A total of 54 brave souls refused to be intimated by the threat of rains and flooding in the Pampanga area, and proceeded with the planned food tour; they did not regret it.
CHOP considers itself very lucky indeed, because the whole tour was painstakingly organized by none other than the renowned Chef Sau del Rosario, with the much-appreciated collaboration of Chef Edith Singian (we are proud to say both are CHOP members). The result was the largest group that CHOP has ever assembled before (we've had to turn down late registrants as the quota was quickly filled), and the most incredible day of learning about Pampanga's cuisine and indulging in not one, but two fiesta-like meals--a heavy brunch and then a late, heavier, lunch. On offer was Chef Sau's signature Kapmpangan dishes as well as other local delicacies, sweet and savory alike.There were also several cooking demos of Kapampangan fare.
Owing to the bad weather and threats of flooding in some areas of Pampanga, Chef Sau had to reconfigure the planned itinerary, cancelling those events in venues that had already flooded (among them Bacoor, Mexico, Guagua, and Candaba). We got lucky in that Angeles City, Chef Sau's hometown, was not flooded; it was where the planned two main meals were going to be held -- the brunch at Chef Sau's elegant restaurant, Cafe Fleur, and the proper lunch at the ancestral Museum of Angeles City.
Headlining this post are some of the group photos:
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| The 45 participants, at the entrance of Cafe Fleur, after the big BRUNCH. |
