I haven't made any set of article for a certain place for a year now (the first was last year for Qaldi Cafe) and here I am faced with a place that offered me multiple angles that it gave me a challenge to write everything in one seating. This is the first of a set of articles that I have written about this wonderful place called Gourmet Farms.
* * *
28 years ago, Mr.Escaller, owner and founder of Gourmet
Farms, started the business with coffee bean trading. With the desire to help the local farmers
improve their crop and livelihood, he ventured into farming. What initially started as a hit-and-miss
thing is now a science for the people of Gourmet Farms. From raising and roasting the perfect coffee
bean, to harvesting herbs and vegetables produce organically grown and to
serving dishes showcasing their farm produce, Gourmet Farms has indeed
came a long way from where it was.
The Gourmet’s Café and Country Store
Their roadside all-day breakfast café serves various
breakfast meals – from fresh-baked breads sprinkled with their herbs to
Filipino favorites to healthy omelettes.
An express chiller is also made present for various salads and lettuce
wraps are available to-go. All Gourmet
Farms product is made available in the roadside store. From coffee beans to herbal teas, freshly
picked lettuces and potted herbs, salad dressings and homemade vegetable chips;
always available, all the time. Freshly
baked cakes and pastries are also served and you can pair it off their one of a
kind chillers or coffee freshly brewed.
The Dining Room
From the café, a white domed structure is seen. What seems
like a plain structure is really a place of dining experience. The menu is Mediterranean-inspired. It also boasts of a salad bar that showcases
the organic produce of the farm and generous Gourmet’s dressing. The pizza and pasta selection also reflects
the farm produce in the most innovative way possible. Under the hands of Executive Chef Enrico
Molera , the freshest proteins, organically grown greens and herbs and coffee
are then blended perfectly! Showing that
healthy food can be tasty and filling too.
The Roasting Facility and Manufacturing Plant
Am to help the life of the local farmers, Gourmet
Farms not only educate them but also hires them to be part of the
team. Even with the technology present,
manual steps are still being made to ensure 100% quality in all their
offerings. From beans to greens packing
to salad dressing bottling, safety and quality is highly observed in the whole
facility. With their present roasting
facility, Gourmet Farms can give a business the coffee flavor that they desire
and need, delivered not more than 3 days from roasting. No roasted coffee bean is stored for too long
in the plant in ensure freshness and flavor.
For the produce, once harvested, it goes straight into the cleaning
line, then into packing, straight to your dining plate, making sure that it
stays fresh from the day it was picked.
The Sanctuary of St. Joseph
At the heart of the whole facility is a place where an
individual or a small group may undergo reflection. Believing that there is indeed a Higher Being
guiding us all, The Sanctuary of St. Joseph is established to remind everyone
of this fact - allowing them to detached from the busy life and reconnect with
Him. A trained personnel is there to
guide them thru the place and serve as facilitator too. Limited but spacious sleeping areas are
available for those who would like to spend some time in this place. The whole area is so tranquil that you would
never think that you are in the middle of a farm with people working around
you.
The Farm
Established and declared as an organic farm, Gourmet
Farms follows both traditional and scientific farming practices. Per land area is set to raise a specific type
of green that is rotated per season to allow the soil to regenerate. Plants meant to attract insects and pest are
planted on strategic areas to protect the herbs and produce. Green houses are also set in some areas to
help grow herbs that need special condition to grow abundantly.
With people truly understanding the need of their produce and
that of the soil, it is no wonder that they are able to deliver tons of
lettuces and culinary herbs on a monthly basis. And these are the same lettuces
that find it way in several institutions – from hotels, to café, to
restaurants.
 |
| Dr. Jason Penaranda (middle) |
As an advocate to organic farming, they have their own
decomposing site that makes use of night crawlers. From here, fertilizers are then generated
that is to be used in the farm. The
principle of from land to land; “What the
land has given us; we are simply giving it back. It gave life and we are giving life back to
the soil by avoiding chemically created fertilizers.”, as stated by Dr. Jason
Penaranda or most commonly called as Dr. J., resident doctor and Digital and Social Media Marketing Manager of Gourmet
Farms.
·
* *
With a team of individuals that believes in the advocacy of
Mr. Escaller of bringing the freshest produce to the dining table and improving
the farming methodology of the Philippines, Gourmet Farms which
started out as a hobby by an individual is now a well established business
delivering what they claim and promise to the people.
 |
| Ms. Ginny de Villa |
From the best coffee blends to the freshest greens and
herbs, Ms. Ginny de Villa – Head, Corporate Planning Director and Corporate
Marketing & Sales states that, “Gourmet Farms shall always be true to
what we say. The Freshest produce, the Finest
coffee and the First in organic
farming! Add to that another first, the First
in the market to deliver what you need”.
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