Lee Kum Kee Hosts its First-ever International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge - Philippines Qualifiers in Manila

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Lee Kum Kee, the inventor of oyster sauce and a globally renowned Chinese sauce and condiment manufacturer, invited local aspiring chefs to compete at the first-ever International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge (IYCCCC) - Philippines Qualifiers at Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Manila last week.

Left to right (Standing): Julius Caezar Lumanog of Fresh Fuel Philippines, Joan Nerina Bretania of Diocita's Hotel, Muhajiran "Pongky" Ijiran III of Kuya J Restaurant, Elier Maghanoy of King Chef Seafood Restaurant, Saturnino Famat of Wang Fu Chinese Café, John Rafael Flores of The Grand Convention Center of Cebu, Jefferson Palma of King Chef Dimsum Kitchen, Elmar Ruelo of RBX, Janin Jayco of U-Rack Bar-B-Q & Wings, Michael Lee Avisado of Vikings Luxury Buffet

Young chefs, budding restaurateurs, and aspiring culinarians from across the Philippines put their skills to the test and rose to the top of their game as they battled it out to earn the privilege of representing their country for an international culinary contest. 

Since its inception in 2014, the IYCCCC has been a biennial contest providing an international exchange platform for the Chinese culinary industry. It encourages young chefs from the world to hone their skills and learn, while at the same time, promoting the inheritance of Chinese culinary skills and sustainable development of the Chinese culinary industry with the aim of enhancing the international standard of Chinese cuisines.

A Palatable Pursuit 

A star-studded judging panel, including Singaporean award-winning Chef Aaron Tan Kean Loon, Champion of Lee Kum Kee International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge 2016, Executive Sous Chef Intercontinental – Singapore, and Chef James Antolin, President of LTB Philippines Chefs Association, Ms Sandy Cu, Product and Business Development Director of Sysu International, and Mr. Ryan Cruz, Business Manager, Lee Kum Kee Philippines selected two winners from the Philippines Qualifiers. The top two talented contestants - Michael Lee Avisado from Vikings Group and Muhajiran "Pongky" Ijiran III from Kuya J Restaurant, earned the privilege to go on to the next level in the 4th IYCCCC in Hong Kong next year, competing with around 50 aspiring young chefs from over 20 countries and regions for the international championship. In the last contest, all three contestants from the Philippines won bronze awards.

 Shrimp Royale

The biggest winner during the IYCCC Qualifiers was Michael Lee Avisado from Vikings Group who aside from winning the coveted Gold award, also went on to win the Best Sauce Combination and the Best Presentation categories. Coming in second place with the Silver Award was Muhajiran "Pongky" Ijiran III of Kuya J Restaurant while the Bronze winners were Elier Maghanoy from King Chef Seafood Restaurant (who also won the Most Creative category), Jefferson Palma from King Chef Dimsum Kitchen and Janin Jayco from U-Rack Bar-B-Q & Wings.

The man of the moment, Michael Lee Avisado, has been in the culinary industry for 9 years already and has been with the Vikings Group already for 2 years. He is currently the Executive Sous Chef, as well as the Officer-in-Charge of the restaurant’s Mall of Asia branch. He is partial to Lee Kum Kee for his unique creations as the flavors blend well while retaining each ingredients’ distinct taste. His winning recipe, Shrimp Royale, uses Lee Kum Kee’s iconic XO sauce as its base.

“With the mission of ‘Promoting Chinese Culinary Culture Worldwide’, Lee Kum Kee is committed to nurturing Chinese culinary talents worldwide. The IYCCCC is an optimal platform for young Chinese chefs from around the world for culinary exchange. In the 3rd IYCCCC, we had representatives from the Philippines for the first time. This year, we are going even further to host the first-ever Philippines Qualifiers. I wish the two talented winners all the success in the finale in Hong Kong next year, representing the Philippines to fight for the championship,” said Mr. Leslie Lau, Managing Director - South Asia of Lee Kum Kee

Renowned for the invention of oyster sauce and its premium quality with over 130 years of history, Lee Kum Kee, is one of the world’s most recognizable names for Chinese sauces and condiments across the globe. Lee Kum Kee first entered the Philippine market with Sysu International Inc as the sole distributor back in the 1980s and has since been one of the trailblazers in the industry, furthering its efforts to promote Chinese culinary culture, and nurturing future local culinary talents.

