Saturday, November 12, 2016

Potato Bomb, The Food Hive

Meet the chef behind the newest potato trend - Potato Bomb!



I'm sure you already know her, but I'll say it anyway - meet Chef Rosebud Benitez!

I recently got to talk to her for the grand opening of The Food Hive, the food park that's going to #ChangeYourCravings as they're offering new takes on basically everything you've seen and tasted before! Chef Rosebud is the chef behind one of the food stalls there called Potato Bomb or Po.Bo.
As the name implies, Po.Bo is all about potatoes. "It's a new concept that we're introducing here in Manila.... It's a different way of enjoying your potatoes," said Chef Rosebud. Normally, we just have our potatoes baked, mashed, or fried. Simple as that. At Po.Bo, potatoes are mashed, breaded, deep fried, THEN topped with various ingredients.

"Aside from being rice eaters, Filipinos enjoy eating potatoes, so this is something that they can look forward to." Working with one main ingredient was both exciting and challenging for the chef. "It's exciting because when you say potato, the flavor is more on the bland side, so there's so many toppings out there that you can put in your creations. But it's challenging kasi sa dami nga talaga ng pwede mo ilagay dun, you have to choose which ones you will just present. That's the challenge there. It has to be something that other people would also enjoy, not just us."

Chef Rosebud understands that people want something that's not only affordable, but filling as well. We all want value for money. I mean, who wants to spend a lot for small servings? No one, right? Her goal is for the customers to get the most bang for their buck. "Dapat mapapa-woah ka, ang dami (ng servings) tapos you only pay for this much."

Here are the two types of Po.Bo they will be offering:
Bacon Mushroom Melt and Barbecue Chicken with Blue Cheese Dressing
Potato BombPotato Bomb
I can't say very much about them just yet, but the price range for these babies will be somewhere between Php 130-150. You can opt to add toppings like cheese and bacon for an additional cost, but rest assured that they're already satisfying as is. I mean, just look at all that cheese!

I'm personally excited because I love cheese, and it turns out, so does Chef Rosebud! At home, her specialties are lasagna, paella, and cheesecakes! When dining out, her family often goes for anything with cheese or tomatoes, so they love Mexican and Italian cuisine. Thai is one of their top choices as they enjoy spicy food as well.
Potato Bomb
For those who don't know, baking is actually her first love. Chef Rosebud started baking very young and only learned to cook when she went into culinary school. It was "a way of conquering fears", because she used to be scared of oil splatter and things like that. But once she started going to culinary school, her eyes opened up to the "wonderful world of cooking," and the rest, shall we say, was history.

Her advice for aspiring chefs: "First of all, it's not all glamour and glitz. Lahat gusto maging chefs ngayon kasi they see so many chefs on TV. It's all hard work. It's not easy. You have to stay in the kitchen for 8 hours without sitting down. You have to start with chopping all the ingredients before you even get to start cooking. It really takes a lot of hard work. So if you really love it, go for it. If you're really passionate, then you go for it... You have to have the passion for food, and you have to love eating so you can explore different tastes. And if you're planning to open your own restaurant, that's good, but I suggest you get experience first from different jobs, so at least you get a feel of what you're getting yourself into. Learn from different mentors and from the best in the industry."
Aside from being a wife, a mom, a part-time instructor at CCA, and a celebrity chef, Chef Rosebud is also an entrepreneur. She has a diet delivery service called Weigh To Go and sells baked goods like cheesecakes and banana bread every holiday season through her Facebook page. The chef definitely has a lot in store for us, so do watch out as The Food Hive along Visayas Avenue opens its doors very, very soon! See you there! :)