Passion Unleashed Philippines

Artist’s resort rises off Palawan

2009-02-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

By Marge C. Enriquez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:48:00 02/15/2009

ICONOCLAST and visionary Helena Carratala (the Spanish fashion designer formerly known as Helena Guerrero) is out to make waves again, like she did in the ’70s and early ’80s. She has taken out a 50-year lease on Mangenguey island (the name means “thunderous sound of the waves”) in Culion, off Palawan, to turn it into an artist’s colony.

Helena said it’s her destiny to swim against the current.

“I have proven everyone wrong since the day I was born. Most people thought I was crazy. If I had listened to them, I would not have done anything.”

At the height of her popularity in Manila, Helena lit up the social scene with her theatrical theme parties and her outrageous fashion sense that was striking yet never caricaturish. Fashion-forward—it was as if the term had been coined for her.

Today, at 57, she is still attractive, wearing an all-black sheath that highlights her round, rosette-colored face and sharp Castillian features, framed by a gob of salt-and-pepper curls.

She attributes her sensibilities to her family. Her father, a professor and internationalist, shaped her global outlook. Her mother, a home maker, exposed her to the arts, craft and beauty.

Being traditionalists, they hoped she would be in the academe and lead a conventional family life. Then she met Filipino artist-photographer Xavier “Wahoo” Guerrero in Barcelona, who swept her off her feet as a teen bride, brought her to exotic places and finally settled in Manila.

Fluent in French, she worked at Pierre Cardin’s Manila boutique, as translator and assistant to a then-unknown designer—Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Her own label

In the ’70s, with chutzpah and fecund imagination, she created her own label, Azabache, whose vibrant colors and fresh silhouettes ran contrary to the safe conventions of Manila fashion.

Azabache boutique was way ahead of even the international fashion scene, with its chic clothes and fashion accessories. (She was selling jewel-colored roman sandals even before they were the vogue, had retro fashions even before fashion went into retrospective mode.)

She then launched a black collection at SM, which according to Chinese belief was ominous, but turned out to be a surprise hit. (She used black way before it was the world’s uniform non-color.) As the brand was exported in the Asian region, Helena wanted to conquer the fashion capital of New York.

Naysayers warned her. By then, she had left her marriage and tried her luck in garments.

“I’m gifted with creative talent and great administration,” she said. “I understand how to make money. I did well in 7th Avenue, but I hated every minute of it. I had my own business and worked for others. Helena is not made to be working for others.”

She added: “I made one huge mistake. I could have kept a small operation like Norma Kamali and Betsy Johnson, and have little store in Soho. I went to the big department stores, and that’s what killed me.”

Helena carried her own label, Carratala, which was successful. However, with delayed payments from the stores and lack of financial backing, she quit.

Awakening

The frustration coincided with the death of three designer-friends from AIDS.

“It was an awakening. When young people die, one has to think about how you want to live your life,” she said.

With her culinary skills and talent for interior design and entertainment, she put up a tapas bar and restaurant. She was married to Richard Mander, a general contractor for prestigious projects in New York. Despite the success, Helena and Richard eventually grew weary of the rat race in New York.

“In the US, whatever you do, the concept is that you kill yourself for money because you need a lot to do anything,” she said. “In the end, you may get what you want, but you have no life.”

In 2004, Helena returned to the Philippines to visit her daughter, artist Katya Guerrero, and her son-in-law, photographer At Maculangan, who were first-time parents to Anika. After 20 years of being away, Helena was surprised that her friendships were still intact and that even the Gen X and Y expressed their admiration for her Azabache.

She realized that she was very attached to the Philippines and noted that it had the laidback lifestyle she and her husband were looking for. In the next two years, she explored Palawan and returned to the Calamnianes islands where she discovered Mangenguey.

13-hectare island

The challenge began with the tedious process of acquiring a 50-year lease from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. One of its requirements was producing a book on the island’s flora and fauna.

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Cooking his way to the boob tube

2009-02-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

by Joy Cabarillos, Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Unknown to many of his viewers, “Unang Hirit’s” resident chef Tristan Encarnacion’s road to the kitchen was not a straight one.

