Pinoy Food & Other Cuisine :: Food PhotoBlog and Events |

Saturday mornings usually mean waking up late. No appointments, No events. Today was different. I already marked my calendar two weeks ago for today’s event. All I know is that I’d be feasting on brunch with Discovery Travel and Living’s World Cafe Asia star Bobby Chinn. Brunch is a practice I normally follow on weekends when I get to sleep in. I look forward to brunch as the best meal of the day. You don’t have to wake up early, you get to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. But who is Bobby Chinn? Honestly, I’ve just heard the name Bobby Chinn but never really followed the show.

As soon as he started talking of his journey from banker in Wall Street to waiter-slash-standup comic to celebrity chef in Vietnam, I got hooked. He is such an engaging speaker even made interesting because of the challenges that faced him as he set up his restaurants in Vietnam.

Bobby received a BA in Finance and Economics, moved to New York City and began working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at 11 Wall Street. Quickly disillusioned, he left in search of something/anything that he loved. He tried a bit of everything – from attempting to sell seafood to the mob, to stand up comedy – and along the way, he also discovered his love and talent for cooking. To make ends meet, Bobby worked as a runner, busboy, and server in various restaurants. His culinary education began in earnest when, while waiting tables, he began hanging out in the kitchen of Elka, a cutting-edge, Franco-Japanese restaurant in San Francisco. Later, renowned chef Hubert Keller of Fleur De Lys took Bobby in and enabled him to further develop his skills. He would later work with chefs Jeffery Inahara, Traci des Jardin, and Gary Danko. After reading Burgundy Stars, he went off to apprentice in Bordeaux and Paris. Chinn has run several highly acclaimed restaurants in Vietnam before opening Restaurant Bobby Chinn, including Camargue, Saigon Joe’s in Ho Chi Minh City, Miro, and the Red Onion Bistro in the Hanoi Towers (formerly the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison).

(Source : Squidoo)

He has been through a lot and admire him for venturing out of his comfort zone and giving up a huge income opportunity. I also believe money is not everything.

Bobby run several highly acclaimed restaurants in Vietnam before opening Restaurant Bobby Chinn, including Camargue, Saigon Joe’s in Ho Chi Minh City, Miro, and the Red Onion Bistro in the Hanoi Towers (formerly the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison). Now he owns his own Asian Fusion restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes, it just needs a little push to be aware of organizations out there who help others in need.

Sometimes it just needs awareness. Remember the reasons for starting my advocacy blog? I wanted to promote my advocacy to as many families out there through my blog.

“Sometimes all one needs is a start,” says Paolo del Rosario, Director for Marketing “If you’re one of the many who have continuously pledged, year in and year out to get involved or want to help but don’t know what organizations are out there, The 12 Cups with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Give in to Giving Promo can serve as your springboard.”

Partnering with 12 organizations that cater to different advocacies – Kababaihan Gabay sa Bayan (KAGABAY), Caritas Manila-Restorative Justice, The Philippine Animal and Welfare Society (PAWS), Bahay Tuluyan, Haribon, Cartwheel Foundation, Kythe, Autism Society of the Philippines (ASP), Philippine Cerebral Palsy Inc., Philippine Band of Mercy (PBM), Resources for the Blind, and Philippine Business for Social Congress (PBSP) – The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s wide selection gives its customers a chance to support the cause they are most passionate about.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m one of those people who is pretty much fueled by caffeine. I must have a cup of coffee in the morning, or else I’m a zombie until I get my caffeine fix. When I write papers or do every reading, I need coffee even more to keep my mind alert and operating at top speed. I’m not particularly picky when it comes to my coffee but I do admit that I prefer brewed coffee over the instant variety. Instant coffee tastes horrible to me and the three-in-one packs usually have too much sugar, too much cream, or both. I feel as if there’s never enough coffee in one sachet and I usually have to add a teaspoon of instant coffee with it, or mix two sachets in one cup.

Read the rest of this entry »

Newly opened Trinoma Branch has Valet parking services

It might surprise a lot of people to know that there is a consumer coffee tradition that’s older than Starbucks, and it originated right here in Asia. The Ueshima Coffee Co. (UCC) began during the eighth year of the Showa era in 1933. Japan has been importing coffee for three hundred years, but it only became a popular consumer item when Tadao Ueshima established UCC.

Read the rest of this entry »