Gardenia’s “The Next Big Sandwich Hit” Final Challenge on October 28 at Glorietta Activity Center

World Bread Day would not have existed had it not been for the declaration by the International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners in 2005, designating October 16 as the date to celebrate the simple mixture of flour and water, which when heated has become one of the world’s staple foods.

To commemorate this special global event, Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc. will be scouring for local culinary geniuses to concoct the “Next Big Sandwich Hit.”

Targeting 10 universities with courses related to hotel and restaurant management and the culinary arts, Gardenia’s “The Next Big Sandwich Hit” is pitting 50 students from these schools to come up with sandwich creations that will knock the socks off anyone who bites into them.

Participants will be chosen from 10-minute video auditions coming from a team of two who will prepare sandwiches embodying two themes from the following fun categories: Hell Week, Free Cut, Fuel Up and Good Morning. They will demo their sandwich-making skills using any two loaf variants from Gardenia Classic White Bread, Gardenia High Fiber Wheat Bread, Gardenia High Fiber Wheat Raisin Loaf, Gardenia Wheat Cranberry Loaf and Gardenia Slim ‘n Fit Wheaten Bread.

Five teams from each of the 10 participating schools will advance to the qualifying rounds where they will battle it out for the chance to represent their school in the finale.

In nail-biting, reality-TV style, winners will be judged through online votes, a taste test, the use of a sponsored ingredient, how much money they make on the food kiosk challenge at Mercato Centrale and their creation of 3 main sandwiches.

The Finale Challenge will be held during Gardenia’s own Happy Bread Day festivities at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati on October 28, 2013.

The top winner will receive P200,000 in cash and prizes; second and third place winners stand to win cash and prizes worth P70,000 and P35,000, respectively.

For participants and onlookers alike, the competition will be nothing short on excitement. It tests culinary creativity, marketing skills, online social presence, on-ground presence of mind and the ability to make us salivate for “The Next Big Sandwich Hit.”

So as countries around the world celebrate World Bread Day, Gardenia’s “The Next Big Sandwich Hit” challenge definitely showcases not only culinary ingenuity and creativity but in how we appreciate bread—the one food eaten by people of every race, culture and religion—with a distinctive Pinoy style.

For more details, visit gardenia.com.ph.