Making it Jolly in Cebu

Gary and I flew to Cebu recently for an event and the relaxing vibe of the Movenpick Cebu resort was the perfect backdrop for an engaging experience with a group of fun people. We were definitely in for a memorable next few days.I couldn't resist taking a photo of the lobby. The lime and turquoise color theme was refreshing to the eyes and was an instant mood-lifter.Our room provided the same cool ambience.I felt that this event was something of a reunion and a "birth" combined. We were brought to Cebu for an event for Jolly, one of the top canned food brands in the local market today. Fly Ace Corporation, the company behind the Jolly brand, brought together some members of the media from Manila and from Cebu.For me, this was like a reunion because Fly Ace was one the very first clients of our events agency, Creative Juice. They were one of those clients I loved working with and people we worked closely with became friends even after projects were completed. I always felt a connection to Fly Ace not only because I enjoyed working with them, but also because I admired their passion to deliver quality products while making an effort to educate consumers on nutrition, health, cooking, in helpful and interesting ways.At the Cebu event, it was so nice to be reunited with people we worked with before such as Cynthia, nutrition expert Professor Luchie Callanta, our ‘suki’ host Jamie Fournier, and of course Fly Ace's owners and directors.The event was also to be some sort of new "birth" for me since this was a culmination of several meetings with the super dynamic Jolly team namely MJ, Bey, Ralph and Rachel, who approached me a few months before to ask if I could be one of Jolly's brand ambassadors. With my attachment to Fly Ace, I was all too excited to accept!In Cebu, I was wit my “Jolly sister”, Frances Amper Sales, fellow ambassador, fellow mom, and fellow mom blogger.All moms like Frances and I are linked together not only by our love for our children, the busy lives we play, plus now, we are multi-hyphenates with one more new thing in common, our love for the Jolly brand. Frances is always a lot of fun to be with so I'm happy to be on this new Jolly adventure with her!Here's a photo essay of what happened that day:Mr. Jun Cochanco, President of Fly Ace Corporation, the company behind the Jolly food brand.Sir Jun shared with us the history of Fly Ace and as an entrepreneur I found it fascinating. Fly Ace started as "Jolly General Merchandise", started by his parents Lucio Sr. and Ederlina Cochanco back in 1972. They started out as a small shop selling agricultural products and consumer goods until they slowly launched their own products under the Fly Ace brand in 1993. After more than 50 years, Fly Ace has been bringing top quality food and beverage brands from across the globe into our homes. I even found out that "JOLLY" is made up of the Cochanco kids' initials- so far I have had the pleasure of meeting (J)un , (L)arry and (L)ouie!After an inspiring talk, we moved to a creative, hands-on session by The BentoMommas, here represented by April! They've been leading the bento scene since last year and even when we do Mommy Mundo collabs with them, it is always a hit. April closely guiding us in making Jolly bentos--We all had fun creating bento boxes using Jolly ingredientsProfessor Luchie and members of the Cebu pressAbe Cipriano, marketing head of Fly AceKarla Reyes and her mom, of Philippine Star and makes of the famous Plaza ham, and Sir JunHere are our bento boxes using Jolly ingredients!After the workshop, we listed to a talk by Professor Luchie Callanta which proved to be enlightening. Professor Luchie shared nutrition information on canned food and how it is a myth that canned food is never a healthy alternative. We wrote about this more in our Mommy Mundo site.Me with Prof. Luchie who also shared tips on purchasing and storing canned food, such as:- Check for dents and bulges on canned goods. Do not purchase if it has any. If there is a bulge, the lid might be compromised.- In storing canned food, follow the first in, first out principle (FE-FO-FI-FO). Use up the goods that were stored first.- Store canned goods in a cool dry place, not a warm location. Also do not store the can in the refrigerator.Next up, we were treated to live cooking by none other than Chef Sau del Rosario.Everything was yummy and looked simple to make. I'll definitely try making these at home!Something for breakfast: Peaches and Cream French toastPork Humba with mushrooms and garbanzosShepherd's Pie (One of Gary's favorite dishes!)Dessert please? Almond Gelatin with Lychees and Grass JellyChef Sau even taught us to make Cherry Lemonade mocktails!As a finale, Frances and I were introduced as the "Jolly Moms"! We were described as moms who value tradition, makes time for our families as well as ourselves and acts as a unifying factor of her family.Phew! I do hope we live up to that description. All I can say is I (and I'm sure Frances is, and all you, my fellow moms, as well) am trying our best every single day.What an honor to be part of the Jolly family and this quality brand that we moms trust for our own families.Will be sharing more #MakeitJolly experiences, recipes and tips so watch out for that!