Arts & Culture

Enjoy Sweet Treats and Comfort Food at Banapple

From the signature Banoffee Pie to the hearty Lasagna Roll Ups, Banapple definitely feels like your favorite neighborhood cafe.

Having went to school in Manila, I remember many afternoons driving to Katipunan for a slice of Banapple‘s Banoffee Pie. Definitely a well-loved establishment, Banapple had charming country interiors, a delicious selection of desserts, and hearty meals that many loved. (Not to mention generous servings at reasonable prices–perfect for students like me!)

So when news of Banapple’s arrival in Cebu broke, I was one of many who were giddy with excitement. After an initial run of a stall at Ayala Center Cebu, the brand has finally opened a full restaurant at Central Bloc in Cebu IT Park.

The Lasagna Rollups

Opening in Cebu

Banapple started out supplying pies and cheesecakes to coffee shops and restaurants in Manila. “We were literally a backyard business. As in, our ovens were in the backyard of our house,” GJ Jimenez, one half of the husband-and-wife team behind the brand, shares with a laugh. “When we increased our volume and we couldn’t handle operations at home, we moved to a bigger location in the Katipunan area.”

They decided to turn the frontage of the building into a small cafe, and the business took off from there. Students from neighboring campuses began flocking to Banapple, including one of their would-be Cebuano partners Jedd Ryan Go.

“I was like their number one fan when I was studying in Ateneo,” he admits. Aside from the delicious menu offerings, Jedd also shares that the atmosphere was one of the factors that kept luring him back. “When we’re at Banapple, I feel like we’re at home.”

Jedd loved it so much, that he broached the subject of opening in Cebu to GJ and Maricel when he came home after graduation. “This was in 2008 or 2009,” Maricel says. “We weren’t ready yet.”

Banapple’s signature Banoffee Pie

By then, the brand was expanding around Metro Manila. “It was in the end of 2014 or 2015 that we touched based with him. We told him we were ready,” GJ says.

“It took us a while because we wanted to do it right,” Maricel adds. “We wanted to study the Cebu market. We weren’t sure if the taste profiles were the same. But we wanted to make it happen.”

Banapple Favorites

I had personally been championing Banapple since it opened, like many of my Manila-matriculated friends. Whether you’ve been a fan for years or have made your happy Banapple discovery, you’re bound to pinpoint some favorites.

“I love the Lasagna Rollups,” says Jedd, to which I agreed wholeheartedly. The tomato sauce, and huge chunks of meat and cheese is comfort food at its finest. Jedd continues: “The Herbed Chicken Rolls. The Barbecued Ribs.”

As for their signature Banoffee Pie, Maricel reveals it wasn’t actually part of their original lineup. “It was requested by one of our clients before,” she shares. There were many versions of the recipe to refine it to Filipino tastes, but they had definitely created a winner in the current version.

The team behind Banapple Cebu: Maricel and GJ Jimenez, and Jedd Ryan Go

“It’s not just the Banoffee, though,” Jedd explains. “I love the cheesecakes.”

“Our cheesecakes are made of pure cream cheese,” Maricel adds. “It’s the basic recipe, but made with ingredients that are really good.”

“And it’s all handmade with love,” GJ laughs.

Considering the way the pies and cakes were flying off the shelves, I had to ask–just how many cakes does Banapple make in a day? Everyone laughs. “Good question,” Maricel answers. “I’ll get back to you on that.”

Central Bloc, Cebu IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City
Open from 10:00 to 2:00 AM every day

Arts & Culture

Chaos and Clarity: Zen Aesthetic in Oj Hofer’s Art

by Jing Ramos |

Oj Hofer, our fashion contributing editor, is a Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines. Though he began painting at the age of eight, his artistic journey took a transformative turn in 2013. While volunteering as a costume designer for Siddhartha: The Musical, he encountered Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s One-Stroke Calligraphy, sparking a deep devotion to Japanese sumi-e painting and kanji calligraphy. Over the years, he refined his craft, using his art to share the Dharma through exhibitions while supporting the Hsing Yun Educational Foundation. In 2022, his spiritual path deepened at Nan Tien University, where he embraced Zen and Humanistic Buddhism, shaping his artistic philosophy.

“Plum Blossoms in Moonlight.” Serigraphy on abaca.

