July 27 was an eventful day with the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Negros Occidental’s (HRANO) biggest culinary event of the year staged at the Bacolod Pavilion Hotel --- Sabor Bisaya. Organized by Jovial Media Events headed by Ms. Maricar Dabao, with former city councilor Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue as one of the program hosts, students from the Hotel and Restaurant Management schools around Negros and both local and foreign food enthusiasts gathered in this once a year affair. Sabor Bisaya, conceptualized by Negrense Chef Jomi Gaston in 2011, is now becoming a food and beverage local event favorite.Various competitions were held that day we went: Table Setting for Two with Menu Card, Cake Decorating Contest, Organic Menu Food Challenge, and the Original Visayan Cuisine --- competitions open to both students and professionals. The following day, there was another set of food and beverage contests which kept the HRM students of the province very busy.
Fresh Start Organics had a booth where different products like the
Artisan Piaya and Green Smoothie (Malunggay or Moringa) were sold. Puro Organic, Fresh Start’s sister company, also joined Fresh Start’s booth where they sold our organic coffee i.e. Mt. Kanlaon, Negrense and Hacienda coffee blends, muscovado and coco sugar and Artisan cheeses and some bottles of fresh cow’s and goat’s milk. Work colleagues Gladys Abayon of Fresh Start and Joan Cachuela of Puro Organic, were there.