Take a Bite of History and Culture with #TinapayNatin

Rocky Batara
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As a nation tied to a vibrant food culture, beloved staples have become a huge part of the Filipino lifestyle. A popular must-have in every local dining table is bread—a universal favorite that has countless versions lining panaderia shelves across all corners of the Philippines. Apart from history, socio-cultural practices, cooking methods, and traditions, it also carries stories that must be preserved and passed on to elevate one’s sense of pride in local culture and enable one to support local industries.

In celebration of the colorful tradition of Filipino bread-making and to honor of our food culture, Pilmico has partnered with Max’s Corner to spearhead a nationwide bread competition, aptly called the Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition.

The Max's Pan De Macapuno


A bearer of Filipino pride and identity

Here in the Philippines, beyond being an ever-reliable snack, bread is also a reflection of each of our province’s culture and history, which have been shaped by various influences throughout the ages. 

One of the most important Filipino breads is the ubiquitous pandesal, which was introduced to the Philippines in the 16th century. It was the Spaniards’ counterpart to the French baguette. Pan de sal means “bread of salt” in Spanish, for the pinch of salt that is added to the dough. Originally, this bread had a hard crust because it was made with wheat flour. Due to the lack of wheat production, Filipino bakers eventually had to use a different type of flour which resulted to the softer pandesal that we find in our favorite panaderias across the country today.

Sparking a renewed love for local breads like the pandesal is the inspiration behind the latest pillar of the Pilmico’s brainchild, Mahalin Pagkaing Atin movement, an advocacy aimed at amplifying the role of every Filipino as a producer and guardian of our food heritage. This year’s Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition aims to highlight how bread plays an important role in our local food culture and heritage, supporting our rich food history and empowering community bakeries to become storytellers for the land and the people.

“Bread is a reflection of our identity and our people’s history and affinity to food and agriculture,” says Carlyn Trota-Salud, Max’s Bakeshop Inc. President. “With a wide variety of breads enjoyed by Filipinos around the nation, each region definitely has a native bread—a Tinapay Natin—that tells a unique story about its origin and its journey.”
 
The Max's Pan De Keso


A national tribute

Every food in every region is a direct reflection of the land, from the ingredients and methods used to the flavors and names of each one. More than just being a competition, the Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition also pays tribute to our regions’ distinguishing local identity, culture, and produce by sharing the inspiring stories that each local bread variant carries.

“We thought of an initiative anchored on encouraging Filipino bakers to pursue and share their passion for bread and baking, and that’s how Tinapay Natin became a reality,” shares Maribeth Marasigan, Pilmico Chief Resource Officer. 

The contest invites young members of society to recreate a beloved traditional bread as well as a modern bread—in the hopes that by inviting the youth to add their own new twist to Philippine bread making, the art can be furthered. It is open to students aged 18 to 35-years old from anywhere in the Philippines. “This isn’t just about making another delicious baked creation. Since each bread carries a distinct story of their own, each group will also be tasked with weaving a tale that expresses how their creation is a representation of a region and its culture,” continues Marasigan.

The competition legs will be held in Manila, Bulacan, Batangas, and Iloilo, respectively. The partner universities, namely Treston International College, STI College-Bulacan, Lyceum of the Philippines - Batangas, and St. Therese College - Iloilo City, will then act as venue sponsors, while also encouraging their own students to join the contest.

The team with a bread concept that clearly carries a unique story, innovation, creativity, and deliciousness will be then awarded as makers of the country’s first Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition, with either the regional tourism director or culinary heritage expert—or both—providing the preamble as to how the bread perfectly summarizes the inspiring story of its place of origin. 

Baking back

The competition coincides with the mission of Max’s Corner Bakery to promote appreciate for local food, especially when it comes to inspiring a renewed love for baked goods. With this, Max’s Corner Bakery—one of MGI’s oldest and most well-known brands—will be officially distributing the winning bread creation, sharing its captivating bread story, through its outlets nationwide so that the rest of the nation may take part in crafting the first Tinapay Natin ever. 

Max's Corner Bakery itself takes pride in a rich and colorful history that dates back to the 1960's when its founder, Ruby Trota, baked the first batch of soft bread rolls using a wood-fired oven. It was well-received by the Filipino patrons of Max's, then still flourishing restaurant. Soon, the bakery expanded its baked goodies to include breads, pastries, and cakes that eventually became the irresistibly delicious treats Filipinos know and love today.

As the competition also aims to encourage and empower the local youth, a predetermined amount from every piece of the winning bread sold by Max’s Corner Bakery will also go to the team’s chosen public school beneficiary.

“Thanks to Filipino ingenuity and an unyielding passion for bread, it is not difficult to see our bread culture carry on through the generations with more Tinapay Natin creations joining the esteemed roster of breads that tell our distinct Philippine story,” ends Marasigan. 

