ECO-COUTURE, COOKING CHALLENGE MARK HOTEL FLEURIS' 19TH ANNIVERSARY
Hotel Fleuris marked its 19th Anniversary with an eco-fashion show and hospitality skills competition on September 15. The twin events are the hotel’s way of thanking their clients who have been supporting them for 19 years since joining Palawan’s tourism industry. Sarah Monzon Po, Hotel Fleuris’ director for operations, said the hospitality skills competition was a cooking challenge where participants were given a “mystery basket” that contained the dish they must recreate and diversify by combining elements of var- ious culinary masteries. She said the idea involves expanding their culinary repertoire to come up with a dish which is truly unique and distinct from those offered by their peers and competitors. When “adobo” was revealed as the mystery dish, the four pairs of
contestants were given 45 minutes to cook and 15 minutes to do the plating, which involves decorating their dishes to enhance their aesthetical appeal. Judging was based on the contenders’ food preparation, ability to work under pressure, food taste, and plating arrangement. The judges in the cooking challenge were Kalui owner Luzerino Oliva; Anthea Estares, a member of the Palawan State University faculty; and Kimberly Chuachingco of Palawan News. Levy Calimutan and Josue Señel of Seaslug Restaurant from El Nido town topped the cooking competition for their special adobo dish that focused on the inspiration of “home.” Calimutan said they recreated the adobo in their own way and aimed at offering it at their restaurants while diners think they are not really far from their homes. Calimutan, who only started working at Seaslugs for barely a month, feels proud to represent their restaurant in the competition. “I will use this opportunity as an inspiration to do well in the world of gastronomy,” he said, believing that although “cooking meals is a regimented process that involves precise measurements and preset allotments of time, it is very much done from the heart.” The Eco-Fashion Show was held simultaneously with the cooking competition. Po said the concept of the eco-couture show is to make something sophisticated and fashionable out of recyclable waste materials and to set the idea that people can appreciate fashion out of scratch. What captivated everyone’s eyes was the Festival Queenthemed costume worn by 11year old Princess Chloe Nagar, who was declared the winner. A student of Palawan National School (PNS), she enjoys the art of modeling and projecting different personas based on the outfit she wears. The winning costume was designed by Roschelle Catbagan of Palawan Costumes Rental (PCR) by Merry Posh. Po said Hotel Fleuris appreciates the opportunity as an active member of Palawan’s tourism industry that contributes to the growth of the local economy. She said Hotel Fleuris will continue to provide employment opportunities and share bright ideas to better tourism services in Puerto Princesa City and Palawan province. (with a report from Kimberly Chuachingco)