Heart2Heart has added another angel to its list!  Tita Irene Martel-Francisco, the woman behind The Philippine Tatler and Philippines’ Best Restaurants Book.  I was with Mia Borromeo and she was telling me how much she admires Tita Irene.  She has a wonderful heart, Mia told me.  Mia also mentioned to me that the Tatler Ball which she organizes every year, she gives all the money raised to charity.  She does not even deduct all the expenses she spends for the event…. She spends for the event and everything raised goes to charity.  Wow! Thank you Tita Irene!  

Though she already gives back to society with her annual Tatler Ball, she decided this year to give back as well with her other publication, Philippines’ Best Restaurants Book.  The publication is on it’s 7th year and instead of having the usual grand launch for the book, she decided to give the money instead to its beneficiary, Hands On Manila.  At the same time, they have rounded up 64 restaurants to join in the cause and will be giving ten percent of its sales for the week August 13 to the 20th.  So let’s all support Tita Irene and help the kids of Hands on Manila.  If you plan to eat out next week, make sure to take note of the restaurants joining the cause…YOU CAN BE A HERO TO THESE STUDENTS!

 

Of course, Heart2Heart is not surprised that one of the biggest donors of Hands on Manila is Tessa herself! THANK YOU TESSA!!!

Thank you to all those who made this possible! 

Make sure to also get your copy of the latest Philippines’ Best Restaurants 

 

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Chowking is suddenly one of my favorite fast food places nowadays!  I recently tried their new Orange chicken and love it.  It reminds me of one of my favorite dishes, General Tso’s chicken which I have for around US$ 12.00 in New York  and at Chowking I can have it for P 69.00 Just make sure it is crispy!!! YUMMY!

and even if I did not get to dance the chicken dance I made sure I had a photo with Echo!!!

In the middle of a long day at work or after a tiring 9 to 5, perhaps nothing can sound more enticing than treating yourself out to a nice, special meal instead of eating your regular, home-cooked fare. But don’t you just wish there was something different and exciting in restaurant menus to shake things up? Well, wait no longer - because at Chowking, there’s something oh so new and oh so delicious to wake up and titillate those tired taste buds!

From the country’s number one and pioneering quick-service Chinese restaurant chain comes the your favorite juicy and crispy chicken now with an orange twist! It’s Chowking’s new OH!some OH!range Chicken: chunks of juicy, premium meat that’s crisp on the outside and tender on the inside; richly flavored by a masterful blend of Chinese seasonings and generously topped with a tangy, amber-colored glaze and real mandarin orange bits.

Whether for lunch or dinnertime, you can finally forgo your usual fried chicken without sacrificing the familiar feel and quality that loyal Chowking customers know and love. And like the rest of the appetizing and affordable dishes being offered by the chain, the recipe for Chowking Orange Chicken is tailor-made to please the specific demands of the Filipino palate and comes specially prepared in the kitchen of expert, Gold-certified chefs; ladled hot and fresh upon order onto your waiting plate.

So delightful is this orange twist that it shares the limelight in Chowking’s new campaign with none other than celebrity endorser Jericho Rosales and his OH!some OH!range dance moves!

With his contagious dance move mapapasayaw ka when you get your hands on the oh! so juicy, oh! so sweet and spicy, and oh! so orange-y savory morsels.

Indeed, part of the appeal of this new offering is that it requires no special occasion for it to be enjoyed. However, there is actually a real cause for celebration as Chowking marks its 25^th outstanding year in the foodservice industry!

 

From a single store in 1985 to over 400 branches around the Philippines, United States, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Middle East, Filipinos today are never far from a rewarding dining experience at a reasonable price.

CHOWKING MILESTONES

1985 – Chowking Food Corporation is born. Its first store is strategically located at the Makati Commercial Center.

1989 – The first franchise store, also the first provincial store, opens in Meycauayan, Bulacan. The first Chowking TV Commercial airs.

1991 – Chowking launches its Food Delivery Service. Annual system-wide sales hit P118.1 Million

1992 – CFC enters the Visayas with the opening of the Bacolod Era Mall store, and Mindanao with the opening of the Limketkai outlet in Cagayan de Oro.

1993 – Annual system-wide sales reach P342.8 Million.

1994 – Annual system-wide sales hit P522 Million

1995 – Sales hit P951.2 Million.

1996 – Chowking opens 100^th store. Sales increase to P1.31 Billion.

