Practical Lessons Learned at Shopwise The Big Cook-Off- Asian Fusion

Whenever I visit Araneta Center-Cubao, I always drop by Shopwise. Why? Because there are products that I need that I can only find there. Like for instance, my mom would always ask me to to go there to buy her Aveeno Soap which I couldn't find in common supermarkets. Shopwise is the only supermarket that offers more stocks of that hard-to-find Aveeno Soap. When I go there, I usually buy in bulk because I am not sure when I can come back. There are also Human Nature products readily available in Shopwise that are normally available online or can be bought via the company's official distributors. It saves me additional fees intended for shipping. What a nice way to save money!

Aside from the different beauty and hygiene products, Shopwise is the best place to shop for its exclusive food, janitorial, and pet items because it offers a wide range of high quality local/homegrown and international brands available at low, low prices. 

That's why just recently, Shopwise The Big Cook-Off, an event to showcase its exclusive products through a cooking contest between bloggers and culinary students kicked-started last weekend.

I, together with my friends from BKS Moms, were blessed to witness its second leg that was held yesterday, July 20, 2018, through the initiative of Mommy Bloggers Philippines.

Heavy rains didn't stop Shopwise's 2nd leg of The Big Cook-Off to push through which had "Asian Fusion" as its theme. The competitors were composed of three culinary students from Apicius and three respectable Food Pinoy bloggers. The aim of this event was for us to witness the amazing showdown of cooking skills using world-class ingredients from Shopwise. It was hosted by the dynamic and good-looking chef, Steven Silva. The judges were headed by celebrity chef, JP Anglo.

Miss Meg of Shopwise was confident as she discussed that the company could offer "Best Value" products outsourced from different parts of the world. Those best quality products were made affordable for all. 

Moreover, we've learned that Shopwise has 30 exclusive brands that are reasonably priced, even up to 20 to 30% off. Shopwise also has weekly promos where we can get a lot of freebies and discounts. 

Now let's move to the contestants and contest proper.

The APICIUS CHEFS (SCHOOLERS) were composed of the following talented student chefs:

Jobert Diaz is s a 22-year-old guy who loves to eat and cook adobo.

Winning Dish: Stuffed Salmon and Prawns with Teriyaki Sauce

Arlujan Sansano is 19 years old. He joined this cooking contest for the very first time and promised to do his best to share his abilities.

Dish: Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Ginger Star Anise Sauce

Arvin Fernandez is a 21-year-old guy who idolizes the first chef who has taught him how to cook, Chef Calvin Ayagan.

Winning Dish: Pan Shred Honey Lemon Chicken Combination with Assorted Vegetables

Those three talented young gentlemen are from Mondragon, Northern Samar.

The Apicius Chefs' FOODIE BLOGGER contenders were the following:

40-year-old Lea Domingo a.k.a. Mommy Lelei specializes in Filipino dishes. She is not really a blogger but a constant user of Instagram and Facebook. It was her first time to join a cooking competition.

Dish: Tuna Meatball Sliders with Asian Jam

Nathaniel Uy a.k.a. Thehungrychef.ph is one of the famous food bloggers in the Philippines with 15,700 followers on Instagram. 

Winning Dish: Prawn Halang-Halang Ramen

Jinkee Umali is a lifestyle and IT consultant by profession who loves cooking to relieve her stress from work. She blogs to de-stress. She always thinks of her kids and husband when she cooks.

Winning Dish: Thai Bagoong Rice

The criteria for judging were the following:

25 %- Utilization of Shopwise products

25%-  Taste

25%-  Originality and Creativity

15%-  Presentation

10%-  Audience Impact

A total of 100%

Two winners came from the Apicius Group and another two winners from the Food Blogger Group. Winners will join The Grand Big Cook-Off on August.

Among the dishes, I only tasted the ones cooked by bloggers Jinkee Uy and Lea Domingo. Both tasted really, really good. I didn't have the chance to taste the other dishes but one thing's for sure--- all the contestants were able to utilize all Shopwise products efficiently. How creative!

In my opinion, all the dishes were cooked with love and utmost dedication. I saw clearly the difference between how culinary students and bloggers executed their cooking prowess. The students where more technical and strict with their standards while the bloggers were obviously cooked the "home" way.  Despite the difference in execution, all contestants cooked with their hearts' delight. Furthermore, the judges chose the winners not just for the foods' taste or "what's on the plate" alone as Chef JP mentioned but also based on the above-mentioned criteria and of course, following the theme "Asian Fusion". Indeed, following the rules and instructions was very, very important. The stories behind the winning dishes also added an impact on the judges' decision. Like for instance, Miss Jinkee Umali was thinking of her kids while cooking her Thai Bagoong Rice. Every component of her dish was tailored fit for each of her kid's favorite. It was prepared with love which coincided with one of the benefits of cooking- altruism.  She was filled with bliss while doing the endeavor, making it more fruitful and meaningful because of the fact that she was doing it for someone dear to her.

The cook-off was not only intended to know the best of the best but also it became the venue to commit mistakes and learn from them. This statement of Chef JP struck me the most while he was telling it to Arlujan Sansano, "Joining a contest like this is a venue for you to learn. You committed mistakes now but it should not be the reason for you to stop. As you go on, you'll commit so many mistakes. Like me, I committed a million mistakes in the past which made me worthy to sit here right in front of you. Keep it up and we expect to see more from you."

A world-class venue for a world-class learning event utilizing affordable world-class products, that is Shopwise! In Shopwise, you can have a good life that you can afford! In Shopwise The Big Cook-Off, practical life lessons can be learned!

To know more about the next Shopwise The Big Cook-Off and what Shopwise Supercenters offer, you may like Shopwise on Facebook.