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House on the Hill

What makes a house into a home? This young family breaks out from traditional room placements and make their space adjust to their lifestyle.

What makes a house into a home? This young family breaks out from traditional room placements and make their space adjust to their lifestyle.

It it amazing that seven years ago this family-centered home was once a corner bachelorette pad unit in the hills of Cebu City. Transformed into a spacious house with five bedrooms for a young family of four, you might say this is the house that the kitchen built. When a restaurateur marries an Italian chef, where else would the entire house revolve around? It becomes the heart of the home and explains why guests are welcomed by a huge dining table for 12, instead of the usual living room.

The couple loves to entertain. The open kitchen from Mobelhaus displays industrial-grade appliances and allows them to prepare dishes without shying away from their guests. The wife even shoots her local cooking show in it, recognizable on TV by the marinus walnut cabinet faces and aluminum handles, topped with white synthetic stone. As a stark contrast, the backsplash was made of natural stone to give it an earthy feel. Interesting to note also is the large picture window above the sink, overlooking the mountains to let a lot of natural light in.

Planning the expansion of the house started early last year. The husband and wife were very involved in planning and designing of the spaces, with help from a look-book they created as their guide throughout the design and construction stages. Functionality and flexibility were key factors in a lot of their design decisions. From the heart of their home, a hallway clad in wood paneling conceals several secret doors to different areas – one opens to another refrigerator, another to an herb garden, and the door to the left opens to a powder room. This hallway then transitions to a glass-enclosed hall with travertine-stone columns and LED floor lights, which opens to a fun and open office that the couple shares. Standing prominently behind their suitcase-shaped desk on a sawhorse stand is this Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired bookshelf that they built all the way to the ceiling to store files, recipes, menus, books and framed pictures of the family. An accent rug flown in from Italy completes the space. Hanging on the wall is a reproduction of “The Kiss,” a souvenir from the Klimt exhibit, which according to the lady of the house is a representation of their lives and passion since a kiss seals it all.

Further down the hall are the children’s rooms. Keeping the walls and floors in neutral tones, the beds, rugs, curtains and other furniture pieces add color into the room in shades of pink and aquamarine, the girls’ favorite color of the moment. “When they get older and their preferences change, it’ll be easier to redecorate this way,” says the lady of the house.

Drawing inspiration from a photo in her look-book, the winding stairs that lead to the lower ground of the house is a showcase of fine, hardwood steps. To break away from the coldness of a metal banister, the handrail was covered in real leather hand-sewn for closure by a local craftsman.

The lower portion of the house is dedicated purely for guests, and not just because the guest’s room is on this level. A showcase of the couples’ artwork collected from vast travels abroad, it opens to an al fresco bar and the garden, where the couple entertains at least thrice a week, playing host to a couples’ life group, ladies night and a movie night. With a house this centered on food and entertaining, if home is where the heart is, they’ve definitely found the way for guests to feel at home: through the stomach.

Business

bai Hotel Cebu named 2024 PH’s Leading Business Hotel at World Travel Awards

bai Hotel Cebu VP Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes with World Travel Awards Founder and President Graham Cooke.

bai Hotel Cebu has emerged victorious as the Philippines’ Leading Business Hotel at this year’s prestigious World Travel Awards. Standing out among the nine other contenders from across the country, bai Hotel Cebu claimed the coveted title, solidifying its position as a premier business hospitality destination in Cebu.

The award was presented to VP Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Carlo Rivera in an awarding gala ceremony held last September 3, 2024 at City of Dreams Manila.

Held at the City of Dreams Manila, the award was handed over to VP-Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes and Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Carlo Rivera last September 3, 2024 at City of Dreams Manila.

This accolade, being the first of many this year, reaffirms bai Hotel Cebu’s steadfast commitment to providing world-class Filipino hospitality. “I would like to thank our guests for continuously supporting and for patronizing bai Hotel Cebu,” GM Alfred Reyes said. “This win is also yours as your loyalty inspires us to deliver the exceptional service bai Hotel Cebu is known for,” he continued.

bai Hotel Cebu’s department heads celebrating its accolade as PH’s Leading Business Hotel.

