World-class chefs at the five-star Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila have teamed up with the best homegrown chefs to bring back the country’s rich culinary traditions and heirloom recipes in celebration of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
“It is an honor and pleasure for us here at Sofitel to be given the opportunity to reinterpret and share with everyone what is special with these family dishes,” says Bettina Arguelles, the restaurant operations chef at Sofitel’s Spiral buffet restaurant.
Chef Bettina, who handles French cuisine, says the partnership aims to celebrate Mother’s Day on May 10 and Father’s Day on June 21 with 32 of the best Filipino family dishes.
“Every year, Mother’s Day is a special occasion that we celebrate. For each year, we try to do something special for this event. This year, we are proud to have as a concept prominent families sharing with us their heritage and legacy in terms of food and cuisine,” says Chef Bettina.
“Even for us chefs, we started from the home. Everything that inspired us, from the type of cuisines that we do and the food that we eat started from our background at home,” she says.
Chef Bettina says “food is related to the emotions and the memories that we have.”
“We want to honor our mothers on Mother’s Day. For this year, we have prominent Filipino families in Filipino cuisines. We have Suzette Montinola, Nina Daza-Puyat, Mia Manuel, Ariel Manuel, Judy Ann Santos, Sandy Daza. I have my beginnings reading their mother’s [Nora Daza] cook book. That is a very inspiring moment to meet them,” she says.
“I remember as a child when we had family occasions. These families are very influential in the way Filipino food and special cuisines have gained importance today,” says Chef Bettina.
The six featured chefs of families from rich culinary traditions have agreed to share their heirloom recipes, which will be presented through Spiral touch of magic.
Chefs Nina Daza Puyat, Mia Manuel, Suzette Montinola and Judy Ann Santos will share their recipes on Mother’s Day weekend while celebrity chefs Sandy Daza and Ariel Manuel add a twist to Spiral’s selection of culinary delights on Father’s Day weekend.
Reinterpreting the heirloom recipes are Sofitel’s executive Chef Denis Vecchiato, Chef Bettina, executive pastry Chef Edgardo Butawan, Indian Chef Halim Ali Khan, Japanese Chef Hiromi Yonekawa, Thai Chef Romeo Malate and Chef de parties Filipino kitchen Rexsan Abarquez.
Chef Mia Manuel is the one behind the former Lolo Dad’s Café. Her recipes are inspired by family vacations in France and dishes passed on by her mother, Dr. Maria Lim-Ayuyao, the youngest daughter of World War II hero, General Vicente Lim.
For Mother’s Day, Chef Mia Manuel shares dishes such as stewed lamb leg with dried mangoes, gravlax and cream cheesecake and brune butter cupcake with lemon cream icing.
Chef Suzette Montinola says her grandmother Doña Ramona “Tita Moning” Hernandez-Legarda influenced her passion for cooking which comes with a heavy Spanish influence. Among these age-old dishes that she will share for the Mother’ Day selection are whole-baked lapu-lapu, bread and butter pudding and Tita Moning’s beef osso buco gremolata.
The Daza family has been a household name in the Filipino culinary world with heavy influences from Nina Daza-Puyat’s mother, Nora Daza whose legacy helped shape Filipino cuisine. Her personal travels add flavor to rich selection of recipes such as French onion tartelettes, portobello mushroom fries and chicken relleno with griblet gravy.
Judy Ann Santos highlights Filipino comfort food that her children enjoy with her flavorful rendition of chicken binakol, beef kaldereta and ginataang mais.
These recipes will be the highlight of Mother’s Day weekend celebration at Sofitel Spiral on May 8 to 10, 2015.
Meanwhile, Chef Ariel Manuel, a consistent Chef of the Year awardee, and Chef Sandy Daza will share their culinary delights on Father’s Day weekend from June 19 to 21.
Chef Manuel’s trips in France, Italy and Spain have influenced his selection including roasted quail with maple, beef salpicao with mustard and stewed lamb leg with dried mangoes. Chef Sandy, the host of television show FoodPrints with Sandy Daza, will share his rendition of crispy chicken in hoisin sauce, beef burgundy and spicy chicken in coconut milk. RTD
