couture inspired cuisine

100 guests at the Pacific grand ballroom

Imagine excellent food inspired by the great masters of French fashion. Imagine dining in a place where the two absolute disciplines of Haute Cuisine and Haute Couture take center stage, merging into an art experience all its own.

Such was what your style jotter and 100 other guests experienced at the 15^th Anniversary Gala Diner Amical of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs at the Pacific Ballroom of The Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino which was transformed into an ethereal place of food and fashion.

Marco Protacio, the hotel’s food/fashion savvy general manager, invited six Cebu designers to work with the Waterfront’s team of culinary experts to interpret the iconic styles of the legendary and most prestigious members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.

invitation to indulge

Gastronomy started with “Comtesse Bismarck,” which was black caviar on amber ice and foie gras parfait. This was my food design inspired by Balenciaga thus it adhered his simple but monumental aesthetics.

Inspired by one of Yves Saint Laurent’s favorite dove motif, Jun Escario’s all-white soup of scallop and lobster called “La Colombe” was served next. 

Next came Arcy Gayatin’s “Mademoiselle Coco,” a puff pastry stuffed with duck confit and chantrelle mushroom which was beautifully presented as Chanel’s 2.55 quilted bag. Surrounded by cream pearls and white chocolate camellia this was inarguably the creation that epitomized the cuisine+couture concept.

Chanel bag by Arcy Gaytin

“La Vie en Rose” by Philip Rodriguez followed. A red chocolate cabbage rose opened to reveal champagne and rose sorbet inspired by Valentino. Then came the Christian Dior inspired “La Dame Mèdaillon” of Parma ham wrapped Angus beef medallion and baked lobster by Albert Arriba. Then finally served was Cary Santiago’s  inspired dessert called “Les Coleurs d’Arles.” This was a vibrantly colored and sinfully tasting that captured the tonal and textural genius of Lacroix.

Cary Santiago's Christian Lacroix inspired dessert

It took no less than three meticulous food tasting and styling sessions, of perfecting details of the cuisine, before the designers and chefs were satisfied. And all that hard work paid off.