Rice up!

The favorite Filipino food staple was recently highlighted at the gala dinner of Chen Yi Agventures for the launch of Dalisay by Renucci Rice held at the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Manila in Taguig City. 

Five world-class chefs, led by chef David Sénia, who used to be the chef at The Peninsula Manila, flew in to prepare a menu de dégustation featuring the Dalisay rice variant. The chefs cooked a la minute in the open kitchen of the ballroom, and invited guests to join them as they prepared the sumptuous dishes.

Dalisay by Renucci Rice is the brainchild of couple Patrick François Renucci and Rachel Tan, who gave up their lives as investment bankers in Paris, Nice, Monaco, London and Hong Kong to move to Alangalang, Leyte. After the devastation caused by typhoon Yolanda, Patrick and Rachel invested all that they had to uplift the survivors of the typhoon and the farmers of Leyte, and to provide world-class Filipino rice.

Dalisay is produced by the farmers of Leyte and processed in the most technologically advanced rice processing center in Southeast Asia. This rice variant is planted by the farmer-members of the Renucci Partnership Program and procured directly on the fields from Leyte farmers. By planting Dalisay, the farmers have reportedly increased their income. Dalisay is freshly harvested and freshly milled. It is pure, chemical free, and not mixed with imported or stale rice. Dalisay is said to put the Philippines back on the map as a producer of outstanding rice that can compete on the international stage with Japanese and Thai Jasmine rice.

The pre-dinner cocktails and the dinner itself, of course, featured Dalisay rice. Guests were indeed impressed with the food and the rice that evening.

(Dalisay rice is available at Landmark, Robinson’s and SM supermarkets. For more information, visit Renucci Rice on Facebook and @renuccirice on Instagram.)

Filipinos on the world stage

Filipino architects and interior designers gathered over food and wine to engage in discussions on architecture and design at the send-off event for Filipino finalists at the World Architecture Festival (WAF). The event was organized by leading German bathroom and kitchen fittings brand Grohe, a founding partner and supporter of WAF for 12 years now. It was held at the Grohe Showroom of Wilcon IT hub in Makati City.

The Filipino designers who will join the prestigious World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam on Dec. 4 to 6 are Kenneth Cobonpue and Buck Sia of Zubu Design Associates, Carlo Calma of Carlo Calma Consultancy, JR Santos and Pauline-Cueva Bato of John Ryan Santos+Partners, and Jesy Cruz and Jaemi Cruz of Alero Design Studios.

The architecture festival is reportedly the world’s largest, live, inclusive and interactive global architecture awards program.

Kudos to the delegates and cheers to world-class Filipino design and artistry! *

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)