Though he was raised in a family that loves to cook-his lola used to own a canteen and his mom bakes-it never crossed his mind that he could make a career out of cooking.

"I've always liked to cook but what I really wanted was to become a TV reporter or correspondent," Encarnacion says.

This was why he took up Mass Communications at the University of Sto. Tomas. However, the carefree Encarnacion thought there were more "interesting" and fun stuff to do outside of the classroom such as hanging out with his friends during school hours. Soon enough, during his sophomore year, he got a Pink Form, which meant he was only a step away from being kicked out of school.

But, as fate would have it, it was also around that time he learned that about the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA), Manila.

"I decided to tell my parents I wanted to transfer to CCA and take up a culinary course instead. Thankfully, they were very supportive," he says.

"The real reason I grabbed it was, I saw it as the only option available to me at the time. I was actually afraid my parents would send me to America and force me to take up a course I didn't like."

Tough job

The first year at CCA was easy. He enjoyed learning new recipes and trying out all the food after he and his classmates were done cooking.

"It was on my second year there that I got a clearer glimpse of how tough a chef's job could be. It was physically and mentally taxing," he recalls. Part of the training included cleaning the kitchen and taking out the garbage.

It was common for Encarnacion to see some of his classmates crying while cooking. In fact, several of his classmates quit during the said period.

"What you see on the reality show ‘Hell's Kitchen' is not too far from reality. Especially when you're working with foreign chefs, you would really hear a lot of words you can't find in the dictionary," he says.

Still, it was during this time that he realized cooking was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

"I thrive under pressure, so I actually enjoyed it," he says.

Encarnacion even volunteered to assist his teachers on weekends. "CCA offers short courses on weekends. Because I really wanted to learn everything I could, I volunteered to work as an assistant."

After getting his Certificate in Culinary Arts from CCA, he decided to rest for a few months before applying for a job.

"My dad (the late Jun Encarnacion) was already sick then, so I decided to spend more time at home with him," he says.

A month after his dad passed away, he went to the US to work for a new hotel in Naples City, Florida.

"I got hired by Marco Beach Ocean Resort. I started out flipping burgers by the beach. Then I moved up to handle the fresh pasta and breads station, the breakfast station, the cold and dessert station, and then the grill and sauce station."

"It was in the US where I learned to become independent. I had to wash my own clothes and stuff. Fortunately, there, people didn't really mind if you wore clothes without ironing them," Encarnacion recalls, laughing. It was there that he decided to get a tattoo. Now he has tattoos on both his upper arms.

Guesting stint

His experience in the US taught him to appreciate and respect people from different cultures and nationalities. It widened his perspective. "I even had the chance to date women from different countries," he says with a naughty grin.

In February 2003 he came home for a vacation. "I realized I missed my family so much that I decided to stay," says Encarnacion. He had a short stint at a restaurant called Solas in Quezon City before he decided to try something new.

"I quit and decided to concentrate on being a percussionist for several acoustic bands. I guess I got burned out."

But destiny did not allow him to stay out of the kitchen for long. In December 2005, just before Christmas, he got a call asking if he wanted to be a guest chef on GMA 7's morning show "Unang Hirit." He never thought the one-time guesting stint would become a weekly gig that would change his life forever.

"I admit being on TV gave me a thrill. Back when I was just starting I would even text my friends to watch me. I would even wake my sister up just to force her to watch me," he says.

He simply never thought his dream of being on TV would come true.

Bigger break

Last year, Encarnacion's mom brought up the idea of a restaurant of his own, which led to the opening of Bambouche Bistro, along Congressional Avenue in Quezon City, in May 2006.

But a bigger break was yet to come. In August of that year, Sunnex, an international cookware brand, asked if he wanted to have his own cookware line.

The Chef Tristan Chef's Classics by Sunnex, a line that bears the signature of Encarnacion, was launched in April 2007, making him the first ever Filipino chef to endorse a cookware line.

