In Celebration of Power Moms

CEBU, Philippines - In celebration of mothers who juggle multiple roles in family, career and business, Cebu City Marriott Hotel hosted an afternoon of sharing with Cebu's Chocolate Queen, Mrs. Raquel Choa in a Pre-Mother's Day event aptly entitled "Live to Share" last May 6.

The event drew in Cebu's thriving business and society women alongside friends from the media. Power moms clad in suits and stilettos experienced an afternoon of chocolate bliss as they walked along the chocolate trails of Maria Cacao and the life story of Cebu's Chocolate Queen.

Upon entry, quests were greeted with the distinct aroma of chocolate coming from a painting of a cacao forest made from tablea by Anthony Choa, one of Raquel's eight children. Waiters clad in cacao-stained camisa de chino also served a cool tablea - hibiscus chocolate drink and a refreshingly cold towel to ward off the afternoon sun.

The program commenced with Cebu City Marriott Hotel General Manager Patrick Carroll's welcome. Raquel then took the stage, relating her story called "My Affair with Chocolate," from her bittersweet childhood living in poverty, to the advocacy she strongly believes in, empowering women, and teaching sustainable living for the cacao farmers and making their lives better by cultivating the cacao that makes Cebu's chocolate something for the international market.

Raquel then traced the journey of the innocent cacao nib, from roasting, to grinding and pounding, to the chocolate that everybody savor and enjoy. She concluded it with her triumph as a mother of eight, as homemaker and as business woman - all rolled into one! The Choa children, namely Michael, Michelle, Anthony, Jonathan, Hannah, AJ, Angela, and JP also played their part in carefully garnishing the warm tablea vanilla drink that guests enjoyed after Raquel did her "chocolate stretch," where she artfully transferred the "tsokolate" from one "batirol" to another in order to create the froth.

To cap off the afternoon, GM Patrick Caroll raised a toast to Raquel and greeted all mothers present a Happy Mother's Day. And as the afternoon sun set, guests enjoyed conversations over chocolates and wine prepared by The Chocolate Chamber and epicurean delights handcrafted by Cebu Marriott's Executive Chef Chachpol Suaisom. (FREEMAN)