How To Become The Next Big Food Entrepreneur This Holiday Season

Aside from being the country’s premier night food market destination, Mercato Centrale has helped give birth to some of the country’s newest and most innovative food concepts. Popular chains like Manang’s Chicken, Merry Moo Ice Cream, Mochiko, Brasas Latin American Street Food, Spring by Ha-Yuan, Kristina’s Premium Inutak, Baked by Anita, and many more started off as food stalls in Mercato Centrale before they became successful food businesses.

But prior to their multi-million food ventures, many of these entrepreneurs started off as home-based food businesses or just passionate cooks and bakers who had a pioneering food concept, unique style of cooking, or a secret or heirloom recipe that they ‘incubated’ in the Mercato Centrale food market.

Building on its commitment to support food entrepreneurship, Mercato Centrale brings back its much-awaited “Next Big Food Entrepreneur Contest” along with www.ourawesomeplanet.com, Mastercard, Globe My Business and partners Entrepreneur Magazine, Yummy Magazine, Yummy Ph, Philippine Star, WhenInManila.com and Go Negosyo.

Now on its third year, The Next Big Food Entrepreneur contest is a culinary showdown that provides an opportunity for budding food entrepreneurs from all walks of life to turn their food business concepts into reality! The winner of the contest will get PHP 100,000 start up capital, a rent-free stall in Mercato Centrale for six months, and a feature in Entrepreneur Magazine, Yummy, The Philippine Star, WhenInManila.com, Globe My Business Digital and Our Awesome Planet.

The Next Big Food Entrepreneur is open to all aspiring food entrepreneurs, ages 18 years old and above, residing in the Philippines. The contest is divided into three parts: a food taste test activity for all interested participants, a four-weekend open market selling event at Mercato Centrale, Bonifacio Global City for all participants who pass the taste test, and finally, the submission of a business plan. The cut-off for all interested participants for the food taste test is October 31, 2014.

For more information on how to join the contest, please visit Mercato Centrale on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/mercatocentrale, or contact +639178401152 or +6329175857989.

Last year's first grand prize winner of the Next Big Food Entrepreneur Contest Ping and Jewel Joven of ‘Ping Gu’ Mushroom Fries together with Armando ‘Butz’ Bartolome of GMB Franchise Consultancy and Mercato Centrale co-founder RJ Ledesma at the Joven’s mushroom farm.

The second grand prize winner of the Next Big Food Entrepreneur Contest Randie Ryan Tan of ‘Oh Fudge’ together with Mercato Centarle co-founder RJ Ledesma, Entrepreneur Magazine editor-in-chief Kristine Fonacier and representatives from Solane.

This is their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/ohfudgeph