The Scene

At the Table: Introducing Flora de Filipinas

An intimate preview showed how Maison de Rivoli brings Philippine flora into everyday use through porcelain.

On August 6, a small group gathered at Museo Sugbu for an exclusive preview in Cebu of Maison de Rivoli’s Flora de Filipinas collection. The atmosphere was elegantly simple, fully utilizing the location’s Cebu colonial history. Warm lighting, fresh plants and flowers evoking the Philippine flora on the plates, quiet conversations, and a shared curiosity about what was on the table. In one corner, a string quartet played softly as a background to the hum of excited chatter.

The collection brings together French porcelain craftsmanship and Philippine flora. Each piece is handcrafted in Limoges, France, by Royal Limoges artisans. The designs highlight 8 familiar local blooms like mango branches and coconut trees, with Royal Limoges’ distinctive 24-carat gold sun and star embellishments, set against an imperial blue rim. It is a limited-edition collection individually numbered from 1 to 200 on the back and bearing the official Royal Limoges seal.

Paolo Del Rosario and Paris-based Jeff Cadayong welcomed guests. They shared the story behind the project, tracing its provenance to a centuries-old Filipino Flora and Fauna book found in a French bookstore. Sharing the limelight was a small, centuries-old Salvatore Mundi that was Jeff’s devotion, “a close cousin of Cebu’s beloved Sto. Niño,” he relates.

The collection can be viewed for a limited time at the Royal Limoges showroom: Unit 262, 2nd Floor, The Peninsula Hotel Manila in Makati or at www.floraldefilipinas.com.

Regal Oliva, Perl Jacalan, Frances Siao and Mariquita Yeung

Regal Oliva and Oj Hofer

Mariquita Yeung, Lelet Heredia and __________

Perl Jacalan and Frances Siao

Standing: Dr. Fremont Base, _____, _______. Seated: Iris Arcenas and Tamsin Booth

______, Maris Holopainen, Frances Siao, Margette Sarmiento and Eva Gullas

Related Topics:Featured Flora de Filipinas Jeff Cadayong Maison de Rivoli Museo Sugbu Paolo del Rosario

Don't Miss

Be Fabulous: Dr. Fremont Base’s 50th Birthday Party Echoes the Disco-Glam Era

The Scene

Be Fabulous: Dr. Fremont Base’s 50th Birthday Party Echoes the Disco-Glam Era

Photography by Jackie Lotzoff and Doro Barandino

The invite, plain and simple, stated “Be Fabulous.” You kind of get the drift when it’s Fremont who sends you the invitation. So on that evening in the ballroom of the NUSTAR Hotel, around 100 fabulous guests from various backgrounds—including Gahum Garcia, now publisher of SunStar Daily, and the likes of Regal Oliva, lawyer and political commentator—were among the highly polished guests who filled the ballroom of NUSTAR Hotel. Throwing a party this huge requires a bit of know-how in maneuvering social challenges. The mixture was just right: there were medical colleagues, classmates, neighbors from childhood, clusters of potent socialites, and a proliferation of the most buzzed-about gay personalities in town. An open bar stacked with champagne and spirits and a hefty, well-curated buffet helped sustain the mood.

Christine Pelaez, Alice Woolbright, Butch Carungay, Lana Osmena and Mary-Ann Aboitiz.

Fashion designer Furne One

Marguerite Lhuillier, Jun Escario and Frances Siao

Jackie Lotzoff and Regal Oliva

June Alegrado and Michael Ho

The celebrant Dr. Fremont Base and Stephen Aznar

zee.ph editor Jing Ramos and Paolo del Rosario

The Scene

Another Elegant Dinner at Chez Marguerite

by Emcee Go

Perched atop one of the city’s exclusive hills, Marguerite Lhuillier’s home offers a graceful nod to old-world sensibilities—a fitting setting for an intimate evening among friends in a city still finding its footing.

Gerry and Pam Motanus, Margie Lhuillier, Christine Pelaez, Iris Arcenas, Eva and Jiji Gullas, Jun Pelaez

The dinner was in honor of Gerry Montanus and Pamela Manuel, briefly back in town and warmly welcomed. “I think we brought the quake,” Pamela quipped, laughing as she recalled the timing of their arrival. Gerry—imposingly tall at 6 feet 7—had leapt out of bed when the tremors began. Their own home, a stilts-supported creation by architect James Jao, had responded with a particularly theatrical sway, although there was no major damage except perhaps for half the water in their infinity pool.

Christine Pelaez, Pam Montanus, Eva Gullas, Iris Arcenas, Margie Lhuillier and June Alegrado

Jiji Gullas, Jun Pelaez and Gerry Montanus

Despite the unsettling prelude, the evening unfolded with the kind of ease that only Marguerite can host. The menu was quietly luxurious: a perfectly roasted leg of lamb and saffron-infused mahi mahi anchored the main course. From Marguerite’s kitchen came a procession of homemade sweets—silken leche flan, dense squares of food for the gods, crumbly polvoron, and a butter-laden cassava cake made by Christine Pelaez that left little room for restraint. The flavors, much like the company, were familiar, comforting, and quietly indulgent.

Guests included Jiji and Eva Gullas, Jun and Christine Pelaez, June Alegrado and Iris Arcenas.

The Scene

A Stylish Soirée: Cebu’s Elite Celebrate Jackie Deen Lotzoff at Mad Thai

An intimate circle of Cebu’s most prominent personalities gathered to celebrate Jackie Deen Lotzoff’s special day in style. The private affair unfolded at Mad Thai, the chic dining spot in Gallery Place, Mabolo, creating the perfect backdrop for an evening of camaraderie and refined revelry.

Among the guests were some of Cebu society’s most notable figures—Melinda Garcia, Angie Sierra, and Steve Aznar—whose presence added a touch of prestige to the celebration. Creative luminaries Oj Hofer, Doro Barandino, and Romero also graced the occasion, bringing their signature flair to an already vibrant gathering.

It was a night that beautifully captured the essence of Cebu’s high society: intimate, stylish, and brimming with the warmth of genuine friendships.