Special Advertising Feature: Bentang-Bentang BentoMommas! 

What’s a bento? It’s the trend that’s heralding the arrival of delicious, balanced and aesthetically pleasing food. Gone are the days and memories of hastily slapped on sandwiches and rice meals. If these BentoMommas had their way, every baon, merienda and meal would not only taste good but look great too. 

 

As defined by trusty Wikipedia, bento or obento is a “Single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine.” This refers to the practice of packing balanced and visually appealing meals in a box. However, a new micro-trend is on the rise among Pinoy mommas and their kids. Herein bento, that traditional Japanese practice, becomes Filipinized by using the tradition of making a single portion meal into baon or merienda for kiddies. 

 

There are actually three types of bento, if you haven’t already tried them. The generous mommas of BentoMommas explain all three. 

 

Bento One: This is your usual meal consisting of rice, fish or meat with cooked vegetables and/or fruit in balanced quantities in a basic lunchbox.

 

Bento Two: Then there’s Decoben, which refers to lunchboxes showcasing cutting and decorating techniques. Here you can see food cut into special shapes, arranged in identical or complimentary colors, and using decorative tools such as food picks, food cups and dividers.

 

Bento Three: Charaben / kyaraben as the name suggests refers to themed meal boxes containing food shaped into special characters or faces. These are usually inspired by popular cartoon characters, superheroes, video games, special events or milestones.

 

Whichever style you choose, the BentoMommas share that the objective of all this effort remains one: To introduce wider and more balanced food choices to children by making every meal a delight to the eyes and the mouth! After all, the BentoMommas got their start in bento-making by sharing a passion for taking care of their families. 

 

Long-time friends, they’ve progressed from hobbies such as baking, blogging and scrapbooking memories of family milestones to now creating bento boxes for their kids and families. And they’re helping other moms learn the craft too.



The BentoMommas (BM) are five moms based in the Philippines and abroad. There’s BM April (NCR: with kids Austin 16 and David 7), BM Kaye (NCR: Alexa, 12 and Riley, 5) BM Mia (CDO: Nadine 12, Raya 10, Alyssa 6, Cerise 3), BM Monet (NCR: Nino, 9) and BM Olive (USA: Patricia, 23 and Inigo, 8).  

 

These five moms sure have a lot of bento tricks up their sleeves, and they even sell bento tools and kits on their Facebook for interested moms. One trick they’d gladly share too? Using the new Cheez Whiz Milky Delight for their Decoben and Charaben boxes. 

 

In fact both Cheez Whiz and Cheez Whiz Milky Delight have become staples in BentoMommas creations. They use it for many ends: Frosting baked goodies, as a dip for snacks, fruits or vegetables, as a binding agent for the décor, or the good old fashioned way of using them as sandwich fillings for snack boxes. Their kids particularly love how the surprisingly sweet cheese flavor of Cheez Whiz Milky Delight goes well with any snack, morning or noon. 

 

So, interested about bento-making? Check out the BentoMommas’ profile on the website www.cheeseanything.com. 

 

Try out the new Cheez Whiz Milky Delight too, in glass bottles, sachets and stand-up pouches at your local sari-sari store and grocery. It’s surprisingly sweet!