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Feature
KUMBIRA 2013 Heritage Feature:
Dynasty Court’s Winning Pancit Canton by Mike baÑos, Editor-at-Large
Th er e’s over a quar ter century of tradition behind Dynasty Court’s selection as one of the Top 10 Restaurants i n t h e Ph i l i p pi n e s w it h the best Pancit Canton in Un i le ve r’s “ S o o o P i n oy Na t io n a l Se a r ch fo r t he Ultimate Pinoy Dish.” Established November 27, 1987 by five entrepreneurs, Dynasty Court Restaurant aspired to offer Kagay-anons the best Chinese cuisine in Cagayan de Oro. Driven by its tasty Cantonese menu, business was so good that barely six years later, the restaurant evolved into the Dynasty Court Hotel with the restaurant still as its star attraction. “We’re basically been using the same recipe for the past 26 years,” said Nelia Lee, Dynasty Court Hotel and Rest au rant manager. Although their pancit canton is basically the same recipe one ca n see all over t he archipelago, Ms. Lee says the secret to the taste of their winning noodles is in their “secret sauce.” Pancit Canton was one of the 10 featured Filipino dishes in the “Sooo Pinoy Na t io n a l Se a r ch fo r t he U lt i m at e Pi noy Dish”, a joi nt project of Un ilever Foodsolutions, Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) and Department of Tourism. “A team from Unilever a nd PDI nom i nat es food outlets around the country that best serve a particular dish,” said Jhao Carandang, Unilever sales executive. “ Fo r i n s t a n c e , D y n a s t y Court was nominated among ot he r s i n M i nd a n a o a nd
by cer tain criteria bested other nominees across the Philippines.” Carandang said ‘mystery judges’ would visit nominated outlets to judge the particular dish and rank the Top 10 restos or hotels judged to be best in a particular dish based on ‘Taste’ (balance of f lavor, texture and aroma); ‘Presentation’ (creativity, use of ingredients) and‘Value for Money’ (ser ving size, quality of ingredients and overall dining experience). Pancit Canton was s e l e c t e d a s o n e of t h e feat u red Pi noy dishes i n the “Sooo Pinoy” campaign due to its long tradition in Philippine cookery. Pancit (or pansit) was introduced by the Chinese to the country and now occupies a hallowed place in the Pinoy’s culinary heritage. In her 2005 repor t entitled “Republic of Pancit”, repor ter Nancy Reyes Lu men of t he Ph ilippi ne C e nt e r for I nve st igat ive Journalism (PCIJ) says the term Pancit evolved from the Hookien (or Lanlang, as the predominantly Fookienese C h i ne se -Fi l ipi nos ca l l t h e m s e l v e s) p i a n i s i t (Chinese: ) which means "somet h i ng conven iently cooked fast." A nd fast cook ing it is. I had the pr ivilege of witnessing one of Dynasty Court’s cooks, Dioniso Alta, expertly whip up their Pancit Canton in a big wok over a roaring fire and indeed, it only took him only 5-8 minutes to cook the whole serving. Unless the restaurant is chock full of customers
(as it usually is during lunch and dinner time) it only takes D y nast y Cou r t’s k itchen 10-15 minutes from the time your order is taken by the waiter to when the steaming hot, deliciously smelli ng platter of Pancit Canton is served to your table. According to food lore ha nded dow n f rom t he Chinese, Reyes says that noodles such as Pa ncit Canton should be eaten on one's birthday but cautions that "noodles represent long life and good health” so they must not be cut short so as not to corrupt the symbolism." B e sid e s t h e n o o d le s , D y n a s t y C o u r t ’s Pa n c it Canton pretty much retains m o s t of t h e t r a d i t i o n a l ingredients we’ve come to associate with the recipe such as pork or chicken meat, shrimp, white, red and spring onions, cooking oil, garlic, carrots, celery, nappa (green cabbage), bok choy, black mushroom, chicken broth, salt, pepper and soy sauce or Pinoy style fish sauce to taste, red and green peppers. But perhaps the g reat difference lies with the way Dy nast y’s cooks do their pancit canton, as evidenced by the restaurant’s pedigree as the overall champion of the 2nd Edition of Kumbira, the regional culinar y competition organized by the Cagayan de Oro Hotel & Restaurant Association (COHARA) and generally a ck nowle d ge d t o b e t he b e s t c u l i n a r y s h ow a n d competition outside Metro Manila. “We’re that confident of our recipe, and we believe
any properly trained cook can whip it up in no time,” Ms. Lee says. This is what Aust r ian Chef Norbert Gandler, who will be back this Aug ust to head the elite panel of judges for the 17th Kumbira, noted during the many times he’s been a judge for the competition. “ Yo u s h o u l d f o c u s o n w h a t yo u k n ow a n d master it,” he said. “ Not something completely new but improvements of your existing best dishes would be best.” “ It d o e s n’t m a t t e r i f you use simple products,” Gandler says. “Work on the combinations, match your dishes with sidings. Don’t’ confuse. Simple and clean is much better than doing too much.” Sure sounds a lot like D y n a st y Cou r t’s Top 10 Pancit Canton.
