You may have noticed that Makro at the Reclamation Area is no longer there. 3 months ago, the SM Retail group converted it and opened the very first SM Hypermaket branch in Cebu. The SM Hypermarket brand was started back in 2001 in response to the constant need of consumers for a holistic shopping experience. The concept behind the creation of a new retail format – which is what is now known as a “hypermarket retail format” – is to combine the features of a supermarket with those of a department store. The principal aim of SM Hypermarket is to provide consumers with a one-stop where most shopping needs will be satisfied all in one go.
Anyway, Christmas is just around the corner. And, a truly Pinoy Christmas is never complete until you’ve walked home on a frigid morning dawn mass and stopped to sample a warm bibingka from a small stall by the road.
Genuine smiles
Since there was a category for Most Plates Served, each bibingka had to be weighed for a fair competition
Competitive yet cheerful participants
iFM 93.9 DJs Randy and Radcliffe hosted the event
Naturally, with Christmas being so close, SM Hypermarket chose to cap their quarter-long Master Chefs extravaganza with a celebration of one of the most iconic of holiday treats, the bibingka. And where better to do it than in the home of the biggest bibingka in the world, Mandaue City, Cebu.
SM Hypermarket’s very own customer assistants provided free wholesome entertainment!
Rows of bibingka! Amazing!
The very energetic audience.
Known as the source of the best bibingka in the country, Mandaue City is also the home of many ingenious bakers who have taken this delicacy and given it a delicious twist. Some make it with grated keso de bolo on top, others with a layer of salted egg, and still others with a generous heaping of grated coconut and muscovado sugar. But one thing stays the same – all Mandaue bibingka are cooked in the classic “inurno” style. The batter is made of rice flour, coconut milk, yeast and sugar. The mixture is then baked to perfection in a terra cotta container. Red-hot coals placed above and below heat the batter through until it is fully, moist, and delicious, with a dark brown crust on top. It is this unique method of cooking, and the smoke from the coals, that gives bibingka its distinctive flavor.
Mr. Lee R. Jennie, founder of Adam Jennie’s Christian Center for Special Children based in Mandaue City, served as one of the judges.
Ms. Louella Cabanero, head of the Mandaue City Tourism Office, was the only lady in the board of judges
The event was also graced by the presence of one of the country’s celebrity chefs today, Chef John Paulo Sia, who was also part of the esteemed board of judges.
SM Hypermarket wants to kick off the holidays in Cebu by holding a festival for bibingka makers and lovers of the treat. Their Supersized Cookoff competition held yesterday, paid tribute to the many variants of the basic recipe and challenged chefs from all over to create the tastiest bibingka, and to serve up as many plates of it as they can. The competition was open to everyone who wished to join, provided that they formed groups of five and served a minimum of 50 plates.
At the end of the day, two groups were proclaimed as winners. The Best Tasting Bibingka was awarded to the Alang-Alang Group with a very high average score of 93.33%. Meanwhile, the Most Number of Plates Served was awarded to the Mandauenian’s Group for serving 391 plates of bibingka. Each winning group got P25,000 worth of SM Gift Certificates and a plaque of recognition from SM Hypermarket.
This is the final round of the SM Hypermarket’s Supersized Challenges. The previous ones were Iloilo’s Batchoy Challenge, which produced 1,862 servings of the beloved noodle dish; Batangas’ Bulalo Challenge which came up with 522 cups of the beefy broth, and Pampanga’s Sisig Challenge, which produced 1,775 plates of the spicy pulutan favorite. Knowing the Cebuanos’ cheerful fighting spirit, the final round held yesterday bested all the previous cook-offs as there were at least 2,000 plates of bibingka served!
Alang-Alang Group together with Mr. Lee Jennie, SM Hypermarket Cebu branch manager Angelo Carandang, Chef John Paulo Sia, SM Hypermarket senior manager for marketing communications and iFM93.9 DJ Randy
Mandauenian’s Group together with SM Hypermarket Cebu branch manager Angelo Carandang, Mr. Lee Jennie, Chef John Paulo Sia, SM Hypermarket senior manager for marketing communications and iFM93.9 DJ Randy