1997 – CFC steps into international market with the opening of a store in San Diego, California, USA. System-wide sales hit P1.85 Billion

1998 – Chowking tests the Middle East market with the opening of a store in Warba Centre, United Arad Emirates.

2000 – Chowking is formally acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation, the market leader in the Philippine fast food industry.

2000 – Chowking unveils its new retail identity with the opening of its SM Manila store.

2000 – System-wide sales reach P2.45 Billion

2001 – Chowking was named “Most Outstanding Filipino Franchise” by the Philippine Franchise Association.

2002 – Chowking bagged the coveted Hall of Fame award as the Most Outstanding Filipino Food Franchise given by the Philippine Franchise Association

2003 – Chowking opens in Al Ghurair Center in Deira, Dubai, United Arab Erimates.

2004 – Chowking wins Global Identity Competition besting 15,000 other entries from 30 countries. System-wide sales reach P850 Million and record breaking annual sales of P7.2 Billion with a local store network of 303 at yearend.

2005 – Salo-Salo affordables was launched, meals good for sharing. They posted double-digit record growth of P729 Million in March and opened its first store in Artha Gading Mall in Jakarta, Indonesia.

2006 – Chowking launched the One Number Delivery Service – from 702-8888 to 9-8888

2007 – Chowking won the Catholic Mass Media Award as best brand ad for their Christmas commercial entitled “NOEL”

2008 – Completed P270M modernization program called “Project DMSSM” (pronounced as dimsum) for “Designed, Modernized and Streamlined Supply Chain and Manufacturing”, the two-year modernization program that started in 2006 involves the expansion and renovation of Chowking’s noodle building, and increased automation and the improved integration of food manufacturing processes in its two commissaries located in Muntinlupa City.

2010 – Chowking celebrates 25 years in the business and opens its 400^th store in Baguio. They kick-off this year with a new endorser Jericho Rosales and a new dish offering the OH!some OH!range Chicken meal with an more energetic image positioning to take it to the next level.

 

There are things that Chowking will always deliver, though: a wide variety of items, value for money, and of course, food good enough to get you up on your feet and dance. Now, isn’t that OH!some?

Chowking is so accessible to have it all day, every day, whatever the budget; starting at P69 for the Rice Chow Meal with a generous portion of Orange Chicken and rice;

 

P99 for the Lauriat which includes crispy noodles, Chicharap and Buchi;

 

and P125 for the Salo-Salo Set ideal for sharing (although one may not be enough…).

 

You can also enjoy Chowking’s OH!some surprises at home by dialing 9-8888 for delivery!

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 Thanks to our friend, Hetty, for inviting us to come over and see the exhibit of her husband, Paulino!  We remember very well many years ago when we visited his home to see his beautiful collection or art and antiques!  And now this beautiful exhibit!  You cannot imagine the value of the paintings - both its financial worth and the worth of its history and beauty!!!! This in itself is an accomplishment and a legacy of Paulino to Philippine Art and for our country.  

You will have to be there to believe it and see the actual paintings.  I am featuring all 80 works ( which is probably not even half his collection ) of art but it is still different to actually view them yourself.  I would say this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to view this collection and as Vita, the owner of Finale Gallery, told me, she said that she is happy that it is Paulino who owns these works of art because he is very generous in lending his paintings for others to see and appreciate in a public setting.  So do come over as it is still showing til the end of the month.

And this Saturday, March 20,  Learn more about the early Filipino Moderns with Juvenal Sanso, Mark Justiniani and Patrick Flores at 4:00 pm at the gallery.   

 Finale Art File is proud to show this March “Meaning To Be Modern”, a selection of Philippine paintings from 1907 to 1959.

 

The exhibition presents a vital part of Paulino Que’s vast collection of Philippine art and antiquities.

It focuses on the early periods of Philippine modern art, spanning the initial phases of the movement with Victorio Edades,

 

his precursors Juan Arellano

 

and Diosdado Lorenzo,

 

and peers Galo Ocampo

 

and Carlos Francisco,

 

as well as the developments hereafter: the Thirteen Moderns, incipient and late neorealism, and abstraction on the cusp of the sixties. This collection is exceptional and exemplary, surveying the watersheds of Philippine modern art, from the early part of the twentieth century to the sixties. The fifties may be considered the high point of the process of modernity in Philippine art, preceded by years of debates with the Amorsolo conservative school of romantic realism, experimentation with a range of styles from the school of Paris, and the formation of a distinct visual idiom of modern art that was cosmopolitan and uniquely Filipino.

