We’re incredulous but happy that Inquirer Lifestyle’s “Best Desserts” is now on its fourth year—both the book and the much-awaited annual event at SM Aura.
“Best Desserts” Book 4 will be launched on May 28, Monday, at SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City.
Four years ago, when we thought of running our list of Best Desserts, both on Lifestyle’s Thursday Food page and later in a book, we were only trying to capture the Filipinos’ craving for sweets and the wild array of choices. At that time, the number of homemade desserts was growing, almost exponentially, and the concoctions were becoming more and more unique. Making and eating desserts was turning into a national pastime, we wrote.
Since then, some of these homemade desserts have been spun off into cafés and mini-restos. The Filipino sweet tooth has given rise to a successful breed of entrepreneurs, many of them women.
And their success is proof of the success of Inquirer Lifestyle’s “Best Desserts,” done for four years now with SM, coordinated through its VP, Millie Dizon. Our annual event is always packed at SMX SM Aura, with the number of participating dessert makers growing every year, approximating a hundred, and more than a hundred listed in our Best Desserts books. People come in droves to sample the desserts on tables that fill the vast hall.
While entrance is free, we ask guests to give donations to Gota de Leche Foundation, the oldest (1906) charitable institution in the Philippines established to provide the nutritional and medical needs of indigent Filipino mothers and their children. Founded by La Protección de la Infancia Inc., the foundation continues to deliver daily milk rations to Filipino infants.
In that way has Lifestyle’s flagship event acquired an added dimension.
The past four years, Lifestyle writer and “Best Desserts” author Vangie Baga-Reyes has noted a few dessert trends. Ube enjoys a growing popularity, in many kinds of desserts. Also, there are many creative gluten-free concoctions.
Indeed, alongside the continuous fondness for desserts comes a growing health consciousness. Today’s desserts make room for people’s diets. It’s like having your cake and eating it, too.
We are grateful for the continued support of our readers. Enjoy the desserts—all 125 of them!
