleyan Eatery came all the way from Pangasinan to give a taste of the province’s flavors and their own unique take on local cuisine: Binagoongang Pork Adobo, Roasted Bagoong Chicken, Urdujas Pinakbet, Binalonan Pasta.

Lydia’s Lechon, home of the Philippines’ original boneless lechon stuffed with seafood paella, has been serving its customers for more than 50 years, from a small stall in Baclaran to over 25 stores. Lydia’s Lechon aims to bring Filipino dishes like how it’s made at home, along with its signature best lechon recipe that’s been with the family since the 1960’s.

From COOK Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Chef Dino Datu prepared Braised Canadian Beef Cheeks in Red Wine. The Strip Loin is sponsored by the Embassy of Canada. Canada Beef is committed to ensuring that Filipino consumers are able to enjoy Canadian beef through selected brand partners in the Philippines.

See Also


A Slice of New York

Brooklyn Pizza, “A Slice of New York” is a Filipino corporation known for authentic New York pizzas. In fact, they offer New York-style comfort food with a Filipino touch with pizza, pasta, rice meals.

Everybody looks forward to the innovative tweaks on native delicacies from Aging’s Food Delight: Assorted Kakanin, Ube Pandesal with Cheese and Halaya, Crinkles, Cookies, Choco Butternut Slice, Suman Cake.

Chef Jojo Cuesta Javier’s Sweetielicious Homemade Goodies presented a Cherry Blossom themed Cake and cupcakes. Chef Edward Mateo’s Royal Patisserie provided delicious cupcakes.  Cake of Hearts by July Abella Panganiban also had a glamour girl and High fashion brands themed dessert spread to complement the K-Pop Theme.

Feasting

All that feasting wouldn’t be complete without the classic red and white wines provided by Gato Negro Wines and demi-sec sparkling rosè wines from Woomera.

Of course, at Cook Magazine, the love for food has taken us everywhere. In fact, this same passion for food is what we’d like to share with our most ardent supporters. By feeding you what we cooked ourselves and those prepared by our friends, we aim to keep the fire burning. May our partnerships last for another 20 years and beyond.

We would also like to express our sincerest gratitude to those who’ve made the Holiday Bash a success. To Holiday Inn Express and House Manila, who year after year have provided a home for our annual party, thank you. COOK magazine would like to thank the following:

 

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