MARLEEN ONG

Restaurant: Aziza Best sellers: Seared Sea Bass with Saffron Vanilla Sauce

Profile: Marleen Ong has found new strength in finding ways to make savory and sweet flavors complement each other. Originally focused on the sweeter side of cooking by taking up a baking and pastries course from the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California, she is now focused on advanced culinary techniques. One of the methods she is currently working on is molecular gastronomy, which she has introduced to the new menu of Aziza. “I feel like a scientist in the kitchen, doing experiments until getting the right results,” Ong says. Cebu can now experience the wonderful creations that have resulted from Chef Ong’s kitchen experiments.