EVENT REVIEWS: Discovering the Business Mixer Experience
- Amanda Virrey
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Imagine a small Hospitality event where you can mingle with engaging and innovative people that are open to interact and discuss potential projects that you could collaborate with, while learning some culinary tips and eat gourmet food that is cooked in front of you by two esteemed chefs.
There actually exists such an event and it is called the Business Mixer, which happens every 3rd Monday of the month.
Last month, I attended this event on behalf of Discovering Hospitality. Hosted by CCA Manila’s Culinary Director Chef Philip John Golding, the Business Mixer became the melting pot of hospitality entrepreneurs and professionals, as well as culinary innovators and micro event organizers, that Monday night.
Within the walls of CCA Manila’s Studio Kitchen, the event began with an introduction by Chef Philip, who welcomed us, as he prepared an abundance of baked chicken with potatoes and herbs that he was going to offer us as the night progressed.
Alongside Chef Philip was the evening’s featured culinary guest, Chef Anne Anatacio, the founder of Anghelica’s, a cakes and pastries enterprise that became known during the Pandemic for her delectable Ube Leche Flan Cake creation.
Being CCA Manila’s Baking and Pastry Chef, as well as an R & D Chef Consultant, Chef Anne, was equipped with an easy, comprehensible, and engaging approach to convey the processes and well-tested ingredients that she was undertaking in the midst of the event.
So, while the ice was being broken and the initial bouts of introduction were happening, we were able to grasp Chef Anne’s pointers and insights on using Candia Professional’s creams, butter and milk, which was the event’s product sponsor. She showed us how much butter was needed in making Pita Bread for her freshly cooked Mediterranean and Tzatziki. She also shared her discovery of how easy and fast it is to whip Candia’s whipping cream when she was making the cream filling for the profiteroles that she had prepared for the event.
Playing pivotal roles in Chef Anne’s and Chef Philip’s culinary creations were three students of the CCA Manila’s diploma course for Culinary Arts and Technology Management. These keen understudies were Joaquin Jovellana, Nico Flores and Aleen Norte, who diligently assisted their mentors and impeccably executed their instructions in creating the dishes in a short period of time.
Meanwhile, our host chefs' culinary creations became the instrumental starter of our interactions among the other attendees. As such, the business development director of Euno, began enlightening me with his rewards marketplace platform over our mutual appreciation for Chef Anne’s Mediterranean ensemble; two young pastry talents let us taste their fudge bars while they shared their inspiring stories behind their new enterprise, Berbites Home Baked Delights; the founder of Think Responsibly, who joined our table to give us a gist of his TedX-type of live talks in different bars and restaurants around the metro; and the sales manager of Future Fresh, asking me about my opinion on the taste of the vegetables that were served by the chefs, as it is her company that supplies them.
Many more innovative hospitality representatives were in attendance that night, including the co-founder of La Mesa Mead and the marketing manager of CCA Manila’s kitchen supplier, Merit Stainless Steel, among others.
And while no final deals may have been struck by the end of the event, all of us nevertheless went home with new project ideas and acquaintances to reach out to for future collaborations.
So, if you are free to network your company this coming Monday night, you may want to attend another Business Mixer where Chef Philip will be joined by featured chef, Chef Ram Morales, co-founder and head pizzaiolo of Pomodoro Pizza.
For further information, you may check out Chef Philip’s IG, @chefphilipjohngolding.