The line offers saucepans, saucepots, pasta cooker pots, frying pans, grill pans, woks and kitchen accessories such as silicon scraper, silicon tongs, a professional knife set and kitchen tools.

These days, Encarnacion can be seen on "Unang Hirit" four times a week. And he now has his own segment called UH Star Recipe where he gets to cook with a celebrity.

"I believe this is exactly where I'm supposed to be," he says.

Want to be a chef? Here are some tips from Chef Tristan Encarnacion:

1. Be patient. You have to work your way up. There are no shortcuts.
2. Be passionate. Put your heart into what you're doing.
3. Always be hungry for knowledge. Take every opportunity to learn new things.
4. Never forget the people you meet on your way up. Be grateful to your mentors. Chef Tristan considers chefs Ferns Aracama, Rowena Bautista and Boy Logro his mentors.
5. Keep your feet on the ground.
6. Always smile and be happy.

Source

Ex-nurses turn wedding planners

2009-02-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

By Cris Evert Lato
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 10:32:00 01/22/2009

The stress they experienced in organizing their wedding on December 2000 convinced Joemari and Maria Glia Benedicto to set up their own wedding coordination business in Cebu City.

What started out as free services to friends and relatives in 2000 developed into a full -time registered business in 2004 named Rent An Angel Wedding Support Services.

“I was not into organizing. But during our wedding in 2000, my husband and I were hands-on with wedding preparations. We really felt the stress so my husband said 'Why not make this as a full-time business?' From there, everything flowed,” Glia said.

The decision became official in 2004 after Glia attended a leadership seminar, which made her realize her passion and love to serve others.

Noting that the two of them could not work on their own Joemari and Glia, both registered nurses, invited family members to make up their team.

“It's easier to work with people you know. There are times that you are not there when the event is happening. Even without me, they already have the ability to make quick decisions,” Glia said.

The couple has three family members helping them with the business.

Organizing and coordinating events were not part of Glia's original repertoire.

After resigning from hospital work in 1998, Glia worked for several companies until 2004.

However, her husband Joemari has a knack for hosting events.

Glia said managing people is the most challenging part of being wedding coordinators.

She said dealing with bridezillas, a term wedding coordinators use for brides who usually become very impatient and hot-tempered like the Japanese monster Godzilla, made it one of her most challenging experiences.

But she credits the 2004 seminar lessons she learned for her long patience and utmost understanding for the brides.

“You have to be very patient because most of them are pressured. Some want their weddings to be better than their friends’. Others are pressured by their families,” Glia said.

She said it is important to communicate and update the couple on the developments in their weddings.

Glia works at home and meets her clients in malls or restaurants.

“It's easier (to work at home) because I am free to go about the things that I wanted to do. Also, I can save on rental. That's savings (on overhead costs).”

Within the year, she plans to put up an office so it will be easier to entertain clients..

Aside from patience and understanding, Glia said love for the craft, honesty and commitment are primary values which wedding coordinators should possess.

After being in the business for eight years, Glia said the importance of having a time line is synonymous to a successful wedding.

“The time line makes sure that your schedules are not delayed. Things fall into place and you lessen last minute mistakes.”

Top priorities include proper documentation and sticking to the contract agreement so one’s services as coordinator are not exploited.

The couple organized a total of 25 weddings since 2000. The weddings were held in Cebu, Ormoc and Dipolog cities.

To enhance creativity and innovation, the couple update themselves with the latest trends including color combinations by watching TV, reading magazines and doing research online.

Glia said it helps that they have a list of able suppliers such as florists and photographers who help them with wedding specifics.

To keep a positive aura, Glia said she meditates everyday. This also helps her in becoming more sensitive to the needs of clients.

Although, it started with zero capital, she said, the business continues to flourish because of their passion and love to help other couples organize one of the most important events in their lives.

This is a lesson that start-up entrepreneurs should learn by heart, said Glia.

“They (entrepreneurs) should never think that they need big capital to put up a business. As long as they love and have passion for the business, it can be done.”

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