Here are the important Guidelines that we need to take note:

COMPETITION GUIDELINES

PREPARING FOR THE COMPETITION

1) Each team need to prepare two (2) bread entries for the eliminations: one (1) regional bread and one (1) modern bread. Come the Grand Finals, the three (3) elimination winners will have to prepare the same bread entries they had, plus one additional bread variant of their choice (either a regional or modern bread).
a. Regional bread - is associated with a region or a place within a region in the Philippines.
b. Modern bread - is inspired by a local bread (regional or national) but has a surprising twist in the form of ingredients, baking methods, flavors, and technique.

2) The ingredients and recipes will be submitted via an online form posted on the TinapayNatin webpage: www.maxschicken.com/tinapaynatin

3) Teams can submit improvements to the recipe on August 26, 2016, which is two (2) weeks after the announcement of qualifying teams. Take note of the following dates:
  * August 12 - Deadline of submission of entries
  * August 19 - Announcement of qualifying teams
  * August 26 - Deadline of improved recipes

4) Qualifying teams can no longer add ingredients but can change the quantity of each individual ingredient, as specified in their application form. Event marshals will be conducting inspections during the competition proper to ensure that this is followed. Those who bring in extra ingredients shall be disqualified from the competition.

COMPETITION PROPER

I. Equipment / Baking Tools

1) Only an oven and a standard 4x2 feet workstation will be provided for each team at the venue, hence participants are required to bring in their own utensils and baking tools, a list of which must be sent together with the final recipe on August 26.

2) The following equipment will not allowed at the competition proper:
 * Electric mixers
 * Dough kneaders
 * Any mechanized equipment, with the exception of digital weighing scales

3) Each team must also bring their own fire extinguisher to the venue.

II. Attire

1) Participants must wear plain white shirts (with or without collar) and black pants, both of which must be free from any branding and embroidery. Teams with members who are not wearing the proper attire will not be allowed to participate.

III. Baking process

1) Participating teams will be provided with the ingredients they specified on their respective lists during the competition proper. Teams must bake their breads in accordance to their final recipe.

2) Teams must choose which between Pilmico Sun Moon Star Hard Wheat Flour and Pilmico Wooden Spoon All Purpose Flour they intend to use during the competition. One (1) kilogram of chosen flour will be used for each bread entry with 10% buffer for dusting.

3) Bread dough must follow straight dough method. Participants are required to do the mixing manually.

4) Dough improvers, preservatives, and emulsifiers are strictly prohibited from the competition. Bringing of such ingredients are grounds for disqualification.

5) Competing teams are given four (4) hours to prepare and bake their bread entries based on the production grid to be provided prior to the competition date.

IV. Judging

1) Participants will be judged based on the following criteria:

a. Correct Professional Preparation (15%)
b. Presentation of Bread Story and General Impression (15%)
c. Technique and Practicality (30%)
d. Taste (40%)

2) Each team must present their bread entries on a white platter ONLY.


3) Each team strictly has two (2) minutes to pitch their bread.


GENERAL MECHANICS:

Let Us Taste Your Bread Story:

Who Can Join?

1) Teams of two students each, aged 18-35-years old and currently enrolled full-time in an academic institution as of August 12, 2016 can join.

Gathering Bread:
Submission of Entries

2) To qualify for the eliminations, each team must enter one (1) regional bread and one (1) modern bread.
a. Regional bread ¡Vassociated with a region or a place within a region in the Philippines.
b. Modern bread ¡Vinspired by any local bread but is given a modern twist, whether in terms of baking style, preparation, ingredients used, or flavors harnessed.
These could be two breads of the same type (e.g. regional bread: Ensaymada from Central Luzon / modern bread: Ensaymada with Cocoa Cream Filling), or two completely different bread variants that adhere to the definitions above (e.g. regional bread: Elorde from Cebu / modern Bread: Raisin Monay), both of which must use only a maximum of ten (10) ingredients indicated in the pantry list provided in the online application form.

3) To submit, contestants must fill out the official Tinapay Natin Google form found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TinapayNatin. Complete competition guidelines are also posted on these links.

4) Deadline for submission is on August 12, 2016. The Consortium reserves the right to disqualify participants within the contest period should they fail to comply with the requirements or have committed fraudulent acts to appear eligible.

Making the cut:
Screening

5) The recipes MUST conform to the competition guidelines provided in the website: www.maxschicken.com/tinapaynatin. Entries that fail to do so shall be disqualified.

6) Entries will be pre-judged based on their ¡§bread story¡¨ (fields to appear in the application form), photos (taken from 3 different angles: front angle, side angle, flat lay angle), regional association, regional relevance, ingredients used, and baking procedure. The bread story must answer the following questions:

a. Regional Bread
 * What is the historical significance of the bread?
 * How is it a reflection of the region¡¦s people and culture?
 * What story or aspect of your chosen region do you wish to surface through the bread?
i. Ingredients indicated in the pantry list must follow the metric system and must be in grams only
ii. Procedure (see competition guidelines).

b. Modern Bread
 * What traditional Filipino bread inspired this entry?
 * What is the historical significance of the bread?
 * What aspects of this entry were retained from the bread that inspired it?
 * Modern Twist
* What changes did you make with this entry to make it suitable to modern tastes?
* What inspired you to create this bread?
* Ingredients indicated in the pantry list must follow the metric system and must be in grams only.
* Procedure (see competition guidelines).

