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Who would believe that a cooking club would have such powerful and vicious enemies?”

Traitorous food ingredients that masquerade behind tasty additives; misguided parents and caregivers who unwittingly serve unhealthy dishes; and perilous diseases that threaten the Filipino family’s health — these are among the sworn enemies of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club – a group of concerned mothers, health practitioners and food enthusiasts who are waging a war against the unhealthy eating lifestyle plaguing Filipinos at present.

“The statistics are overwhelming,” asserts Professor Luchie Callanta, the official Nutritionist of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club. “We have 10 million Filipinos who have a diet almost entirely comprised of junk food. To make things worse, 41% of our population consumes no fruits and vegetables at all.”

These unhealthy eating habits have had a profound effect especially on Filipino children. According to DOH data, obesity rates of children aged 0-5 have risen by as much as 400% in the last decade. Obesity in turn, may heighten risk for lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, cancer and diabetes.

Despite this, Prof. Callanta encourages Filipinos not to be disheartened. “If we admit defeat, our family’s lives will be endangered and we will just be another nameless addition to these statistics. But, if we stand up and fight, it’s tantamount to giving our families a chance to live healthier, longer, and happier lives.”

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Serye Café Filipino:Brewing Its Place in Modern Café History

You’ve listened to Filipino music, seen Filipino movies and eaten Filipino food. But have you ever been to an authentic Filipino Café? Out of the 12 coffee shops in the Philippines, is there one that offers a modern Filipino coffee experience? The café culture has found its way to the everyday lives of modern sophisticates as seen in the growing numbers of coffee shop emerging in the metro. However, most of these cafes, if not foreign brands, are trying to market themselves as European or Western. Stripped of all other elements, they basically offer the same thing and none of them serve homegrown desserts and coffee.

Breaking this monotony is the recent unveiling of Serye Café Filipino – the first authentic modern Filipino café that is fitted to the lifestyle of Filipino cosmopolitans. Reconciling the flavors of local classic desserts and coffee with the sophisticated needs of modern day Filipinos, Serye Café Filipino brings back local fare that has taken a back seat in the fast-paced city scene.

This pioneering lifestyle innovation is the brainchild of entrepreneur and food connoisseur Alvin Lim, President and CEO of Serye Café Filipino. Inspired by what he experienced in France, Alvin wanted Filipinos to enjoy traditional desserts and coffee that is accessible to every urbanite any time of the day. But Alvin did not want to create a carbon copy of the French café scene and establish yet another pseudo European coffee shop. Instead, he reinvented authentic Filipino delicacies to fit an urban, mobile and outgoing lifestyle.

“What Serye Café Filipino intends to do is to serve and promote local specialties prepared with global sophistication relevant to today’s globe trotting Filipinos yet still keep it very familiar and close to our hearts,” said Alvin.

Serye Café Filipino offers one of the widest selections of Filipino desserts that are relevant to the ever-changing demands of the Filipino palate. Serye Cafe Filipino’s dessert menu includes veritable local delicacies brought to a cosmopolitan twist from Tablea Cheesecake, to Fondue Filipino with assorted turon, to mini ensaymada and other local desserts.

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Sweet Trends and Brewed Developments: The Latest Coffee and Dessert Forecast

Recent market trends show that 70% of urbanites are looking for cafes that serve good coffee and desserts where they can hang out after a fulfilling meal. What’s hot and what’s not in the world of coffee and desserts for the coming months? Dessert lovers and coffee aficionados have released their verdict.

As the last memory of a meal, more and more people are looking for cafés that serve delightful desserts and soulful coffees. Whether it’s an elaborately fixed confection with six garnishes, a simple slice of pie, or a cup of latte or espresso, desserts and coffee make people smile.

The results are in. Three hundred pastry chefs, dessert connoisseurs and coffee aficionados around the world have given their opinion. Drum rolls please…

Chocolate is Still No.1

In the world of dessert, chocolate is still the clear winner – whether it is chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate soufflé or any other chocolate creation. At Serye Café Filipino, the most valued chocolate is the Tablea, the native Filipino chocolate. Sourced from premium cocoa in Davao, chocolate lovers can’t help but binge on Serye Café Filipino’s Tablea Cheesecake, Tablea infused Coffee Pie (which is made up of tablea, buttercream and cookie crust) and Gateau Mocha Manila, a decadent cake made of five layers of chocolate cake, chiffon, chocolate mousse, and coffee buttercream with praline, Mocha Manila possesses an exquisite chocolate taste. Every layer is infused with tablea that adds to the poetic and unique flavor of Mocha Manila.

Asian Invasion
Asian flavors are invading even the formidable European and American markets and Asian dishes are finding their way into the menu of their cafes. This shows that Asian cuisine, including Filipino cuisine is as good and can compete with the best cuisines in the world. Serye Café Filipino proudly serves Filipino food and coffee that rivals even the best of international restaurants and cafes.

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When Alvin Reyes Lim visited France and experienced the famous modern café bistros of the country, he saw how the French enjoy their local desserts and coffee as if theirs are the best in the world. And so Alvin asked himself the one question will eventually create history: why aren’t we doing it?

Alvin’s answer to this question soon gave rise to what he would like to call the first “Café Filipino” – Serye Café Filipino. Descending from a family with a rich culinary heritage and drawing from his childhood memories of family reunions with bountiful local desserts and coffee, Alvin believes that classic Filipino fare have a distinctive taste that will always have an appeal to Filipinos. The problem, according to Alvin, is that no one believed enough that Filipino fare can be relevant to modern lifestyles.

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While Ateneo vs La Salle game is ongoing, Krispy Kreme knocks at my door and hands me a half dozen of doughnuts. Four of these are dubbed UAAP doughnuts. UAAP stands for University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The 4 doughnuts stands for the colors of the top 4 universities in the current season such as La Salle (green), Ateneo (blue), UST (yellow) and UE (red).

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Through the combined initiatives of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Toblerone, October 20 was officially declared as National Thank You Day and has gained overwhelming support from different societal sectors. The pleasant surprise was the unmatched cooperation retailers have shown in this pioneering effort to revive the lost art of saying Thank You—redefining appreciation as they lend their support to instilling a sense of gratefulness in the metro.

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