Cover Snippet from tasting menu dinner at chef Patrick Go's Your Local
Snippet from tasting menu dinner at chef Patrick Go's Your Local
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Cold Storage Seafood's first fundraising effort for Save Philippine Seas is a tasting menu dinner at chef Patrick Go's Your Local
When they launched the “GenSea: Dive Into Sustainability” campaign in June 2024, brothers Marco and Morris Qua—president and vice president of Cold Storage Seafood, respectively— vowed to make good on their promise of following through on their initiative. They wasted no time and launched their first fundraising collaboration at chef Patrick Go’s Your Local in Legazpi Village, Makati on October 24 and 25.
Dubbed “The Local’s Catch,” it aims to raise awareness and funding in support of the non-profit organisation Save Philippine Seas (SPS) for the conservation of the Philippines’ marine biodiversity. Chef Go has crafted a multi-course tasting menu utilising responsibly sourced seafood and ingredients, as well as applying sustainable cooking practices. A portion of the proceeds from the fundraising dinners will go to GenSea and help fund SPS.
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Above GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
Above GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
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During the media launch of the two-night event, SPS co-founder and executive director Anna Oposa expressed her excitement for this collaboration and called their partnership with Cold Storage Seafood “heaven-sent.” She recounted when she first received the phone call from Qua, candidly sharing her initial reaction. “I thought to myself, ‘is this a joke?’” Oposa laughingly narrates. “It was just such great timing because it came when we needed funding for a project we wanted to launch. Even if SPS is a non-profit organisation, we need financial resources to survive and run our programs,” she explains. “The donations will support our ongoing education programs on climate change, conservation leadership, and marine litter. We work with public school teachers, government officials, and youth across the country to increase knowledge and deepen appreciation for our seas.”
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Above GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
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The highlight of the launch, of course, was a sampling of the special multi-course menu that chef Go will have prepared for the event combining Cold Storage Seafood’s sustainably sourced seafood with Your Local’s modern take on Asian comfort food and Filipino flavours. A natural talent best known for his creativity and knack for refining the complexities of Asian cuisines, chef Go's menu is nothing short of inspired. “I love cooking with seafood because it allows me to experiment and explore new ways to highlight its flavours. But beyond that, it’s an opportunity to think about how we, as chefs, can contribute to sustainability. This collaboration gives us a platform to showcase those efforts,” he says.
Go starts strong with interesting bites of snow crab, corn and Sichuan powder on kropek and a shokupan toast topped with a creamy blend of salmon and fish eggs. A provocative bisugo dish with pumpkin and coconut benefits from the astringent tang of cacao vinegar. The broth made from bones of the same bisugo were used as the base of a fragrant apahap soup with kaffir and charred radish, demonstrating how minimising waste can actually maximise flavour.
Above GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
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Diners will eager savour the suahe on mantou toast with tomato sambal and mentaiko, plus the show-stopping congee that chef Go does so well, adorned with scallops, fish skin furikake, and calamansi. The main courses of halibut carrot curry with bacolod tuyo rice and black garlic asado-glazed rib-eye with miso kamote are truly worthy of their top billing. As for dessert, the fruity tang of the chrysanthemum cream, passionfruit, and mango preps the palate perfectly for the rich, sweet and smoky goodness of the shokupan bread ice cream, tinapa butterscotch, and sesame finale.
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Above GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
Above GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
GenSea a fundraiser by Cold Storage Seafood at Your Local for the benefit of Save the Philippine Seas
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The GenSea fundraising event with Your Local provided guests with not only a unique dining experience but also the chance to actively participate in shaping the future of the oceans. As Qua said during his welcome remarks: “If we are benefiting from it, then we must do what we can to protect it.” By partnering with Save Philippine Seas, Cold Storage Seafood aims to turn its commitment to sustainability into meaningful action.
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