Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Clara Ole Treats Members to Another Kitchen Cookfest Adventure



I enjoy being a Clara Ole KAC (Kitchen Adventure Circle) member. There are lots of perks being one:

a) I get to attend events where I learn about lots of things other than cooking,
b) I get to meet new friends, and
c) I get to bring home freebies such as Clara Ole and other Sysu Marketing products that my family and I could try out at home.

In fact, we now have our own suking Sysu products that we regularly use: all the spaghetti sauce variants (Italian sauce for tuna, Mushroom sauce for ground beef, Sweet Style for children’s parties, etc.), Lee Kum Kee soy sauce (my adobo recipes have never been the same), the Asian salad dressing (promise, I can replicate my favorite KFC salad just by using this), the Barbecue marinade (my sons say my chicken wing recipe tastes like Don Henrico’s Buffalo Wings), and many more. No kidding, just visit our house and take a peek at my kitchen shelf to see: p


This year’s KAC gathering was held at the GE Monogram Experience Center in Serendra last May 23, 2009. We were treated to a yummy spread composed of several foods from the American, Chinese, Japanese and Mexican cuisines. I was impressed at the many types of delicious sauces and dips that can be made using Clara Ole and Sysu products.


The main event was the East vs. West cook-off between two well-known cooking experts. Chef Bruce Lim represented Asian cuisine. He is connected with Chef’s Table, a reservation-only restaurant and also co-hosts Tablescapes: Life on a Plate with Angel Aquino. Representing Western gastronomy was Chef Eugene Raymundo, Senior Chef Consultant of Limone Culinary Concepts and the managing partner and executive chef for Five Cows Restaurant and the Ice Cream Bar in Trinoma Mall.


Chef Bruce tackled dishes called: Clara Ole Clam Soup (with lambanog as ingredient!), Braised Chicken Legs (a saucy chicken dish with Lee Kum Kee black bean garlic) and Crispy Mango Sipa (mango with Clara Ole maple syrup and cinnamon wrapped in phyllo dough baked to crispy perfection, yum!).


Chef Eugene wowed us with Tex-Mex Prawn Shooter (which I didn’t get to taste, tsk!), Grilled Fruits and Mushroom Salad (with super yummy Clara Ole Ranch Dips n’ Dressing), Corn with Maple Butter (didn’t get to taste this either), Texan Back Baby Ribs (verrrry tasty!) and Grilled Mango-Cheesecake Parfait (one of the best desserts I tasted in a long, long time!).


Later, several KAC members were chosen to participate in another cook-off. I think they all had fun trying out all those ingredients at their disposal. I, too, always go happily ballistic in the kitchen whenever I could afford to buy all the ingredients I needed to make some very special dishes for my family.

RJ Ledesma (I still can’t forget about him as the little boy in the old Royal TV ad hahaha) hosted the event. He was very engaging and made everyone laugh every now and then with his funny comments.


Of course there were raffle prizes to be won (which I didn’t, as always ~ I’m so malas with raffles, I don’t know why!) and everybody was given a bag (or a basket, if you’re a member of the media) each filled with Sysu goodies to bring home.


My hubby, of course, immediately tried out the new Chipotle Tabasco in Smoked Red Jalapeno flavor during dinner that night while the kids clamored for a tub of ice cream so they can experiment with the Smucker’s Caramel Magic Shell. This is like those liquids used at fast food stores dribbled on ice cream cones and which harden when they come in contact with the ice cream. I’ve yet to buy ice cream though … maybe this weekend.

Anyway, if you also love to cook and are very adventurous with recipes, do check out http://claraole.com to inquire out how to be a KAC member too!


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