Cover Baked Hokkaido Scallop in Pastis Prado Wine with Paprika Cream Sauce by Juan Carlo
Baked Hokkaido Scallop in Pastis Prado Wine with Paprika Cream Sauce by Juan Carlo
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Embark on a culinary and artistic journey with ‘Who’s Cooking? Artistic Appetites’
Two aspects of the human experience remain essential in the grand scheme of things: art and food. Both are mediums of our creativity, revealing the depth of our cultural and social identities. They are intertwined forms of expression, engaging multiple senses and evoking myriad emotions. Art and food serve as sustenance for the soul. It is no surprise that groups are all too willing to celebrate both—like what The Blue Leaf did in an event held from December 2023 to January 2024, titled Who’s Cooking? Artistic Appetites. It is not the first time they have held such a grand gathering, with the first launched successfully in 2019.
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Seven artists and caterers joined in the second edition, whipping out delectable and savoury cuisines catering to their personalities. It has three phases, mainly: a meet and greet last December 4, 2023; Kitchen Lab, an ongoing process where artists and caterers are scheduled to film a video showcasing their collaboration; and the culmination event last January 14 at The Blue Leaf Events Pavilion, where participants were finally able to showcase their fusion of culinary and artistic elements in a mouthwatering 5-course menu.
The last phase was a gastronomical journey worth taking. Imagine a warm, moist smoked potato soup with pan con tomate or a unique mix of grilled prawns sinigang salad. Or a delectable dish of Pacific Ocean grilled blue marlin with sesame noodles? The Blue Leaf promised an explosion of flavours, and they delivered.
The spotlight remains on the seven pairs, however. Here’s a look at the caterers and artists from various disciplines who offered their skills for the venture.
K by Cunanan and Anina Rubio
Above Bistek
Above Anina Rubio
Bistek
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Plant forward was the theme of their menu. “As much as possible, I included a lot of vegetables because I wanted our audience and everyone here to realise the value of eating it,” says Kaye Gonzales. Anina Rubio designed their booth to both tastes, using real mushrooms to complement the theme.
Monggo at Malunggay, Paksiw sa Gata, and Champoradong Puti were among their best dishes that evening.
Tjioe and Candy Reyes-Alipio
Above Pork Mushroom Pumpkin Cushion
Above Candy Reyes-Alipio
Pork Mushroom Pumpkin Cushion
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Some consider knitting a craft rather than an art, but knitter Candy Reyes-Alipio’s non-conformist nature took over and applied it to different artistic mediums. This time, together with Tjioe, she showcased creativity through food.
If Reyes-Alipio has to choose a favourite, it will be the Shrimp Yarn Laksa In A Basket, a Peranakan-inspired shrimp ball wrapped in crunchy glass noodles in mildly spiced laksa sauce. Pork Mushroom Pumpkin Cushion, Angus Beef Brisket Pie, and Smoked Duck Mango on Mantou Bun also form part of their 5-course menu.
Moment Catering and Mateo Cacnio
Above Ginza
Above Mateo Cacnio
Ginza
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Moment Catering went with a Japanese menu. Among the crowd’s favourites are Shibuya—a salmon and ebi tartare on potato pave, aonori crystal bread, chalaquita spheres, guacamole, and togarashi; the Shinjuku—a teriyaki glazed tako and tuna ceviche on shells, glazed sweet potato, sake-lime Leche de Tigre, squid ink tuile crispy calamari tidbits, and spring onions; and Harajuku—which is vanilla tart, yuzu, matcha, and gold leaf.
Born in 2002, Mateo Cacnio (also known as Teo) is a visual artist from Quezon City. His artistic practice plays with the medium of metal, specifically aluminium, and weaves it into artistic theories of representation and materiality—one of which is displayed in his booth with Moment Catering.
Hizon’s Catering and Anna Bautista
Above Chicken Galantine with pickled vegetables, onion petals, purple kamote, charred onion and whiskey jus
Above Anna Bautista
Chicken Galantine with pickled vegetables, onion petals, purple kamote, charred onion and whiskey jus
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Contemporary visual artist Anna Bautista’s works revolve around the concept of time, culture, and philosophy and how these elements are interlinked and constantly responding to each other. She describes her art style as the “application of patches of colour that build up to a bigger picture.”
Thus, it is no surprise that Hizon’s menu was an amalgamation of colours, symbolising moments experienced in one’s life. Bautista’s personal favourite dish was the Pork and Chive Dumpling, Chicken Consomme—a burst of red in the caterer’s selection of meals.
Bizu and Maan Simbajon
Above Maan Simbajon
Maan Simbajon
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Bizu Catering Studio featured tattoo artist Maan Simbajon’s works on their dishes, with a tattoo stamped on the raspberry, strawberry, lychee, and rose cream macarons as an example.
Simbajon’s minimalist creations showcase a mastery of simplicity, distilling complex ideas into clean, impactful designs that resonate with a subtle elegance—perfect for Bizu’s warmth brought about by its philosophy of joie de vivre, or the “joy of living” in its works.
Passion Cooks and Kara Pangilinan
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Above Beef Belly Tocino
Kara Pangilinan
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Head Chef Laura Martinez’s first thought, when she heard of the collabs, is that she hoped to pick Kara Pangilinan. She wants someone she can “have fun with” and someone “hardworking”.
The process of incorporating Pangilinan’s artworks into the food was “smooth-flowing” and was “meant to be”, according to the Passion Cooks team. “I feel like we were able to create dishes that reflected both me and Passion Cooks,” Pangilinan adds.
Fan favourites include the Black Palabok, thick squid ink sauce on glass noodles, topped with tinapa and calamari and Ube Pavlova, ube meringue mixed with local fruits, black sago and pinipig crunch.
Juan Carlo and Chico Cristobal
Above Eruption
Above Chico Cristobal
Eruption
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Chico Cristobal, an artist known for his vintage-retro aesthetic showing the kinship between nature and the universe, meets Juan Carlo, a go-to catering choice for Philippine society’s créme de la créme.
Cristobal’s personal favourite was the dessert. Eruption comprises chocolate mousse, pandan cheesecake, caramel custard, chocolate lamington, lati, mango compote, vanilla and ube ice cream, mint and tarragon leaves, and orange fruit caviar. More than these ingredients, however, is the cherry on top—the lighting of the meal in real-time.
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Credits
Images: The Blue Leaf
Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