These are the broad strokes of the sequence of modernism that the Que corpus embodies that complement those earlier mentioned: second-wave stalwarts Anita Magsaysay-Ho,

 

Nena Saguil,

 

Manuel Rodriguez,

 

Ricarte Puruganan,

 

and Ang Kiukok;

 

the neorealist originals H. R. Ocampo,

 

Vicente Manansala,

 

Cesar Legaspi,

 

Romeo Tabuena,

 

Ramon Estella,

and Victor Oteyza;

 

the Filipino émigré artists Venancio Igarta

 

and Macario Vitalis;

 

and the harbingers of abstraction Fernando Zóbel,

 

Arturo Luz,

 

Constancio Bernardo,

 

Jose Joya,

 

Lee Aguinaldo,

Federico Aguilar Alcuaz,

  

and J. Elizalde Navarro. 

When probed more keenly, it would reveal idiosyncrasies, too: the surrealism of the early Juvenal Sanso,

 

the unique imagery of Alfonso Ossorio,

and the lesser- known attempts of sensitive, sensible practitioners like Lyd Arguilla,

Cenon Rivera,

 

Jesus Ayco,

Jose Pardo,

Hugo Yonzon, Jr.,

 

Rod. Paras-Perez,

 

Rodolfo Ragodon,

and Helen Guerrero Roces.

The afterglow of the neorealist flare may also be discerned in the folksy aspirations of Mauro Malang Santos.

 

Finally, we may want to ask about the delineation of time: Why posit the fifties as the height and limit of modernism? It may be argued that this decade signifies the defining moment of the tendency: the First Neo-Realist Art Exhibition in 1950, the First Exhibition of Non-Objective Art in 1953, the walk-out of the conservatives at Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) salon in 1955, the replacement of the conservative/modern categories at the APP with “contemporary Philippine painting” a year later, and the First Southeast Asian exhibition held in Manila in 1957. It may also be proposed that the fifties was witness to the incipient expression and later the fullness of the modern tradition, before it was to wither in the face of its own institutionalization and, in some instances, its descent into kitsch.

Aside from the art works, this collection also brings to light the significance of the Paulino Que collection, which is one of the most indispensable in private auspices and could rival the combined treasures of public institutions of modern art collection such as the National Museum, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Ateneo Art Gallery, and the Vargas Museum. Featuring 36 artists and 80 works, it promises to be an event in itself, a rare occasion in which a private collection becomes public discourse as students, scholars, and supporters of Philippine art gain access to it and hopefully engage it with the same discernment that went into its shaping.

The exhibition will run from March 6 to 31, 2010 at Finale Art File, Warehouse 17, La Fuerza Compound, (enter Gate 1), 2241 Pasong Tamo, Makati City. We welcome student tours. Should you request a guided tour, please call us at 813 2310 or email us finale@pldtdsl.net. Admission is free. We are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm.

 

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Remember the

 

 I posted last December 6, 2009?

 Here is what happened! Thanks to Evelyn, a reader of Heart2Heart for letting me know about this!

Heart2Heart  s it!!!!

On December 7th, 2009 at 1:30pm GMT Starbucks invited musicians from all over the world to sing together at the same time to raise awareness for AIDS in Africa. In that one breathtaking moment, musicians from 156 countries played “All You Need is Love” together. Watch now, as musicians from all around the world come together and share a song.Join in by lending your own voice to http://StarbucksLoveProject.com Watch streaming video from countries around the world and then join in by singing All You Need is Love yourself. For each video submitted, Starbucks will make a contribution to the Global Fund to help fight against AIDS in Africa. You can also help increase the Starbucks contribution to the Global Fund by submitting a drawing to the Love Gallery.

The global sing-along is part of our continuing efforts to help fight AIDS in Africa. In just one year in partnership with (RED)™, Starbucks has generated money equivalent to more than 7 million days of medicine to help those living with HIV in Africa.

 

 

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Heart2Heart loves featuring success stories and people who work hard!  We all know that it is not easy to start a business, run it and make it successful in this very very competitive world.  

I was very happy to visit my Assumption highschool batchmate, Karla Siopongco-Campos at her foodhall and was amazed at what she has accomplished since then.  I call her the CAFETERIA QUEEN!