KUMBIRA 2013 Presents:
“Negosyo Kulinarya – Building Home-Grown Brands” by Baba Pelaez, Contributor
KUMBIRA, the longest running culinary show in the Philippines will once again take place on August 14, 15 and 16 at the Limketkai Mall Atrium. Foodies, hotel apprentices, HRM students, and chefs will get together for 3 days to learn, compete, and simply enjoy the displays and exhibitions. This festival has been organized by the Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association better known as COHARA throughout the years in cooperation and support of the Department of Tourism Region 10 through its Regional Director Catalino E. Chan III. COHARA is the very dynamic and cohesive group of Cagayan de Oro hoteliers and restaurateurs, headed by its President, Ms. Nelia Lee of Dynasty Court Hotel. Cagayan de Oro is home to some of the country’s most prominent food brands. We are known for our ham, pastel, pastillas, casuy to name a few. Now on its 17th year, KUMBIRA aims
to highlight this year’s theme: “Negosyo Kulinarya – Building Home- Grown Brands”. Cagayan de Oro’s local brand leaders will be sharing their expertise on franchising, entrepreneurship, and marketing. Competitions will also center on building the entrepreneurial spirit in the culinary industry. International and local masters of the industry will conduct seminars and will also judge the competitions during the 3-day festival. Among these are Chef Norbert Gandler (Executive Director for Culinary Arts-ISCAHM/ Owner, Aubergine Restaurant), Chef Alejandro “Sandy” Daza (Chef/ Columnist Philippine Daily Inquirer), Chef Robby Goco (Owner-Cyma Greek Restaurant), Chef Penk Tan (OwnerPastry Bin), Ms. Gina Navarro (Food Stylist/Owner-Estrel’s Caramel Cakes), Chef Eduardo Tuazon (Executive Chef-Marco Polo, Davao), Chef Sau
When you’re in Cagayan de Oro, read...
del Rosario (Executive Chef-F1 Hotel), Ms. Michaela Fenix Macabenta (Food Writer), Chef Colin Mackay (Chef/ Owner-Sala Bistro/Peoples’ Palace), Chef Raul Ramos (Restaurant 9501), Chef Dietmar Dietrich (Executive Corporate Chef-Belcirs Foods), Ms. Eleanor Nilo (Executive Housekeeper-Heritage Hotel), Chef Josefina “Jessie” Sincioco (Chef Patron-Chef Jessie Rockwell Club), Chef Jill Sandique (Chef/Lead Trainor & Program Director, U.S. DA), Ms. Maricris Encarnacion (Editor-Where at Cebu Magazine), Chef Jackie Ang Po ( Chef/ Owner-Fleur de Lys) and Chef Myrna Segismundo (VP-Managing DirectorRestaurant 9501/Overall Chairperson – National Food Showdown). As a prelude to KUMBIRA, COHARA recently launched the Sinuglaw Festival. This festival aims to highlight and promote the “sinug-ba and kinilaw” as a truly Kagay-anon dish that uses indigenous ingredients like tabon-
tabon which distinguishes it from other regional offerings. The Sinuglaw Festival runs from July 1 to August 31. A 10% discount on every order of “sinuglaw” is being offered by participating COHARA member establishments. Among these are: Apple Tree Resort & Hotel, Bigby’s Café, Barkadahan Grill, Cagayan River View Inn, Casa Crystalla/Mom’s Corner, Chali Beach Resort and Conference Center, De Luxe Hotel, Dynasty Court Hotel, Hotel Conchita, Hotel Koresco, Kagayanon Restaurant, La Ilongga Restaurant, Miami Inn, N Hotel, Seda Centrio Hotel, Southwinds Hotel, Thai Me Up/Fil Me Up Restaurant, The VIP Hotel and Xavier Sports and Country Club. So while you have 2 months to eat all the Sinuglaw you want, remember this is just an appetizer to the main course! So make sure to mark your calendars and block the dates! You wouldn’t want to miss this sumptuous event.
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