Operating since 2018 with 668 rooms, 8 restaurants, and over 13 function halls, bai Hotel Cebu has established its presence in the industry having just been awarded as Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Tourism Standard Awards – ASEAN MICE Venue (Meeting Room Category).

We also extend our heartfelt congratulations to the country’s Department of Tourism headed by Secretary Hon. Christina Garcia Frasco for being recognized as Asia’s Leading Marketing Campaign award for its “Love the Philippines” campaign and as Transformation Leadership in Tourism Governance.

Based in London and established in 1993, the World Travel Awards is dubbed the Oscars of the travel industry that acknowledges, rewards, and celebrates excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. It is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Events

A Feast for the Senses

Crimson Chefs - Masahiro Kinoshita, Naoki Eguchi, Daniel Johnston, Javier Garcia, Allan Barios, Andrew Simpson

By Joanna Cuenco

June 8 – Mactan, Cebu | For one of its biggest dining events of the year as part of the highly anticipated Cebu Food and Wine Festival, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan curated an epicurean journey that brought guests on gastronomic flights of fancy, fine cuisine. A Feast for the Senses showcased the creativity and excellence of the resort’s culinary team through a dine-around event at its four dining destinations that invited guests to sample the best that each restaurant had to offer: international cuisine at Saffron, Spanish at Enye by Chele Gonzalez, Japanese at Aka by Naoki Eguchi, and desserts and more drinks at Azure Beach Club.

Maria Paz Perdices, Ambra Anzani, Ema Onda,Kate Anzani, Kumiko Onda, Daisy Barns

Tamsin Booth, Didier Belmonte, Frances Siao, Celeste Miranda, Bert Miranda, Bob Booth

Spirits were high and beverages flowed freely the whole evening, thanks to Philippine Wine Merchant, A Wine Company, The Wine Club, Don Revy, Sommelier Selection, Engkanto Brewery, M. Lhuillier Food Product Inc., Future Trade International, Happy Living Philippines, Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, and Bauhinia Brewery.

Allan Barios at Saffron dessert station

Ulysse Jouanneaud

Margarette Lhuiller and Perl Jacalan

For the after-party and entertainment at Azure Beach Club, renowned mixologist Ulysse Jouanneaud took over the bar, crafting cocktails with Bacardi, Don Papa, Cointreau, and Sula Brands. Chef Allan Barrios presented a dessert spread that included key lime pralines, vanilla bourbon truffles, honey coconut cryos, and tiny flower-potted bamboo shoots that turned out to be made of pistachio. These little works of art were planted alongside vibrant green foliage, smooth stones, and a faux fog effect that created a tropical rainforest diorama out of the dessert table.

Lechon belly station at Saffron

Dessert display at Azure Beach Club

Yellowfin tuna tataki

Grilled mackerel with laksa boullabaise

The night sky and the distant lights of neighboring islands were the perfect backdrop for a high-energy LED dance performance and fantastic fireworks display that left guests in awe and applause.

Rose Hudson

Chele Gonzalez

Brava potato with chorizo at Enye

LED and Tron Dance

Aka Private Room

The Cebu Food and Wine Festival is supported by the Department of Tourism – Philippines, Visit Central Visayas, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cebu Business Month, and Cebu Pacific Air.

Events

The First NUSTAR BALL

Janine Taylor, June Alegrado, Jackie Lotzof, Frances Siao, Ina Ronquillo and Christine Pelaez

The NUSTAR Ballroom, a magnificent venue at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu, sets the stage for last night’s first-ever NUSTAR Ball.

Black was the color of night at the Zee table.

Glamorous guests from Manila and Cebu converged at the NUSTAR Ballroom, an exquisite venue within the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu. The evening unfolded with a seated 5-course dinner. The opulent feast started with Beetroot Salmon Gravlax, adorned with caper berries, caviar, set with delicate edible flowers; and a main course of Compressed Pork Belly with Crackling Skin and Baby Scallops. Another highlight was the auction of coveted items like Dior and YSL handbags, a limited-edition Bulgari watch, and an exclusive 2-night stay in Nustar’s opulent 3-bedroom villa—complete with a private pool and a dedicated butler. The charity evening benefited the Cameleon Association, an NGO based in Iloilo City created in 1997 that developed a global approach to act on the causes and effects of sexual violence against children.