Left to right: (Standing) Jefferson Palma of King Chef Dimsum Kitchen, Janin Jayco of U-Rack Bar-B-Q & Wings, Muhajiran "Pongky" Ijiran III of Kuya J Restaurant, Michael Lee Avisado of Vikings Luxury Buffet, Elier Maghanoy of King Chef Seafood Restaurant

Left to Right: Mr. Leslie Lau, Managing Director - South Asia of Lee Kum Kee and Mr. Ryan Cruz, Business Manager, Lee Kum Kee Philippines

Left to Right: Mr. Leslie Lau, Managing Director - South Asia of Lee Kum Kee and Mr. Ryan Cruz, Business Manager, Lee Kum Kee Philippines

Left to Right: Silver Awardee Muhajiran "Pongky" Ijiran III of Kuya J Restaurant and Mr. Ryan Cruz, Business Manager, Lee Kum Kee Philippines

Left to Right: Gold Awardee Michael Lee Avisado of Vikings Luxury Buffet Mr. Leslie Lau, Managing Director - South Asia of Lee Kum Kee and Mr. Ryan Cruz, Business Manager, Lee Kum Kee Philippines

For more details, please visit www.LKK.com, follow Lee Kum Kee on Facebook (@LeeKumKeePh) and use the hashtag #LeeKumKeePh.

About Lee Kum Kee

Lee Kum Kee was established in 1888 by its founder Mr. Lee Kum Sheung. With its sustainable development in 131 years, Lee Kum Kee has become a well-known household name of Chinese sauces and condiments, as well as an international brand and “a symbol of quality and trust”. Spanning over three centuries, Lee Kum Kee is a globally renowned Chinese multinational corporation offering over 200 choices of sauces and condiments to over 100 countries and regions. Please visit www.LKK.com for further details.

About Lee Kum Kee International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge

Since its inception in 2014, the Lee Kum Kee International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge has been a biennial contest that demonstrates the Group’s mission of promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide, setting an international platform for young Chinese culinary chefs from around the world to hone their skills and exchange experiences with their counterparts. 

Jessica Zafra's latest book is now available at Fully Booked, Shopee, and other stores

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From the author of the Twisted series comes a collection of 27 stories from the last 27 years. The Collected Stories of Jessica Zafra contains award-winning fiction from Manananggal Terrorizes Manila (1992) and The Stories So Far (2014), plus new stories and an introduction by Don Jaucian.

“Jessica is a natural short story writer, and I don’t know anyone else in the Philippines writing in English who does it as well as she does. The fact that she’s a Filipina couldn’t matter less. She would be recognized anywhere on earth that good English is read. But of course in this fatuous world the unmerited hegemony of “English” literature (including of course American, Canadian, Australian, etc. etc.) reminds us that it still fancies itself as the arbiter of the Real Thing. But plenty of us round-eyes know that’s baloney, and JZ provides us with ammunition to stand up in public and say so.” – James Hamilton-Paterson, Whitbread Award-winning author of Gerontius, Playing With Water, Seven-Tenths, Ghosts of Manila, and the bestselling Cooking With Fernet Branca and Empire of the Clouds

The Collected Stories of Jessica Zafra is published by Ateneo University Press. SRP P345. Now available at Fully Booked stores, Solidaridad, Popular Bookstores, the Ateneo University Press bookshop, Loyola Bookshop, and on Shopee. Coming soon at Mt.Cloud Bookshop in Baguio and other outlets.

Book signings and author talks will be announced soon. Follow @jessicazafrascats on Instagram and the JessicaRulestheUniverse Facebook page for announcements and updates.

Three ways to a fearless self-expression, brought to you by Olay and Lazada 11.11 Celebration

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MANILA, NOVEMBER 2019 – People are naturally drawn to create human connections, and the better we are in self-expression, the stronger the connections we build. Self-expressions, however, may not come instinctively to some of us; 2 out of 3 people have experienced feeling afraid of expressing themselves, or sharing what they truly feel because they feared people would judge them or because they just don’t really know how to accurately express themselves.

Our need for self-expression has allowed us to constantly find creative ways to convey our emotions whether through pictures, hashtags, or emojis. In a recent study showed that 78% have used slang terms while 64% of them actually use emojis and slang words more than 5x a day when they communicate whether verbally or written, whatever the form is, we need to show the world who we are and how we feel.

Olay is one with all the women who want to fearlessly express themselves sans the fear of being judged. Introducing the Olay limited-edition packs that hope to inspire women to be more confident to share what they feel inside to the outside world. These Olay limited-edition packs bring to life the fun and colourful expressions of the Millennials via some of the classic and popular hashtags, slang terms, and emojis of this generation.

#GOAT

Did you know that #GOAT stands for Greatest of All time? Best to describe the Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream because it’s a timeless classic that continues to deliver results over the years and continues to be part of many women’s skincare routine. This moisturizer has proven its benefits through generations and continues to be #GOAT.

