The
Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP) proud to host the
28th edition of Chefs on Parade (COP) at the SMX Convention Center on February
28 to March 3, 2013. Launched by HRAP at Resorts World Manila’s Passion
Restaurant last December 4, 2012, COP 2013 is set to be the grandest yet
in its history. Celebrity master chefs have confirmed their attendance and
there will be more attractions packed into the four-day extravaganza.
Chefs on Parade is a culinary festival with a trade exhibit, cooking
demonstrations, food workshops and seminars and other gastronomic-related
activities. COP’s main highlights are the numerous competitions for students
and professionals. This HRAP-initiated endeavor began in 1974 as a simple food
display. Through the years, COP has become a major national event.
COP in 2011 was a huge success! Over 26,000 visitors trooped to the venue SMX
Convention Center. This number includes about 600 contestants from the
Philippines and ASEAN countries, plus almost a hundred guest chefs. “We expect
the same warm response as we stage Chefs on Parade 2013,” declares Philippe
Bartholomi, Overall Chairman of COP 2013. “We made a great impact in 2011. For
the industry and the public, Chefs on Parade is the most important hospitality
and culinary event in the Philippines. We will present a world-class program.
Our goal is to show that the Philippines can organize a great food show.”
Attending the COP launch was Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez. The
Secretary referred to Chefs on Parade as one of the banner events for 2013. He
says “Now is the most exciting growth period of our Republic. Chefs on Parade
is an exciting example of what must be done because it is devoted to
excellence.”
COP 2013 will again have an “international flavor.” Among the foreign master
chefs who will conduct demos and judge at the competitions is Singapore-based
Belgian chef Emmanuel Stroobant, host of the Asian Food Channel’s successful
show Chef in Black. Two chefs from the renowned Alain Ducasse international
restaurants—Jerome Lacressioniere and Marc Chalopin―will be flying in from
Paris to Manila just for COP 2013. Alain Ducasse is an
internationally-recognized chef and restaurateur who holds 18 Michelin stars (a
seal of a high standard of dining given by the Michelin Guidebook) for his
establishments from NY to Tokyo, and three stars in Paris, Monte Carlo and
London. Both chefs will conduct demos on French cuisine and judge COP
competitions. The Puratos Group, worldwide supplier of baking and chocolate
ingredients, will be bringing in a master baker and a pastry chef from Belgium
to support COP.
There will be a total of 30 mixology and culinary competitions on both
professional and student categories. Four of which are new to COP:
Breakfast-Making, Ice-Carving, Flair-Tending and Dream Team. “The Dream Team
contest which is for students is actually interesting,” says Chef Gabby Prats,
Chair of COP 2013’s Competition and Judging Committee. The challenge involves
two members who will be in charge of cooking a meal and two more who will take
care of the table set-up and wine-pairing. “It’s a dream that you perfect the
‘front of the house’ aspect and the ‘back of the house’ aspect,” says Chef
Gabby.
Add to all these a 286-booth trade exhibit that will feature for the first time
a Wine Avenue (showcase of a wide selection of local and international wines
and spirits), and an Artisanal and Organic Food Avenue (a remarkable gathering
of organic produce and artisan food), and the conferment of the second Larry J.
Cruz award to an outstanding Filipino in the culinary field ― and you’ve got a
Chefs on Parade 2013 that’s bursting with yummy ideas and tasty treats!
COP 2013 is supported by sponsors De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde, Meat
& Livestock Australia, Nestlé Professional, Del Monte, Oleo-Fats, the
Department of Tourism (DOT) and Kitchen Aid; and partners Trade Net Events and
Management International, Allied Metals, Enderun Colleges, the Asian Food
Channel, GMA News TV, Total Gaz, Imacron, The Puratos Group, Resorts World
Manila, Allegro Beverage, Liquid and Liquid Creations, Plan Z, Manila Bulletin,
the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Hospitality News Magazine, Olive Magazine, and
Flavors Magazine. More sponsors and partners will be coming in as the
event draws nearer.
For more information about Chefs on Parade 2013, contact the Hotel and
Restaurant Association of the Philippines secretariat at tel. 816-2421, fax
816-2419, email
secretariat@hrap.org.ph
or
hrap@pldtdsl.net, or
check out
www.hrap.org.ph/cop,
www.chefsonparade.org,
and
www.facebook.com/chefsonparade
