Who’s Cooking: Artistic Appetites welcomed artists and acclaimed caterers who showed unparalleled prowess and exceptional flavors through food.
Renowned caterers and skilled artists joined hands in yet another step to a multisensory culinary experience. Who’s Cooking? Artistic Appetites brought together a team of exceptional talents who, together, made artistic and palatable harmonies through food. The Blue Leaf Events Spaces housed the affair.
Who’s Cooking had an initial event in 2019 where 11 partner caterers and chefs collaborated, making the initiative a success. The latest second installment of the program showcased caterers’ mastery of their craft with appealing visuals from the artists.
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Seven mouthwatering partnerships
Who’s Cooking? Artistic Appetites bore witness to seven caterer-artist collaborations. They shared inspiration, artistry, individual journeys, and creating art through signature dishes.
The tandems created a delightful gastronomic experience, harmoniously merging art and food through mouthwatering presentations and scrumptious flavors.
Here are the tandems who have brought the extraordinary on the table.
K By Cunanan and Anina Rubio
Contemporary Manila catering brand K by Cunanan partnered with multidisciplinary artist Anina Rubio. Their collaboration featured elevated classic Filipino dishes without straying from the traditional dishes.
The Blue Leaf mentioned that K by Cunanan stays true to its word for providing an incredible vision for food. In everything the caterer produces, a trifecta of food, experience, and service is always observed. As an artist, Rubio fuses art, environmentalism, and well being in her creations for inspired actions and enhanced connections that “promotes a sustainable and healthier world.”
Both caterer and chef produced the following: Tinapay at Kesong Puti, Monggo at Malunggay, Paksiw sa Gata, Bistek, and Champoradong Puti.
Hizon’s Catering and Anna Bautista
Contemporary visual artist Anna Bautista and Hizon’s Catering partnered up together to create sublime masterpieces. Bautista’s traditional influences in her niche melded well with the caterer’s promise in quality food and exceptional service.
Their menu is made up of delectable selections such as: Caesar Salad with local greens, Chicken Galantine, Pork and Chive Dumpling with Chicken Consomme, Smoked Tomato Soup with Pan Con Tomate, and a garden dessert of Auro Dark Chocolate Mousse, panna cotta, orange gelee, and chocolate soil.
The Blue Leaf said Hizon’s catering instilled a mindset providing its clients with quality food and an efficient and stellar service since its establishment in 1987. Meanwhile, Bautista’s traditional methods of creating contemporary art ladled every creative art work she does with “nostalgia and dynamism.”
Tjioe the Caterer and Candy Reyes-Alipio
Tjioe (pronounced as chew) the Caterer joins hands with knitter Candy Reyes Alipio in their own collaborative project for Who’s Cooking? Artistic Appetites. Together, they harmoniously weaved a sophisticated tapestry of Asian delights.
Their selection consisted of the following: Pork Mushroom Pumpkin Cushion, Shrimp Yarn Laksa in a basket, Angus Beef Brisket Pie, Smoked Duck Mango on a mantou bun, and Red Velvet tops and button.
Tjioe has been established as a catering company for more than three decades. They are versatile when it comes to executing any requirement that a client needs, making them a perfect choice for any event. Alipio did her share of explorations in varying fields of art but dedicated her time mostly into knitting. Her creations show creativity, social responsibility, and thinking outside the box.
Juan Carlo and Chico Cristobal
The collaboration between caterer Juan Carlo and abstract artist Chico Cristobal brought about a gaudy gastronomical experience. They fused the beauty of atypical works of art and eye-catching food presentations and astounding flavors.
Making up their menu were the following: Baked Hokkaido Scallops; Creamy Pumpkin Soup with truffle oil; Fresh Baby Leaf Salad with a symphony of cheese, fruits, and dressings; Grilled Blue Marlin with sesame noodles; and for dessert, Eruption, which consisted of a series of ambrosian sweets.
Juan Carlo’s passion and dedication led the company to success with its clientele ranging locally and globally. Cristobal’s creative works encompass nature, the universe, and vintage-retro feats and use them to anyone who will connect with his art through an emotion or individual purpose. Their work together became a melodious masterpiece of both art and food.
Passion Cooks and Kara Pangilinan
The tandem between the mother-daughter-run Passion Cooks and muralist Kara Pangilinan was truly a one-of-a-kind project. Pangilinan’s elaborate style and inclination to nature was something that the catering company, under head chef Laura Martinez, was able to translate through food.
Their carefully-curated selection includes the following: Grilled Prawns Sinigang Salad, Black Palabok, Laing Tempura, Beef Belly Tocino, and Ube Pavlova.
The Blue Leaf said that Passion Cooks has been a “top-of-the-mind” supplier for milestones and other celebrations. Pangilinan’s creative process with flora, fauna, and female subjects just made the project extra special and done with so much flair.
Bizu and Maan Simbajon
Tattoo artist Maan Simbajon and Bizu Catering Studio partnered up and created a series of dishes that celebrated the latter’s philosophy, joie de vivre or the joy of living. Each delicious plate featured Simbajon’s clever and imaginative artistry.
Included in their menu are the following: Soft-shell Crab Tempura Sliders; Red Beet, Strawberry and Goat Cheese with honey ice cream and rice crispy croutons; Pear and Ricotta Fagottini Pasta; Beef Cheek with Prune and Mushroom Risotto; and Ispahan MDP, a series of sweet macarons.
“You really need to have a creative mind to connect food with tattooing,” Simbajon explained.
Bizu became one of the go-to caterers as they deliver only the best gourmet food there is. They cater to special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, launches, and even weddings, as per The Blue Leaf. They also said Simbajon’s tattoo illustrations display “precision, emotion, and understated beauty.”
Moment Catering and Mateo Cacnio
Sculptor Mateo Cacnio worked with Moment Catering for an appetizing five-course Japanese menu. Their masterpiece included an element of surprise in each dish and the concept of satisfying the human senses. “It’s something that gastronomy and art can unite,” Cacnio said.
Their elevated Japanese medley included: Shibuya or salmon and ebi tartare on potato pave; Akihabara or oyster aburi inari; Shinjuku or their teriyaki glazed tako and tuna ceviche on shells; Ginza or charred buta kakuni ends; and Harajuku for dessert, comprised of vanilla tart, yuzu, matcha, and gold leaf.
The Blue Leaf mentioned that Moment Catering has a multitude of cuisines in its catering arm like Filipino, Wester, Japanese, and European-Mediterranean flavors. Cacnio’s sculptures highlight his equal blending of “abstraction and representation” and simplifies them through shapes and pre-meditative thoughts.
Who’s Cooking: Artistic Appetites became a venue of an indulgent, gastronomic adventure that cascaded through the ingenuity of chefs and creatives alike.
“These extraordinary creations promise to redefine the intersection of food and art as The Blue Leaf takes its venues’ culinary experience to newer and greater heights,” the event venue’s press release said.
Banner photo from The Blue Leaf Events Spaces.
