CEBU, Philippines – The Marco Polo Plaza, Cebu City’s finest hotel, treats you to another Culinary Journey this month with the launching of its Pinoy Pinoy! food festival at the Café Marco, running from June 8 to 21.
Smell and savor the flavors of home as returning guest chefs and father-and-son duo – GENE and GINO GONZALEZ, take you and your family on a nostalgic taste bud trip of Pinoy classic favorites.
For those who don’t speak the native tongue, learn the true meaning of the word, “masarap!” as you partake of The Best of Pinoy Classic Cuisine “The Little Cook Book Series” by Chef Gene Gonzalez, which includes the much-loved Sisig Terrine, Ensaladang Kasag, Sugpo sa Aligue, Pork Binagoongan with Gata, Hamonadong Tadyang and other delectable specialties. These dishes complement Café Marco’s international buffet spread of hot items, appetizers and desserts.
Chef Gene, one of Manila’s top celebrated chefs, is the owner/chef of Café Ysabel and Gino’s Fine Cuisine, among others, and is the founder of the Center for Asian Culinary Studies. He has honed his culinary skills through apprenticeships in France and Italy, and special courses at the Culinary Institute of America and California Culinary Academy. He is the only Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee in Culinary Arts in the country, and has been honored by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP), the International Food Service Executive Association, and the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Educators of the Philippines.
Aside from numerous appearances on TV programs, Gene also hosts his own show, “Gene’s Cuisine,” on the Lifestyle Channel. He has authored several popular books on classic Filipino Cuisine, most notably “Cocina Sulipena,” heralding the culinary gems from his family’s hometown of Pampanga. Cocina Sulipena literally means “the cuisine of Sulipan,” a town considered a melting pot that blended Asian spices and European opulence into a cuisine that to this day defines what Philippine Cuisine is all about. Chef Gene’s other books include Fundamentals of Professional Cooking and Baking, East Meets East, and The Best of Pinoy Classic Cuisine “The Little Cookbook Series”.
“Pinoy Pinoy!” is part of the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu’s much talked about “Culinary Journeys”, which already included France, South Africa, Cebu, Macau and a whole lot more, as the hotel continuously aims to reward its customers and guests with new, distinctive and exciting cuisine. More international culinary adventures are planned for the rest of the year.
So come up and have a savory bite at Cebu City’s only five-star hotel, the Marco Polo Plaza! The Café Marco serves lunch from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm and dinner from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. For inquiries and reservations, call 253-111 loc 8245 or email mpplaza@marcopolohotels.com