Dell is the Mom of Karla and she told me that when we were in highschool, her Mom was running 20 cafeterias and she would even pull out Karla from school when she needed an extra hand in the business.  So at an early age, Karla was already exposed to the cafeteria industry.  It was only when her Mom was not physically well that she was sent back from the States to come to the Philippines and her mission was to close the business.  So from twenty locations, she was left with one. And from that one, she bought the business from her Mom and then now grew it to 11 successful locations! WOW!

A very very busy cafeteria with plenty people 

Aside from all the wide variety of  food that is already out….. There are a few dishes you can still order like the sizzlers and the All Day Breakfast.  Dell’s is open 24 hours to cater to the call centers.

Karla made me try her food and it was really good.  It is really value for money which is why many, many people come over on a regular basis to have their meals at Dell’s.  

Aside from the great lunch, was the great company and I enjoyed getting to know Karla more. Though she was my batchmate, I only got to know her recently as our kids go to the same school.  I like her very much! and enjoy her! 

Heart2Heart is very very proud of Karla for what she has achieved and the success she is enjoying.  Thank you Karla for sharing your story with Heart2Heart and more power to you! You are an inspiration!

 

 

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Today is the premiere of my cousin’s short film.  My cousin, Marie, studies at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles and she told me she had to make it  for her thesis.  I asked her what exactly does a producer do and she said:

“the producer basically acts as the overall head of everything. developing the story and script with the writer, then overseeing each aspect of pre-production (like casting, locations, hiring of crew), production (the shoot), and post-production (picture/sound editing, music, marketing (if its a commercial film). at AFI your whole team (consisting of director/cinematographer/editor/production designer/writer/producer) gets friends and fam to donate $ to make the movie as per union regulations. so that was what i was working on for the whole of last year.”

  

 Oh wow!  We have a film producer in the family!!!  Heart2Heart is so proud to feature Marie.  More power and GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

Click on the photo below to view the trailer of her short film!   Click on TRAILER

 

 

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To my facebook friends, I hope you don’t mind me sharing your photos.

( I will be adding photos as I see them)

Thank you to everyone for helping our country! For a change, it is nice to see happy faces from people helping their countrymen!

From Ginger Paras 

From Eloise

From Lisa Camara

 

 

From Tricia Tensuan of Enderun 

 

 From Krie Lopez of Messy Bessy helping out in Whitespace

 From Tita Monique Villongco of White Space

 

“The Smiles of Ondoy” by Peachy Concepcion

Gk and RFM have launched massive relief efforts this past week and this is where my kids, cousins, family and friends have been. Amazing to see what the youth can do when they pull together as one. It is heartwarming to see the amount of giving going on whether in kind or in effort. People have been simply generous with their giving! Amazing

  

“What a relief!”  by Ton Concepcion

 

From Dindin Lag :

When it’s given out of love, there’s no such thing as too much or too little…

From Mons Tantoco - jayj’s outreach- arroz caldo for 3000 flood victims

Poveda Family Relief Efforts From Leia Regala

 

Youth of San Antonio Relief Operations  From Cres Yulo through Ria Campos

 

Hi everyone! Never before has exercising felt this good! We urge you to join the YSA FITNESS PROGRAM. If you want to burn excess fat and firm up your body - Parish Center ROOMS 1-4 is the perfect place for you! This is all natural! Watch those biceps firm up and see immediate results after loading all the relief goods you’ve packed and loaded! You’d want to come back the next day for more! Check out Mike, JJ, Nick, Vic, VOLTAIRE’s photos as proof. 

Seriously now, Chips & Ian asked me to post this with the hope that more people would come to volunteer AND/OR donate. Anything from old tarpaulin (can be used as banigs), balikbayan boxes, clothes you haven’t worn for 2 years, etc. 

Bonus na lang yung firm body.

 

Location: Santuario de San Anotnio Parish Center

 

From Bambi Reyes

Bambi donated assorted clothes to the victims of Typhoon Ondoy thru Sagip-Kapamilya-ABSCBN Iloilo City. Timing the truck is leaving today for Manila

 

From Peter Anglioto

Flood effects and Relief Efforts   Location: San Mateo Pasig 

From Isabel Lopez

5,300 water bottles in less than a day! Yey!!!

