Culinary fests sweep Manila

Ten brilliant culinary artists cooked up a gastronomic storm using ingredients harvested from the seven seas in “Waves of Flavor,” a feast made possible by Pacific Bay, one of the country’s seafood experts.

 

“The whole place was already filled with excited guests curiously going through each food station and couldn’t decide which was the best station. Actually all were fabulous,” remarked hotshot president of Pacific Bay Enrique Valles.

 

He then related how Pacific Bay wanted to treat everyone to a food fest so they could all see for themselves how the seafood brand’s products could take any culinary creation to a whole new level—with the spotlight on the seafood masterpieces prepared by the local food maestros.

 

Chefs brought their topnotch skills to the table. Red Kitchen & Bar’s Michael Yambao came up with his Spider Po-Boy and Scallops Ceviche Salad, and Tristan Encarnacion of Center of Culinary Arts cooked Seared Scallops, Seabass, Bacalao and Organic Greens as well as Chilled Pacific Bay Tuna.

 

Guests eagerly crowded around Quenee Vilar of Your Local café when she cooked Bacalao Ceviche Salad with Coconut Broth divine.

 

Another crowd-drawer was Bait’s chef Joseph Margate for his Softshell Chili Crab Rolls.

 

I’m not a great cook, but I know that one secret to whipping an unforgettable meal is in the ingredients, ’di bala?

 

Pacific Bay is the retail brand of Mida Food Distributors Inc.

 

Perfect opportunity

 

It was the perfect opportunity for Spain to attempt a “Reconquista” when the Peninsula Manila paired a tall, bearded, handsome Spanish chef with an attractive Filipino female chef to celebrate over 400 years of Filipino-Hispanic friendship as the hotel’s Old Manila restaurant feted 80 guests to dinner in honor of Madrid Fusion Manila 2015.

 

Peninsula GM Sonja Vodusek had earlier been approached by the Department of Tourism to participate in a one-night-only pop-up and “four hands” restaurant concept that would have a Filipino chef collaborating with a visiting Spanish chef.

 

Myrna Segismundo represented the Philippines. Her counterpart was chef Mario Sandoval of the one Michelin-star Coque Restaurant in Madrid.

 

It was a culinary match made in heaven and a fitting way for Cosmo Manille and the rest of the Philippines to say “hola” and “mabuhay” to the world, dahlings.

 

Cool summer wear

 

Sometime ago we wrote about the clothing brand British India’s recent launching of its summer collection at SM Aura.

 

Also seen enjoying the event were such VIPs as Mela Bengzon, Babsie Chiudian, Gem Feliciano, Rona Chua and Sony Sabino.

 

Female guests in particular took to the cool Indian-inspired blouses of the new collection.

 

Entertaining the guests were Cinderella officials Suzette Coronel, Therese Coronel-Santos, Malou Coronel-de Venecia and Janet Litto-Coronel.

 

For the event, Cinderella partnered with pure coconut water brand Vita Coco.

 

British India is exclusively distributed by Cinderella Marketing Corp. Shops are at Shangri-La Plaza Mall East Wing, V-Mall Greenhills, Glorietta 3, SM Aura Premier, Alabang Town Center and Ayala Center Cebu.

 

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