That Bon Chon Bite

by Ana Valenzuela

(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on 2011/november/9.)

“I lived in the US for 10 years, and I frequent New York. My first and last destination would always be Bon Chon,” Scott Tan, the owner of the Philippine franchise of the chicken resto, recalls at the opening of the newest branch of Bon Chon in Il Terrazzo in Tomas Morato.

A big fan of Bon Chon's soy garlic chicken and spicy chicken wings, Tan began recommending Bon Chon to his friends. When he came back home, he eagerly bought the franchise and set up the first Bon Chon at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

“I wanted every Filipino to experience what I had experience at my first bon chon bite,” Tan says. “What makes Bon Chon special I think is pretty much---the crispiness factor, the health factor and the flavour.”

Yummy secret

There must be some secret to making this chicken so yummy that you would just want to continuously feed your mouth nothing more. “The crispiness is due to the secret technique in cooking which no other chicken place in the Philippines does. Second, because of the cooking technique, it actually melts the fat off the chicken that is what makes it healthier than most chickens here in the Philippines. Lastly it’s flavourful because of the cooking technique there is no more fat in between the skin and the meat, the soy garlic and hot and spicy flavour is absorbed in every bite that makes it like a pure bite,” he says.

Now that the the restaurant has become a hit, Tan is thinking of expanding its offerings. “When we first started we only had the chicken,” he shares. “Then we added the fish taco for lent, then it proved to be very popular so we left it, then now the chap chae (Korean noodles) and the calamari.”

“Funny story about the fish taco and the calamari, it was supposed to be seasonal, we took it out after Lent, and then people started asking, where is it? So we brought it back,” says Andrea See, Bon Chon’s marketing head.

“Bon Chon is very flexible in customizing the food in each country, because they know that every country is different. They have to tailor it to the culture. (In the US, they) don’t have rice, but here we have value meals,” Scott states.

Apart from the difference in the menu, there is also a difference in Bon Chon‘s ambience. “In the US, Bon Chon is more of a bar/restaurant. People drink and everything. So when I brought it here, I decided I wanted to make it more of a quick service-restaurant--for a casual dining experience, so more people can try our food. We have beers, but we don’t market it,” he adds.

Bon Chon opted for a quick service setting so as to cater to a more family-centered market. Tan would like as much people as possible to try Bon Chon’s sumptuous recipe. “When we got the master franchise, we proposed to the owner that when we bring it here, we wanted to make it in to quick service. In order for us to reach the majority of the whole Philippines, and let everyone to try our food, we had to be quick service, because of you are a bar, it restricts a lot of age group,” he says.

“If you noticed, you order at the counter then we bring it to you. It is because we wanted the interaction, that still that differentiates us from the other fast food places,’’ says Andrea, stressing their difference on other fast-food chains.

More and more Filipinos seem to be craving this flavorful chicken, as they have plans for expansion. “This is our tenth store. By the year end we are going to have fourteen stores. At the Mall of Asia , Bonifacio High Street Extension , Trinoma and Alabang Town Center. Next year we are targeting to franchise out in the provincial area, so next year expect about 35 to 40 stores ,” discloses Tan. Surely many more hulks of eaters would be unleashed with every bite.

Mario Maurer graces Bon Chon opening

Bon Chon formally opened in the Philippines with no less than Thai superstar Mario Maurer gracing the event.

The Thai superstar, popular for the teenage romantic flick Crazy Little Thing Called Love, flew in to the country for the first time recently to do a series of engagements including signing a movie deal with Star Cinema and appearing in a Fan Conference at the PICC with thousands of screaming fans in attendance.

He was greeted by Bon Chon executives for the ceremonial ribbon cutting with a flock of excited fans hoping to get a glimpse of the 22-year old actor.

Bon Chon Chicken outlets are located at: Ayala Triangle Gardens; Greenbelt 1; Libis (Acropolis); SM Megamall; Robinson’s Galleria; Greenhills Promenade; Katipunan; Shangri-La Plaza; Taft Avenue; Tomas Morato (Il Terrazzo). Soon opening in TriNoma, SM Mall of Asia, Alabang Town Center, and Bonifacio High Street Extension.

An active campaign against aging

by Ana Valenzuela

(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on 2011/october/27.)

When your hand touches your cheek, notice the change in consistency of your skin, then you look in to the mirror, fine lines, especially in the eye area, are visible. It is not the same as before—unlike the times when your face was smooth and rosy. These changes are clear signs of aging. Aging begins early on, and is already a given fact that everyday and every second we age.

According to Ellaine Eusebio-Galvez, MD, member of the Philippine Dermatological Society and Member of the International Society for Dermatologic Surgery, “Everyday we age. There’s intrinsic and extrinsic aging. Intrinsic aging is something that happens inside our bodies, whether we like it or not. Our cells grow old, and they show signs afterwards. Extrinsic aging comes from the environmental factors, like exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet rays, stress, pollutants and chemicals that we apply to our skin.

“With these aging processes, we develop fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentations, open pores, sagging of the skin, deep lines. These are the things that anybody wouldn’t want to have, thus a need for an anti-aging regimen,” says Galvez.

Anti-aging would have to start early on, even in your 20s’ and when you get to your 30’s to 40’s that is the time it should be intensified. However there are many products out in the market, how would you know which is the best for you?

Neo Strata recently launched a new anti-aging line, Skin Active. It was launched February this year in the US and now has reached Philippine shores. Skin Active attends to women who have reached their 40’s and in need for a more comprehensive and strong anti-aging regimen. The brand launched the Skin Active Exfoliating Wash, Skin Active Matrix Support, Skin Active Cellular Restoration and Skin Active Eye Therapy.

The ingredients of the product are those of a promising anti-aging skin care regimen. “We combined not only our core technology, the alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) and the polyhydroxy acid (PHA),” says Leigh Ann Caitlin, vice president of International Business Development of NeoStrata Company, Inc., “but we combined them with other technology—peptides, apple stem cell extract, and antioxidants.”

The PHAs and AHAs enhance skin renewal or cellular turnover and exfoliation, resulting in noticeably smoother skin and a brighter, more even skin tone. They also plump skin resulting in fuller, younger looking skin with visibly fewer lines and wrinkles. While the new technology of peptides serves as a cellular messenger to stimulate new collagen, restoring a more youthful look and at the same time stimulates the natural process of extracellular matrix restoration, building the skin’s matrix or structure for a smoother, more lifted look. The new technology of apple stem cells has been derived from rare Swiss Uttwiler Spätlauber apples. It has been proven to protect and maintain the function of human skin stem cells, preserving the skin’s youthfulness and vitality.

“There is no single product that could address aging skin. This is why Neo Strata have combined all these active ingredients. Apart from the usual anti-aging ingredients that have already been proven to be effective and safe, the new super antioxidants are very good and have clinical basis,” says Galvez.

You need not worry of the results as Skin Active has been clinically proven. In a test done, Asian skin has shown improvement, with less wrinkles, uneven skin tones, fines lines, a big 36 percent from baseline. This was even better than the Caucasian’s which is 26 percent from baseline.

“People who don’t have the time or the budget to have a laser treatment or some other type of cosmetic procedure, they can get good effective results just by using these products at home,” Caitlin assures.

The Skin Active line could be used on a daily basis and should be infused to the daily skin care regimen. “We looked at many anti-aging ingredients and really picked these based on how they work together. You’ll get benefits from the individual products but it is designed to be used together. They have better benefits to the skin when they work together instead of separately,” says Caitlin.

Ask your doctor about it.