Around town
Tout Chocolat (French for All Chocolate) is the latest offering each Friday at the Blu Bar & Grill of Marco
Polo Plaza. The super yum treat is a six-course chocolate dinner crafted by executive chef Stefano Verrillo. It definitely is a unique gastronomic experience with each dish having a taste of chocolate in a way that doesn’t drown the main flavor of the dish. And what’s more, each dish is served with a chocolate cocktail or wine to complement the flavors. Marco Polo general manager Julie
Najar presented the Tout Chocolate dinner to a media group last week and she shared that the chocolate being used is from the homegrown brand The
Chocolate Chamber of Raquel Choa. *** The newest showroom-store in town exclusively distributing Philippine made items is HoliCow (Holistic Coalition of the Willing) at Crossroads, Banilad, Cebu City. HoliCow is “an association of designer-manufacturers in Cebu espousing holistic innovation through traceability, sustainability and community relations.” This means that good design should be balanced by good practices in sourcing, processing and packaging. Composed of independent companies, the group is dedicated to elevating the industry and craft through an inclusive and holistic approach.
The soft opening of the showroom was timed on the day of the fourth Southeast Asian Creative Cities Network Forum at the City Sports Club Cebu. The participants proceeded to HoliCow after the forum and saw for themselves the items designed and manufactured under holistic standards. Frontliners were Holistic Coalition director Debbie
Palao, communications
officer Kae Batiquin and Ina Borromeo Gaston who is part of the group. Also there were Debbie’s BFFs, Marlinda
Angbetic Tan (representing her son Allen Arvin who is involved in the project) and Baby Osmeña Madrid who came all the way from Manila.
*** Alessi, a store which offers regular household items in authentic Italian design, has officially opened its doors on the third floor of the Ayala Center Cebu expansion wing. Here for the red-letter affair was Luca Alessi, the company’s international and development manager in Asia Pacific, who is a fourth generation Alessi from Italy. He traces Alessi’s roots to 1921 as a workshop for the processing of mostly metals by his great, great grandfather Giovanni Alessi. It has evolved into a company manufacturing artistic products for the house which showcase the coming together of style and function, as well as elegance and quality.
Opening day’s special guest
Kenneth Cobonpue, the multi-awarded Cebuano furniture designer, received a special token of appreciation from Alessi. It was a
numbered Officina
Alessi piece which is among the featured designs on dispaly at the Alessi Design
Museum in Italy.
The Louis Vuitton Summer 2015
Collection came to town via a brunch affair at the Ocean Pavilion of Shangri
La’s Mactan Resort & Spa. LV lovers flocked to the venue to have the first shot at the V print and the Ramage. The V print is inspired by the “Volez, Voguez, Voyagez avec des Valises Louis Vuitton” advertisement in 1965 while the Rampage print is a take off from dots and ramage patterns of the Cruise 2015 ready-to-wear designs. Woman of the hour was Louis Vuitton GM Rhea de Vera-Aguirre who warmly welcomed the eager “bag ladies.”
***
Weddings At The Blu: A Bridal
Fair By Radisson Blu Cebu unfolded at the SM Northwing one beautiful weekend in June. Brides-to-be, wedding planners and suppliers were all there to find out about the special wedding package offered. The exhibit featured the bridal collection of Cebu’s top designers, lovely and unique flower arrangements, wedding cakes and more. Special guests were Dr. Vicki Bello of Belo Medical Group and fashion police blogger Michael Sy Lim who talked on bridal preparations.
Radisson Blu’s wedding package includes complimentary use of the function room, customized buffet or sitdown menu or lauriat menu prepared by the Radisson chefs, a bottle of sparkling wine, and more. There are also other special deals in conjunction with Radisson’s sister hotels like Park Inn Davao, Pico Sands in Batangas and Taal Vista in Tagaytay.