BAGUIO CITY – People from all walks of life trooped to the SM City Baguio atrium to partake of the fifteen fried rice varieties that were presented and served by the twelve participating establishments during the third edition of the Rice and Shine, a tribute to the Filipino farmers Thursday morning.
The serving of the assorted fried rice jumpstarted the 17th edition of the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) Week that will run from October 3-26, 2024.
Anthony de Leon, general manager of the Baguio Country Club (BCC) and chairman of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB), said that this year’s preparation and serving of the assorted fried rice to the public is the contribution of the city’s private sector for the sustained growth of the local tourism industry.
For his part, mayor Benjamin B. Magalong commended the HRAB for its own initiative in coming out with their annual offerings for the HRT Week that will be beneficial in aggressively promoting the city’s tourism industry and that such undertaking is worthy of emulation by concerned sectors.
The participating food establishments with their corresponding fried rice offerings are the Baguio Country Club and Fairways and Greens Bed and Breakfast – Hainanese and adobo rice, Mario’s and Hill Station – Cajun jambalaya and paella rice, Hotel Supreme – beef pares and binagoongan rice, Alabanza – pork recado and hamonado rice, The Camp John Hay Manor – toyo and lechon kawali rice, Orchard – paella and yeung chow rice and City Lights – kiniing and pinuneg rice.
The assorted fried rice had an accumulated weight of 1,600 kilos that included some three to three and one half sacks of rice for each of the varieties that were used in the preparation of the varieties.
The 15 varieties of fried rice were spread over a 28-feet diameter pan that was placed right at the center of the SM City Baguio atrium.
It took the organizers approximately two hours to distribute the containers filled with fried rice to the thousands of individuals that converged to partake of the free food that was presented by the local tourism industry stakeholders.
Senior citizens, persons with disabilities, students, residents and visitors patiently fell in line and eagerly awaited for their chance to be given the free fried rice for them to have a chance to partake of the same.
For the coming weeks, the HRBA will be conducting various culinary competitions that will feature local and national talents from the hospitality industry that will serve as part of the highlights of the HRT Week and to serve as an added attraction for both residents and tourists alike.
HRAB is composed of local hoteliers and restaurants operating in the different parts of the city and serving as major stakeholders of the local tourism industry.
Among the significant accomplishments of the HRAB are the presentation and serving of the longest longganisa, longest raisin bread, largest wedding cake and other similar crowd drawing events through the years. By Dexter A. See
