Gardenia's " The Next Big Sandwich Hit" competition for the World bread day celebration

I think every household here in the country have at least a loaf of Gardenia bread in their pantry.
Gardenia products have continuously proven us that they are the best among the rest.

I was excited when I got invited to witness a rather exceptional event.The thing was, the last leg of the competition was held at Far Eastern University, my former university, which I was not able to visit for the past 12 years.

"World bread day" would not have existed had it not been for the declaration by the International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners in 2005 , designating October 16 as the date to celebrate the simple mixture of flour and water , which when heated has become one of the world's staple foods.

To commemorate this special global event, Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc. will be scouring for local culinary geniuses to concoct THE " Next Big Hit. "

Targeting the 10 universities with courses related to Hotel and Restaurant management and the Culinary arts , Gardenia's " The Next Big Sandwich hit" is pitting 50 students from these schools to come up with sandwich creations that will knock the socks off anyone who bites into them.

Far Eastern University (FEU)
Centro Escolar University (CEU)
Our Lady Of Fatima University (OLFU)
La Consolacion College Manila
Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)
Philippine Women’s University (PWU)
Adamson University
St. Scholastica's College Manila
University of Sto.Tomas
University of the East (UE Recto)

Participants will be chosen from 10 minute video auditions coming from a team of two who will prepare sandwiches embodying two themes from the following exciting categories :

Hell Week
Free Cut
Fuel Up
Good Morning

They will demo their sandwich-making skills using any two loaf variants from :

Gardenia Classic White Bread

Gardenia high fiber wheat Bread

Gardenia High Fiber Wheat Raisin Loaf

Gardenia Wheat Cranberry Loaf

Gardenia Slim 'n Fit Wheaten Bread

The objective? Well, it should be a sandwich stall concept and the two sandwich recipes should complement the theme.
Five teams from each of the 10 participating schools will advance to the qualifying rounds where they will battle it out for the chance to represent their school in the finale.

In nail-biting , reality-TV style , winners will be judged through:

Online votes

30% Taste

30% Concept
15% Food Plating/Food Presentation
15% Team Delivery & Presentation
10% Audience Votes

A taste test ( which was done by yours truly along with fellow bloggers)
The use of a sponsored ingredient
How much money they make on the food kiosk challenge at MERCATO CENTRALE
Their creation of 3 main sandwiches

The most-awaited Finale Challenge will be held during Gardenia's own Happy Bread Day festivities at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati on October 28, 2013.

THE ONE will receive P200,00 in cash and Gardenia products
Second and Third placers stand to win cash and prizes worth P70,000 and P35,000, respectively.

For participants and onlookers alike , the competition will be nothing short on excitement. It tests culinary creativity , marketing skills , online social media presence , on-ground presence of mind and the ability to make us salivate for " The Next Big Sandwich Hit."

These two amateurs had almost two hours to prepare and construct the sort of Bread dessert but , well, it turned out really well, and yummy for that matter and won the slot!
Yes, the decision has been made and the majority of votes goes to TEAM 4 HELL WEEK MASTERS! They will have the privilege to represent their school on October 28!

HELL WEEK MASTERS : Jamiel palmares & Nica Calamdag

So as countries around the world celebrate World Bread Day , Gardenia's "The Next Big Sandwich Hit" challenge definitely showcases not only the culinary ingenuity and creativity but in how we appreciate BREAD-the one food eaten by many , of every race , culture and religion - with a distinctive pinoy style.