Michelle Zeitouni’s Crab Rangoon is pure crab meat, cream cheese, fresh veggies and spices wrapped in crispy wonton—a dish, it is claimed, then US president Bill Clinton once served his guests at the White House.
Cozy Shrimp is a crispy spring roll marinated in sesame oil that has no need for a dip, while Coconut Shrimp has four different kinds of coconut and tastes almost like a pastry.
A wife and mother of two, Zeitouni is president and general manager of N&MMO Chefgourmet, Inc., a company that supplies five-star appetizers to posh hotels, country clubs and upscale restaurants around the country.
The idea is to save cooking time and kitchen space by serving finger foods that one can bake or fry in minutes.
Ingredients are always fresh and everything is handmade.
Zeitouni, a Lebanese businesswoman, said that the company has a plant in
Biñan, Laguna, with an all-Filipino staff, and is now ready to take orders online.
By entering the domestic market, Chefgourmet said it envisions a party hostess who could impress her guests with handcrafted hors d’oeuvres with high-quality ingredients “consistent from the freezer to the oven or fryer… with perfect results every time.”
By cooking the right amount of food, a hostess or probably a caterer can reduce labor and waste by using only what fits a given headcount, Zeitouni said.
Before setting up business in Manila, Zeitouni developed and produced many of Chefgourmet’s appetizers in Canada.
The products were enjoyed in Canada and the US for 20 years. Zeitouni said that at one point, an earlier incarnation of Crab Rangoon was included in a White House menu during an event hosted by the Clintons.
Her research revealed how Filipinos “love spring rolls.”
Heavy on seafood
Chefgourmet is heavy on seafood. While many of the ingredients are outsourced, Zeitouni said strict sanitary protocol in the Biñan plant allows the products to reach end-consumers as fresh as possible.
The Smoked Salmon Purse oozes with cream cheese with every bite. It has a slight, smoky taste and the salmon is present from end to end.
Garden Green is a light tasty and flavorful combination of green peas, garlic, spices and cream cheese wrapped in wonton.
The Vegetable Spring Roll is a new take on fried lumpia. It has more texture and flavor because of the spices.
Vegetable Cocktail Samosas are a savory blend of potatoes, onions and seasonings that impart a mild spicy aftertaste while the Deviled Crab Cake is an in-your-face concoction with fresh vegetables and a hint of hot spice.
Zeitouni said careful preparation in the plant allows Chefgourmet products to keep for a year in the freezer. Also, the appetizers are not greasy and each bite is crisp because of the fresh ingredients used in each piece.
She says that her products “stay crispy in the buffet” so a hostess can focus on the guests instead of worrying about the appetizers.
The treat list is not yet finished, Zeitouni added. More hors d’oeuvres are in the works including Turkey Wrapped Scallops with breadcrumbs wrapped in a slice of turkey bacon; Pigs in a Blanket made of all-beef cocktail franks wrapped in flaky puff pastry and Smoked Salmon Potato Cake with fresh herbs.
Zeitouni said continuous research allows Chefgourmet to tailor-make appetizers based on client specifications. Her company is already customizing hors d’oeuvres “dedicated to establishments that we would not produce for anyone else.”
Call N&MMO Chefgourmet at 0917-5402173, 0947-3238675; e-mail [email protected].