#SLAY

Basically, this means to impress or amuse. #SLAY with Olay Whips, one of the newest editions to Olay’s line-up. Whips challenge skincare norms and is absolutely slaying it with its revolutionary technology. Its lightweight, non-greasy formulation has slayed the traditional skincare routines – why worry about being oily when you can #Slay with Olay Whips!

#LIT

Need I say more? Achieve a #LIT glow up from within with the Olay White Radiance Essence. This new-generation essence helps women #GlowUp and radiate confidence to be the brightest they’ve always aspired to be.

How you present yourself still plays a very important role in effectively expressing yourself. Maintain a clear and radiant skin and continue to #GlowUp with the Olay Power Duo. The Olay White Radiance Light Perfecting Essence and Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream work together to reveal a healthy, plump and radiant skin—making you fearless to express yourself.

OLAY x LAZADA 11.11 CELEBRATION

Never again will you be afraid to express yourself better with Olay’s limited-edition packs available this November 11, 2019 on your Lazada app or Lazada page. (Lazada link)

Eye Health Services Part of Universal Health Care --- DOH

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An estimated 2.2 billion people around the world suffer from vision impairment. Yet the first World Health Report on Vision, recently by the World Health Organization (WHO), reveals that half of them, or about 1.1 billion, do not receive the care they need for conditions like near and far sightedness, glaucoma, and cataracts.

Forum on World Report on Vision 2019 press conference (L-R): Dr. Andreas Mueller, Regional Advisor, World Health Organization (WHO) and Dr. Leo Cubillan, Director, Philippine Eye Research Institute (PERI)

Based on the 2018 Philippine National Blindness Survey and Eye Disease Study conducted by the Philippine Eye Research Institute of the National Institute for Health, vision impairment and blindness rank among the major concerns in the country with a current prevalence rate of 1.98%. This represents 1.11 million Filipinos with cataract, 400,000 with uncorrected error of refraction, almost 300,000 with glaucoma, and 200,000 with maculopathy. Additionally, there are over 4 millionFilipinos living with undiagnosed eye problems that need to be addressed.

Although the prevalence of bilateral blindness due to cataracts and errors of refraction has decreased in the past years, there are still thousands of Filipinos with moderate to severe vision impairment.

“We are fortunate that these diseases can be treated with surgery or prescription eyeglasses. These can also be easily prevented with regular consumption of Vitamin A, injury prevention, and immunization for measles and rubella that cause vision impairment,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque emphasized.

In line with the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, the Department of Health (DOH) is gearing toward providing comprehensive eye care services, integrating eye care within local health systems, and responding to emerging eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

“Through the primary care provider network that will be institutionalized under UHC, we hope to bring easy access and seamless referral to ophthalmic units, comprehensive eye centers, and national ophthalmic specialty centers. These health facilities will be capacitated to deliver the appropriate eye care services,” Duque explained.

The country’s Prevention of Blindness Program is revamped with the issuance of revised policies, aligning the program with UHC and WHO’s goal of universal eye health, while ensuring that it remains responsive to the changing trends in blindness and visual impairment.

“The DOH is fully committed to working with our partners to address blindness and visual impairment in our country. Together, we can achieve our vision of Filipinos enjoying the right to sight, with no one going needlessly blind or visually-impaired,” the Health Chief concluded.

Jollibee just launched Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae Twirl! Oreo lovers, rejoice! It’s time to head to the nearest Jollibee store to try the creamy, crunchy cookie sundae goodness.

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Jollibee, the country’s number one fast food brand, just announced their latest addition to their roster of delectable desserts – the Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae Twirl!

A new twist to our favorite Jolly Twirl, you can now experience the thicker and creamier vanilla soft-serve now encrusted with crushed Oreo cookies, with sweet white chocolate coating, and topped with a whole Oreo cookie!

“The mix of crushed cookies, with white chocolate coating, and a whole Oreo on our popular soft-serve ice cream is a delightful combination we can’t wait for everyone to experience,” said Kay Segismundo, Jollibee’s Senior Marketing Manager for Complementary. “The awesome new Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae Twirl is the perfect treat for any time of the day!”

Treat yourself to a wonderfully-sweet Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae Twirl for only P39! It’s available for dine-in, take-out, delivery, and drive-thru at all Jollibee stores nationwide.

For more updates on Jollibee products, don’t forget to like Jollibee Philippines on Facebook, subscribe to Jollibee Studios on YouTube, and follow @jollibee on Twitter and Instagram.