I had always been fascinated by bento boxes. The little packs of artistically arranged and prepared food are truly a far cry from the packed lunches I normally had when I was in grade school.
Bento box making is truly an art in itself and I was fortunate enough to join the Summer Bento Workshop held by Philippine bento box artist and mom Kat Maderazo held last Saturday at the Atrium of SM Lanang Premier.
“I started making bento boxes when Zen, my daughter, went to grade school which means classes last for a full day already,” revealed Kat, “I wanted to pack lunches that are healthy but at the same time cheer her up.”
The Bento workshop, had two flights and I joined the first flight and was tasked to create two packed meals, a rice meal, and a sandwich meal. I was thoroughly amazed at how normal ingredients were slowly transformed into edible cute creations.
It was also nice that families came together to participate with dads and moms helping the kids finish their masterpieces. In fact, I believe the adults were the ones having fun learning something new.
After getting a few tips and tricks from Kat as well as add a few personal creative touches, I finally finished my bento creations which were not bad for a beginner if I do say so myself. I do have to admit, coming up with my own character design for a totally original bento box would be a different thing all together which is why I find Kat, who designs bento boxes daily, such as amazing inspiration.
A big thank you to Carmina del Rosario for insisting that I attend the workshop. You may follow Kat Maderazo on Instagram at @bentobykat to be inspired with her daily bento box creations.
