Yet, within Manila's dining landscape, Aya - the bar connected to Hapag - continued pushing conversations forward through meaningful collaborations.
Their latest Inaya Series featured a two-night dinner, last Jan. 9 and 10, with Davao-born, Auckland-based chef Carlo Buenaventura of Bar Magda - proving that innovation and tradition could coexist thoughtfully.
What unfolded at Aya went beyond a typical chef collaboration. The visiting chef was welcomed with a boodle fight or family meal. The team's attention to detail extended to personal touches - Kevin "Nav" Navoa, chef and partner at Aya, sporting blonde hair in homage to Buenaventura's look; Erin Ganuelas-Recto, sommelier and partner, dressed in browns echoing Bar Magda's earth-tone aesthetic. These gestures transformed the space into more than just a bar; it became a temporary home for visiting talent.
A COMING TOGETHER OF SERIES
"Carlo and I go way back to culinary school, where he was already a creative in the kitchen," said Thirdy Dolatre, chef and partner at Aya and Hapag. "Watching his journey to Auckland has been truly inspiring, especially as he brings Filipino cuisine to the world stage."
Their connection runs deep - they met at CCA Manila, where both were students before Buenaventura headed to New Zealand through a work-study program in Otago.
Esta historia es de la edición January 16, 2025 de The Philippine Star.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 16, 2025 de The Philippine Star.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
BOI eyes release of new SIPP within H1
The Board of Investments (BOI) expects to release the Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP) for 2025 to 2028, which will identify activities eligible for incentives, within the first half of the year.
ENZO PINEDA PROUD OF BEST ACTOR WIN AT 2025 EMIRATES FILMFEST
Kapamilya actor Enzo Pineda bagged the Best Actor award at the 11th edition of the Emirates Film Festival, held at the Emirates Training Academy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last Jan. 18.
Perpetual spikers favored in NCAA
The University of Perpetual Help System Dalta Altas men’s sand spikers and their female counterparts from Letran gun for grand slam championships in the NCAA Season 100 beach volleyball that unwraps on Tuesday at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone’s sand courts.
Bureaucratese
When accurate communication could prove ruinous, bureaucrats often resort to confusing euphemisms to smooth the harshness of truth. They call it “bureaucratic subliminal.”
Comelec holds mock polls in 30 barangays
To better prepare for the May 12 elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will hold mock polls today in 30 barangays across the country.
Trade gap widens to $54.2 B in 2024
As imports pick up while exports continue to drop
A new epidemic
There is a new epidemic permeating the local basketball community.
Dialogue eyed with Boracay LGUs on ‘excessive fees, delays’
The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) plan to meet with local government officials of Aklan province and the municipality of Malay, home to the famous Boracay island, to address complaints from tourism businesses regarding alleged “excessive fees” and delays experienced by some tourists.
PSA offers toast to MVP Group
One of the fervent supporters of Philippine sports won't be missed out in the San Miguel Corp.-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel on Monday.
Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship
A federal judge Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's executive order to end automatic citizenship for babies born on US soil, dealing the president his first setback as he attempts to upend the nation's immigration laws and reverse decades of precedent.