Culinary feasts delight Cebuanos

The ShangriLa Mactan Resort and Spa, convinced that culinary credit should be given where credit is due, invited three prominent chefs to bring well-loved native cuisine to the property’s popular Tides restaurant.

Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia were the event’s guests of honor.

The prolific chefs included Glenda Barretto, the woman behind the popular Via Mare chain of restaurants; Myrna Segismundo, manager of Restaurant 9501, hotelier and producer of chef TV on the Lifestyle Channel; and Sonny Ong Jr., corporate chef for the Food Service Division of San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Center.

The accomplished and versatile Chefs lent a fresh take on northern Filipino dishes, such as lechon paella, beef caldereta, baradibud, rellenong manok, sinigang na baboy sa gabi, Batangas bulalo, kare-kareng buntot ng baka, and many more.

Filipino folk music vocalist Grace Nono performed neo-ethnic music with songs that string the ancient tradition of chanting with present-day musical instruments. Her persistent documentation to preserve the Filipino spirit through music has been lauded by various sectors.

Adding color to the Philippines’ rich cultural tradition was Cebu’s Andrew Barba’s one-man exhibit at the Lobby Wing. Barba brought a palette of bright colors and symmetrical patterns to his distinct paintings, dwelling on the Filipino themes of family, love, faith, and celebration of life.

Also at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, the Kendall-Jackson team, headed by Jeff Cook, general manager for Asia-Japan of Jackson Wine Estate International, and wine distributor Tita Trillo hosted an intimate dinner and wine degustation at the Acqua restaurant recently.

Starters consisted of citrus-marinated salmon on timbale of potato salad, Mediterranean greens and dill vinaigrette, which was complemented with Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay 2005. This was immediately followed by truffle pasta on 2004 Grana Padano with wild mushrooms and truffle cream. The refreshing Pepi Pinot Grigio 2004 wine, full of vanilla, apple and citrus flavors, was a perfect combination.

The main course was milk-fed veal medallions with pumpkin ravioli, smoked pancetta, and green asparagus, served with Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, an intense black cherry, blackberry, and cassis flavors accented by vanilla, spice and cedar notes supported by well-structured but subtle tannins with a rich, lingering finish.

Kendall Jackson has remained relentlessly committed to producing only the finest quality wines from grapes grown in California’s cool coastal vineyards, earning it a world-renowned reputation for red wines that consistently exhibit intense layers of flavors with complexity and balance. The array of wines served was proof that Kendall Jackson wines are among the finest in the industry.