MANILA, Philippines - The menu for the media lunch at the unveiling of the San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Center in Pasig City read like a who’s who of luminaries in the local culinary world. Rob and Sunshine Pengson prepared the appetizers, cheesy chicken and crab croquettes and Magnolia cream cheese prosciutto and guava macaroons. The Gala’s, Sylvia, Morella and Ernest prepared the Monterey roast beef tenderloin wrapped with Purefoods bacon at the carving station and the boneless Magnolia chicken stuffed with Monterey pork as well as the baked fish with sea salt crust with mango sauce and the roast suckling pig. The main course was by Gene Gonzalez, asado pork shanks Kapampangan-style and daimyo pasta.
The dessert station had no less than the trio of Heny Sison, Rosemarie Lim and Emelita W. Galang behind the sweet creations, namely, torta Cebuana and biko halo-halo by chef Rose, classic sansrival and tibuk-tibuk by Emelita Galang, and old-fashioned chocolate cake and lemon torte by chef Heny. All of these distinguished chefs belong to the San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Professionals Circle, “a select group of culinary practitioners who believe in the quality of San Miguel products and use it in their day-to-day operations.”
But the real star of the show was the kitchen itself, the newly renovated and revitalized San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Center at the San Miguel Corporation head office complex at the Ortigas Center in Pasig City. Interior designer Alice Yazon of the design firm Yazon and Associates incorporated sleek modern lines, which follow a contemporary theme. Storage space is concentrated below the counters rather than in overhead cabinets, which are often hard to reach. The layout is uncluttered, ergonomic and user-friendly.
“The design considered energy-efficient systems particularly in the use of compact fluorescent lights (CFL) for general lighting and more up to date electrical appliances with power efficiency ratings,” culinary services manager Maricel Manalo pointed out. The lighted storage areas and pantry cabinets in the bakeshop provide an illusion of space, as do the all-glass sliding partition, the better to show off the baked goodies.
Black granite counter tops, wood grain faces, and modular storage elements are complemented by deep accent colors in the consumer kitchen which is also known as the demo kitchen. The red wall adds to the modern and overall contemporary tone.
“It’s a fully functioning kitchen. The cooktop hobs, ovens, and exhaust hoods, provided by our partner, GE/Ariston, are what you would personally want in your own kitchen,” Maricel adds. “The base cabinet drawers are fully extendable for easy access to all stored items.”
In the multi-purpose hall, a couple of flat-screen TVs are hooked up with a built in PTZ (pan, tilt and zoom) camera best suited for cooking demonstrations and food presentations. With its new sleek look and well-designed layout, the culinary center provides a comfortable venue for the recipe-testing activities and menu development as well as the numerous cooking classes that take place here.
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