 From Ana de Borja

Amidst the darkness that surrounds us - floods, impending storms, trapos - here is my silver lining: little kids sorting, packing and labeling relief goods at their school. Their hands are small, but their hearts are so big - big enough to brighten our future. 

 

Animo La Salle from Lya Armovit-Torres

From Baba Ibazeta- Benedicto through Lead Ledesma Sanchez

This album is for all the generous hearts who gave to the victims of typhoon Ondoy - friends from far away and friends from home. They entrusted us with their money and in turn we were able to buy goods which we delivered to the Ateneo and to the Philippine Red Cross, Rizal Chapter. We only want to thank those who helped us and allowed us to be their “shoppers, drivers, and messengers”. We want to continue to help this way and we pray that more “men for others” come our way. Maraming salamat po!!! Please let us know how we can help you help others. 

 

Related Entries:

How You Can Help?  Sept. 28, 2009 

Starbucks and the Ateneo Taskforce Ondoy  Sept. 28, 2009

What you can do for typhoon Ondoy victims  Sept. 28, 2009

And God is with us September 29, 2009 

The Power of Prayer October 2, 2009

Super Typhoon Pepeng Checklist  October 2, 2009

The Beauty of Prayer October 3, 2009 

Messages/Lessons Learned from Ondoy and Pepeng October 4, 2009  

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Thanks Dexter for inviting us over to your diner!! We enjoyed very much!

We admire you for your vision and determination in starting your own business and looking forward to seeing it come through to even greater heights!  More power to you!

NYFD has almost 40 franchised carts, 6 Premiere outlets and now a diner concept.  I mentioned to Dexter to open his diner concept in other locations so more families can enjoy his food.  He said he is still experimenting and perfecting the concept before he expands.  Dexter told me that this business is his baby which he started 6 years ago.  Dexter is a food lover, loves cooking and also likes creating dishes which he sometimes adds to his menu.

Cheese Poppers

Steak and Cheese

Chili Dog

Bacon and Cheese Burger

Fish and Chips

Bacon and Egger - An invention of Dexter - instead of bread, it is like a pancake!  

Frozen Banoffee

NYFD Cheesecake - YUMMY!! 

This is another invention of Dexter - instead of a hotdog in a bun - it is wrapped in a tortilla.  This is only available in premiere outlets ( the one by the cinemas )  

NYFD’s Finest Diner

Dela Rosa Carpark 1, Dela Rosa Street, Legaspi Village, Makati 

website:  NYFD 

 

CONTACT US  NY FRIES & DIPS, NYFD DINER Warehouse.#4, Road 12, NDC Compound, Pureza Street, Sta. Mesa, Manila, Philippines Telephone Numbers: (632) 714-8890/8892 Fax Number:(632) 714-4772 Email Address:franchising@nyfd.com.ph

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 I have been hearing about this woman from my sister Krie and from Dad and Mom…and I had the chance to finally meet her. Her name is Mercy Corrales.  

Heart2Heart is very proud to feature her as I am sure she will be an idol to many women and Filipinos out there - just like how she has made me proud.

 

Mercy started off in Human Resources for Levis ( LSPI ) in the Philippines and even knew my grandmother working with her in Rustan’s.  She later on became CEO of Levis in Brazil and then in Japan. She was with Levis for thirty years. Afterwhich, she became the CEO of Starbucks in Japan which has almost a thousand stores and sales of around a billion US dollars. 

Imagine a woman being the CEO in a male dominated society like Japan?

She is the only woman who was awarded by the Harvard Business School in Japan as Business Statewoman of 2008. 

And recently she was asked to be the President of Starbucks Asia Pacific which includes the Philippines.  

 

I heard Mercy telling my Dad about her conversation with Howard Schultz over the phone when Howard called her about the new job offer..  Mercy told Howard… “I am going to SHAKE THINGS UP and I am going to disagree with you sometimes!”  Howard was very happy to hear that and agreed that that was what he wanted.  I also heard that she even dictated her terms as to what countries she could cover and how often she could come back to the Philippines…..that’s how good she is!

Mercy has given talks in Japan to many people from all over the world… many of them are amazed and asking her how she did it and how she made it to where she is now.  

She told us over dinner that one of the reasons she wants to retire already is because she wants to be able to do something for the country…. she said that most of her career she has been helping overseas countries and companies. Hmmm…. the fact that she represents our country and makes us proud to be Filipinos…is already great service to our country!  

“Itayo natin ang ating bandila,” she says!

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