Pinoy History and Culture Told Through Every Bite of Tinapay Natin

Over the years, Pinoy bread has become a reflection of our identity, and our people’s history and affinity for food. Different bread variants, from the humble pan de sal to the merienda-favorite ensaimada, have become household staples and have played witnesses to countless family and community gatherings.

Apart from enjoying the numerous kinds of bread that we have today, being familiar with our local bread culture’s colorful history helps preserve its rich heritage. Understanding the stories behind each bread also heightens the sense of pride we have in local food.

To continue celebrating the vibrant tradition of Filipino bread-making, the Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition is back for its second run this year. With the support of Max’s Corner Bakery and Pilmico, the competition vows to be bigger, better, and more inclusive.

Calling Culinary Students and Passionate Home Bakers

The contest once again invites student bakers all over the Philippines to create a beloved traditional bread, as well as to add their own twist to Pinoy favorites with their version of a modern bread. What makes this year’s competition more exciting is that Tinapay Natin will be opened to all non-professional home bakers who want to share their own bread stories.

Apart from the participants’ technical skills, the individual stories of their bread entries will be an important component in selecting this year’s winner. “We are a country who has had a long history of enjoying bread. Even in Max’s Corner Bakery and Max’s Restaurant, the first meal we offered was fried chicken with dinner rolls. It is our hope then that through this competition, our young participants will be able to share the unique story of their bread creations. We want to know the inspiration, the struggles, and the hard work put into making it,” shares Ariel P. Fermin, Chief Operating Officer of Max’s Corner Bakery and Max’s Restaurant.

Tristan Aboitiz, Chief Operating Officer of Pilmico, adds, “The entries that we received from last year’s Tinapay Natin competition opened our eyes to the many colorful stories that go with each bread product, and this is a testament of how rich our local bread culture is. We hope that with this competition, we are able to encourage the public to keep the bread-making tradition alive, and of course, to support the local bread industry just as much as we and Max’s Corner Bakery do.”

Cash prizes await participants with the most compelling bread stories and entries. This year’s Tinapay Natin will be running from July to October 2017, with regional bake-offs happening in Baguio, Bacolod, and Davao. The winning bread will be awarded during the Grand Finals in Metro Manila in November, and will be made available through Max’s Corner Bakery nationwide as a limited offering.

For more information about the competition, head to https://www.facebook.com/TinapayNatin