Taste of true

True Chocolate PH

Beyond the process and packaging, chocolate can be a product of one’s own frustrations and triumphs. This was exactly the case for True Chocolate PH’s Treena Tecson.

“I was motivated by my passion so I was determined to learn as much as I could. It took me some time to be satisfied with my skills because I am a bit of a perfectionist, which is actually a good trait to have if you want to work with chocolate, especially with tempering.”

Tecson continuously practiced her chocolate-making skills and even took classes at the Academy of Pastry Arts and Enderun Colleges under chef Janelle Toh and executive pastry chef Laetitia Moreau. True Chocolate PH specializes in various types of Belgian couverture chocolate bars and truffles made in small batches to maintain taste and quality. Tecson is currently experimenting with cacao sourced from her home province of Negros Occidental to create a local tree-to-bar chocolate.

True Chocolate PH: Negros bean to bar 50% milk chocolate made with organic cacao sourced from farms in Silay and La Castillana, organic milk, cocoa butter and raw cane sugar
Negros bean to bar 50% milk chocolate made with organic cacao sourced from farms in Silay and La Castillana, organic milk, cocoa butter and raw cane sugar

Spoons up, moms

Merry Moo x Mommy Treats lactation ice cream

What started out as research for Kelvin Ngo’s wife to build her breastmilk supply for their second baby became a tasty collaboration with Mommy Treats’ Paola Loot-Bronfman. The result is an ice cream line specifically formulated with galactagogues or breastmilk boosters that can build a mother’s breastmilk supply.

Having tried Mommy Treats’ lactation brownies before, the couple talked to Loot-Bronfman and came up with lactation ice creams that come in three flavors: salted caramel, dark chocolate, and green tea. All ice creams use fresh, non-ultra heat treated dairy from Laguna and are cooked and churned in small batches.

The Merry Moo and Mommy Treats collaboration yielded this lactation ice cream line
The Merry Moo and Mommy Treats collaboration

To date, Merry Moo is expanding its presence to stores frequented by mothers and this collaboration is the first step. “As we learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding, we believe that more moms will want to breastfeed and seek out our lactation ice cream.”

Made from scratch

Clean Eats Manila

When Aisa de Jesus’s father was diagnosed with cancer, she and her family made a conscious decision to collectively change their lifestyle, including the food they eat. Processed and instant food were gradually replaced with homemade meals and ingredients made from scratch.

A sampling of Clean Eats Manila's breads
A sampling of Clean Eats Manila’s breads

Eventually, de Jesus baked pastries from scratch as well to lessen health risks. Since 2014, Clean Eats Manila has been using all-natural ingredients to enrich their food products. Their baked products are free from preservatives and improvers, and ingredients only consist of sea salt, coconut oil, raw sugar, hormone-free eggs, and fresh produce like camote, squash, and potato. Aside from that, the store has also expanded with a delivery service for small groups or communities that wish to have Clean Eats’s bread products right at their doorstep.