A few days ago, my friends and I (Naomi, Kiko, Kuya Alec, and Glenne) were invited to try some of the best that indie-cuisine has to offer.
New York Minute Paninis were the second leg of our food trip at Cucina Andare. I had a chat with the owner, Maxine Marcelino, about what makes this business tick and why her paninis are such a hit among the night owl crowd.
So how did this Italian delicacy-based business take off? Maxine is no stranger to the food business since she has parents that have a catering business. However, she wanted to find a way to earn her own income. Hence, she ventured into the panini business.
Maxine's aunt, Lindsay Ui, is from a culinary school. She helped her niece develop 20 panini flavors which then trickled down to the 8 flavors offered by New York Minute.
As for the theme? The idea came to her after a trip to New York. Of course, everyone loves the City of Lights and creating quirky names for the flavors would be a fun endeavor. We were given generous servings of their best: New York Pizza Delight, Empire Steak of Mind, Brooklyn Bird, and Veggie Delight. See? Told you you'd like the names. Our group's favorite was the Philly Cheese Steak.
Along with her paninis, she also served pasta dishes, which as you can see, are practically almost wiped clean. Her business is through the roof! It's too bad we weren't able to try some but we were certainly already tummy-happy with our paninis.
The cheesy, juicy, flavorful Philly Cheese Steak!
It's not very hard to decipher what flavor NY Pizza delight is based on. My friends and I love the tangy flavors of pizza, especially the pepperoni and mozzarella. Melt-in-your-mouth yum!
Empire Steak of Mind
This flavor is inspired by Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches famous in the West. This one was my favorite. I loved the richness of the beef flavor complimented by the cheese and bell peppers.
Brooklyn Bird
Is there really a bird called Brooklyn Bird? No, haha. Brooklyn Bird is made up of chicken, with pesto flavors. I love pesto. So it really wasn't hard for me to like this flavor.
Veggie Delight
We requested for a vegetarian-friendly flavor for our pescatarian friend and photographer, Naomi. I wasn't able to try this but Naomi loved the herby taste and complimenting flavors of the veggies.
Chocolate Cake with Caramel Sauce (on the side)
The on the side bit reminded me of Sally Albright's high maintenance tendencies when ordering food in "When Harry Met Sally". (One of my favorite movies, watch it!) Alright, going back to the topic...
I love chocolate cake like a fat kid does. I would gobble the stuff down and lick the plate clean. I swear. That's how much I love chocolate cake. Personally, I'm not a big fan of caramel. But these two go together like Bonnie and Clyde. "Pair-fect"!
All photos were photographed by Naomi Marcelo. :)
I love New York City. I dream intensely about visiting the Big Apple one day. While that dream is still in the works, I would just let NY Minute Paninis make me reminisce on New York flavors for the meantime. With the great treat and awesome flavors, we will definitely come back hungry for more.
New York Minute Paninis
Look for their booth at Cucina Andare!
maxine.marcelino@gmail.com | (02) 782 4159