In his recent works, Hofer merges traditional calligraphy with serigraphy, drawing inspiration from his friend Charles Lahti—an internationally recognized New York-based painter and printmaker. Lahti, known for his collaborations with post-war American artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, and LeRoy Neiman, introduced Hofer to silkscreen techniques. Through a workshop Lahti conducted in Cebu—arranged by their mutual friend Greg Urra—Hofer integrated silkscreen into his Zen artworks, particularly those on abaca.

“The Circle of Harmony” Serigraphy and Calligraphy on abaca.

Hofer’s cross-disciplinary approach challenges conventional Zen aesthetics. His layered paintings on abaca may seem far from tranquil at first glance, but closer contemplation reveals a meditative core. His serigraph of an Enso circle, for example, initially appears chaotic, filled with Tang Dynasty poetry and overlapping, repetitive forms. Yet, by focusing on a single calligraphic element, the viewer experiences a moment of clarity—a glimpse of awakening within the visual complexity.

“Monkey Mind” Serigraphy and Calligraphy on abaca.

Even more engaging is his diptych Monkey Mind. At odds with the traditional Zen emphasis on negative space, this piece is deliberately busy, reflecting the restless nature of the mind. A distracted viewer may struggle to find a focal point, but one attuned to emptiness and presence will perceive clarity amidst the seeming disarray.

Ink and intention—creating calligraphy in support of one of my advocacies.

By fusing Zen philosophy with the discipline of serigraphy, Hofer invites his audience to look beyond surface impressions and discover stillness within movement, balance within complexity. His art does not merely depict Zen—it embodies the paradoxes at its core, offering a path to mindfulness through the act of seeing and the experience of doing.

Arts & Culture

What is Sappia? The Rice Myth Goddess of Bohol Who Helped Feed the People During a Great Famine

by Emma Gomez

The story began when the people of Bohol started to experience hunger and famine. All the livestocks were inedible and the fields were dried out leaving only weeds planted on the ground. The people prayed to the goddess of mercy, Sappia, to ask for food.

Sappia, the rice myth goddess of Bohol

Sappia, from the heavens, heard the cries of the people. She saw the dense population of weeds and offered to help them. Sappia thought of nourishing the weeds to be edible and healthy for the people of Bohol. Straightaway, she sprinkled the weed with milk from her bossom. She emptied each breast until blood came out. Before she left, she whispered to the weeds that they may be nourished and be able to feed the people.

When harvest season came, the people of Bohol quickly gathered the nourished weeds. They observed that the ones sprinkled with milk were white, while the other were red. They called the new plant rice and they replanted these in honor of Sappia, and for the people to devour.

Arts & Culture

Kimsoy’s Canvas of a Lifetime in Full Display

by Diana Gillo

There is nothing more fascinating than seeing an artist’s lifetime of work in one room. Such is the experience in Jose “Kimsoy” Yap’s third solo exhibit entitled “Kimsoy: Episodes of Mastery,” at Galerie Raphael Cebu. This serves as the truest form of homage to his enduring journey, showcasing works that span over decades.

Kimsoy with his student and muse, Zhara Rivera Mercado, at the entrance of Galerie Raphael

The exhibit speaks greatly of Kimsoy’s evolution as an artist, with his shifting mediums and remarkable variety of subjects. His creations range from heartfelt portraits of individuals he encountered along his journey to detailed landscapes inspired by the different walks of his life. The room’s layout carries the weight of his years of craft with one wall lined with pastels, another with watercolors, and another with oil painting.

As the River Flows Onward by Kimsoy Yap 2020 | Oil on canvas | 82×48 inches

The exhibit transcends beyond just the commemoration of Kimsoy’s masterful periods. It wanders more into a sense of intimacy reflecting Kimsoy’s life’s journey—from his roots as a young boy in Negros Oriental, through his pursuit of greater artistic mastery in New York, to his prominence in Cebu’s art scene. All his work freehanded, created both with his left and right hand, depicts the ways in which we all leave traces of ourselves in our work and in the world.

A Friend of Mine 1979 | watercolor on paper | 24×18 inches

In a Relaxed Mood 1977 | water color on paper | 16×19.5 inches

The opening ceremony featured Ambassador Jose Mari Cariño, alongside special guests Ivy Ang Gabas, Paolo Li, Angbetic Tan, Laurie Bouquiren of the Visayas Art Fair, and Valerie Go of Galerie Raphael Cebu. The exhibit is open until March 21, 2025.