7) Entries with the most compelling bread story and recipes will be chosen to participate in the competition. A maximum of 12 teams will compete per elimination round:

a. Northern Luzon: STI College-Bulacan (MacArthur Highway, Brgy. Dakila, Malolos Bulacan), September 09, 8AM-5PM

b. Southern Luzon: Lyceum of the Philippines-Batangas (Capitol Site, Batangas City), September 16, 8AM-5 PM

c. VisMin: St. Therese College- Iloilo City (M.H. del Pilar St., Molo, Iloilo City), September 23, 8AM-5PM

8) Teams that have qualified for the eliminations in their assigned venue will be announced online on August 19, 2016 through the Tinapay Natin social media pages: www.facebook.com/tinapaynatin and www.instagram.com/tinapaynatin . They will also be notified via calls from the organizer during the announcement date.

9) Qualifying teams must confirm their participation on or before August 22, 2016 via email to Tinapay Natin¡¦s email address: tinapaynatinph@gmail.com

10) Qualifying teams may modify the individual quantities of their ingredients, but are not allowed to add new items to the list they submitted. Each qualifying team can submit improvements to their recipe by sending their final ingredients list via email to tinapaynatinph@gmail.com until August 26, 2016. (Subject: School_MemberSurnames_FinalList)

11) The organizers will assume the qualifying teams¡¦ last submission on or before the deadline to be the teams¡¦ final lists. Those who deviate from their final lists during the competition proper shall be disqualified.

Elimination Rounds

12) Competing teams will be assigned ovens and work stations at the venue. However, they will need to bring their own baking tools and plating materials. Qualifying teams must refer to the competition guidelines for the prohibited items.

13) Contestants will be given five (5) hours to prepare their breads. Afterwards, they will be given a maximum of two (2) minutes to pitch their bread story.

14) One (1) winning team from each elimination round will be chosen to compete in the Grand Finals which will be held at Treston International College on October 13, 2016.

15) Teams who will be competing in the Grand Finals will be provided Pilmico flour and their indicated ingredients beforehand to practice making their bread.

16) The organizers will not be held liable for events that occur that beyond their control, including but not limited to acts of god, acts or threats of terrorism, war, and hostilities.
Baking Better and Being The Best
Grand Finals

17) In celebration of the ¡§World Bread Day,¡¨ the Grand Finals will be held on October 13, from 9AM to 3PM at Treston International College (University Parkway District, 32nd Street corner C-5 Road, Bonifacio Global City).

18) Finalists may modify the quantities of their ingredients and submit improved recipes ten (10) days after the elimination rounds. Deadline for each will be as follows:
 * Bulacan elimination round winner: September 19, 2016
 * Batangas elimination round winner: September 26, 2016
 * Iloilo elimination round winner: October 03, 2016

19) In addition to the two breads entered in the eliminations, the finalists will need to bake one (1) more bread¡Xeither a regional or a modern bread¡Xin the Grand Finals.

20) Preparation rules from the eliminations rounds will still apply.

21) Each team will be given six (6) hours to prepare all three breads based on the production grid. They will be given a total of two (2) minutes to pitch their entries to the judges.

22) The team with the highest total score will then be awarded as the winner of the Tinapay Natin, Pinoy Bread Baking Competition. The winning team¡¦s highest scoring bread will be named as Pinoy Bread of the year to be carried by Max¡¦s Corner Bakery.
Prizes:

23) The #TinapayNatin Bread Competition will be giving away the following prizes:

a. All participating teams will be provided with their respective Certificates of Participation.

b. The winning team from each of the elimination rounds will receive ten thousand pesos (Php 10,000) worth of gift certificates from Max's Restaurant, plus a chance to get exclusive training from Pilmico Research and Training Bakery.

c. The grand winner will receive a cash prize of fifty thousand pesos (Php 50,000.00), plus a trophy and medal. In addition to this, at least one of their bread entries will be sold and distributed at MCB outlets for a probationary period of forty-five (45) days.

d. After the competition, Pilmico and MCB shall reserve the ownership and the rights to use the recipes of all bread entries that competed in the grand finals.

Bread for one and all:
Distribution

24) The winning recipe will be subject to modification by the MCB Technical Research & Development team for selling purposes. Their bread story, meanwhile, will be published via in-store collaterals and media features.

Baking Back
Doing Good for Local Communities

25) In response to the growing challenge of malnutrition among Filipino schoolchildren, the winning team gets to choose a public school from their region that will be granted a feeding program funded by a part of the sales generated by the new #TinapayNatin.


Goodluck to all the participants! (The Lifestyle Portal)




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