The healthy eaters' paradise

Celebrating 25 years of organic farming and healthy cooking was Gourmet Farms. The anniversary party hosted by its founder and chief executive officer Ernest Escaler at the beautiful Al Fresco Gardens served as a reunion of “Gourmet’s Café’s babies”— urbanites who, in the late ‘80s, frequently trekked to Tagaytay and Batangas and made Ernest’s then log-cabin café a must-see, must-eat, must-market pit stop. Among the well-wishers were Italian consul Adrian Stefanutti and his artist wife madame Chenhui (aka Angela); Swiss ambassador Ivo Sieber’s wife, madame Gracita Sieber; Cavite representative Lani Mercado-Revilla; and former ambassador Ching de Leon-Escaler. What started as a two-hectare farm at Km 52 Aguinaldo highway, Buho in Silang, Cavite is now an 11-hectare eco-tourism range with a country store-café and a dining temple of deliciously prepared organic produce. The farm recently received the SGS certification for its coffee and tea production.

Botti in Manila

Chris Botti (center) with (from left) Andrew Ezrin, Carlos Puerto, Lisa Fischer, Caroline Campbell, William Kilson and Mark Whitfield

America’s largest-selling instrumentalist Chris Botti is back to share his music with Manilans on June 19 at Resorts World Manila’s Newport Performing Arts. Jazz singers Verni Varga and Richard Merck will open the show. The second staging of “Chris Botti Live in Manila!” is made possible by Radio High 105.9 to benefit the aspiring talents of the Young Musicians Development Organization. For tickets and reservations, call TicketWorld at 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.