As the holidays near, here are some highly recommended catering services, from Via Mare to nawwTy’s kitchen
Hosting or organizing an event is a most taxing experience, which is why “stress reliever jobs” such as wedding planners, party organizers, and caterers, to name a few, have been created.
My sister who has a food store in Vancouver makes a killing on every Philippine holiday or occasion. Whether it’s a birthday, Christmas, or New Year celebration, no one wants to cook and prepare the food. Everyone just wants to have fun and mingle with friends. It’s all about convenience.
In the early ’70s, I would frequent a friend’s house in Makati where he would host guests all day. So as not to worry about the preparation of food, he got Via Mare to cater almost every day. It was a free buffet for our young and hungry barkada.
Today, I have a few go-to caterers or food suppliers. For my roast turkey, I go to Bob and Ninay (0918 909 8850) and Marge De La Rama (0917 897 1017). For a delicious roast Italian porchetta, I go to The Porketta Man (0917 810 2218), and for a simple chicken relleno, I go to Matchpoint catering (0917 522 5450).
Of course, if you want great food and dependable service, Via Mare is still the number one caterer in the country. I once asked Tita Glenda Baretto, owner of Via Mare, what her largest catering was ever. The answer was a whopping 10,000 people at one time. If you want to talk about catering authority, without question, it is Tita Glenda’s Via Mare. She has catered to queens, kings, heads of state, VIPs from all over, the list goes on. We owe it to people like Tita Glenda that the life of party givers is now so much easier, with more room to enjoy themselves.
I know a much younger caterer in town who not only serves food that is only great-tasting but also elegant and well-decorated. I guess she picked it up from her mom, the late jeweler Fe Panlilio. I remember visiting the Panlilios’ home in the late ’70s for a caroling gig. I was impressed at the décor and elegance of the estate. Such class, I thought to myself. Her daughter Patricia has put up a catering business called nawwTy’s kitchen and what she has on offer and how she presents it—stylishly delectable and delectably stylish—make me think of her mother.
I love Patricia’s roast turkey with all the sidings, gravy, cranberry, the stuffing, and her fatty crab specials. The crab claws are conveniently cracked open and some of the crab meat is stripped off and stuffed in its shell. The sauce that comes with it is delicious! My kids and I love the mains and, for dessert, the crustless cheesecake—so good. With a burnt top, it is creamy, not too sweet, simply beyond compare. As I say, there is no sophisticated way to analyze good food, it just jumps out at you. These three items I tried, I loved. Check her out!
I love Patricia’s roast turkey with all the sidings, gravy, cranberry, the stuffing, and her fatty crab specials. The crab claws are conveniently cracked open and some of the crab meat is stripped off and stuffed in its shell.
Since the festive season is fast approaching, check out these stress relievers and food suppliers. I also just discovered a new dish in my Casa Daza show, French roast chicken. I’ll share the recipe one of these days.
Happy eating!
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