Authors
Cherie Altea
Cherie's creativity is as flavorful as her art forms. She moves from the pallette to the palate as she turns her paintings and words into eye (and ear) candy. Her epicurean adventures transcend from her own kitchen as she trots around Manila and beyond in a lifetime, universal quest for interesting ingredients and dining experiences that span from a foodie's hole-in-the-wall haunt to fine dining extravaganzas. Her global perspective is partly due to 11 years of teaching ESL (English as Second Language) and Speech, and working with people from different corners of the planet. This artist and writer believes that living an extraordinary life in an ordinary world is essentially derived from random, candid takes on the simplest of things.
Articles by this author
Creating Your Own Gourmet Kitchen
by Cherie Altea
posted on Monday November 24, 2008 in Food
Bringing the gourmet flavors to your own dining table need not be a challenge, thanks to Mira Angeles, who gives every person the semblance and chance to be a pseudo-gourmet chef.
The Northern Surprise Called Wood Nymph
by Cherie Altea
posted on Friday October 24, 2008 in Food, Travel
Sometimes, good things totally come out of left field.
Off To See The 'Manghuhula'
by Cherie Altea
posted on Thursday October 16, 2008 in Festivals, Indie Films
To what extent does a person allow another mortal to predict the control we have over our own destiny?
Coming Home To Belly Treats
by Cherie Altea
posted on Wednesday October 15, 2008 in Food
Many years ago, I would go to San Lorenzo Village in Makati just to get a box of delectable sylvannas. Today, its owners have sprinkled stalls across several malls and its product line has expanded into cakes and other equally delightful pastries.
A Second Time Around In Hong Kong
by Cherie Altea
posted on Friday October 10, 2008 in Shopping, Food, Places, Escapades, Travel
The blast of heat that whipped against my face came as a bit of a shock when I stepped out of the K-2 Bus in Hong Kong’s cosmopolitan Kowloon District. My memory of Hong Kong was limited to a trip almost 20 years ago. It was a winter holiday when I was decked out in a heavy maroon parka, and revelers were throwing confetti at the crowd walking down the streets during one Christmas Eve.
An Inspiring Journey Of Dreams And Possibilities
by Cherie Altea
posted on Monday October 6, 2008 in Movies
Film-makers embark on their craft for a reason --- whether it’s about making a statement, winning an award or simply expressing themselves.
A Girl And A Chick That Followed Her Home
by Cherie Altea
posted on Tuesday June 24, 2008 in Festivals, Indie Films
Film-maker Anna Bigornia recalled how she brought home some chicks from a school experiment. Several of them expired shortly from the chill of a storm until only one survived, which she took in as her pet. She recounted the great disbelief on the day she came home and discovered that her chick, which she nurtured into a chicken, had been appointed a destiny beyond her wildest imaginations at that point in her life.
[read more] [10 Comments]
A Symphony Of Style And Savor At Umu
by Cherie Altea
posted on Wednesday May 7, 2008 in Food
It was a fitting homecoming for someone who just traveled for 29-hours from halfway across this planet. Umu, Dusit Thani Hotel’s Japanese restaurant, was a beautiful backdrop for an intimate family gathering.
[read more] [8 Comments]
Fely J's Kitchen
by Cherie Altea
posted on Friday April 11, 2008 in Food
Once in a while, breaking routine and predictability in deciding what and where to eat can be worth the gamble. Especially, when you stumble upon a very good find. Curious to see what Greenbelt 5 had in store, and hoping to be as fortunate as discovering LJC’s Abe restaurant in Serendra, me and my random foodie group for the evening (a medley of women from different industries and varied origins) all agreed on a food trip at LJC’s newest baby --- Fely J's Kitchen.
[read more] [13 Comments]
Play With Your Food At Marta's Cakes
by Cherie Altea
posted on Tuesday April 1, 2008 in Food
It could have been Austin Powers’ pastry shop crossed with Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. One can easily mistake it for a virtual time machine for I felt as if I was transported to the psychedelic era that preceded my debut into planet earth (and back to the old 80’s Goya Fun Factory commercial). I wasn’t even fully awake yet when a burst of colors jolted me out of my stupor as I entered the sweets shop that was littered with thereabouts fifteen wide-eyed girls out for 8 year-old Nicole’s birthday party and raring for a sugar high at 10am on a Saturday morning.
[read more] [14 Comments]
Eating With Harry Connick, Jr.
by Cherie Altea
posted on Wednesday March 26, 2008 in Events, Music
Harry Connick, Jr. is not one to just be merely heard or watched. He is really one to be experienced in the flesh.
[read more] [1 Comments]
Hair-Raising Tales By Jerry Morada
by Cherie Altea
posted on Monday March 24, 2008 in Exhibits, Visual
There is a strong presence in Jerry Morada’s canvasses that made me want to look a little bit longer. It seems to me as if his framed works are moving, compelling me to watch and wait for a story to unfold. This just made me want to do a high-noon sandwich break, like Pierce Brosnan in “Thomas Crown Affair“.
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A Free Holiday
by Cherie Altea
posted on Wednesday March 19, 2008 in Food
Three years ago I discovered one of the best vacation spots for the Holy Week. No crowds to bother with, no time-consuming traffic jams to put up with and no unnecessary pressure to work-out weeks ahead for the beach. In this place of simple thrills, one could savor the music of birds and the rustling of leaves in the most natural of orchestrations with the soft humming of the wind. The serenity emphasizes the lush greenery and the clear skies above.
[read more] [8 Comments]
A Book On The (He)Art Of Frederico Aguilar Alcuaz
by Cherie Altea
posted on Thursday March 13, 2008 in Events, Visual
When I was a child, I remember having dessert at a lobby as an orchestra performed a repertoire of classical music from the hotel balcony. There was, however, this one stray melody that caught my musical ear, as it hovered distinctly in the air. It was piercing but muffled, yet the notes precise and accurate, in sync as it accompanied the live orchestration. I craned my head restlessly from my seat just to scan the area and figure out if I was imagining that sound or not. Then, I saw the answer to my question. There sat a man on a padded armchair, with eyes closed, smiling to himself as he pressed the small keys of an 80’s-type hand-held Casio organ.
[read more] [4 Comments]
Wit Springs Eternal in Spring Collection
by Cherie Altea
posted on Monday March 10, 2008 in Exhibits, Visual
Without missing a beat, as soon as I entered the gallery floor of Alliance Francaise de Manille for Pete Jimenez’s “Spring Collection” show, my cousin-in-law Marc told me with a smirk, “You just missed Peque Gallaga.” He knew that had I gone earlier, I would have asked the “Oro, Plata, Mata” director for an autograph on a paper napkin. Scanning the gallery and resigned that he was nowhere to be found, I went to the guest book, wrote my name, got one of the artist’s printed invites and asked Pete for his autograph instead.
[read more] [8 Comments]
The Sure Thing Of Uncertainty
by Cherie Altea
posted on Thursday March 6, 2008 in Events, Visual
For a moment, I thought it was a cold, dismantled kitchen and tailor’s shop I stumbled into. Cotton tape, spoons and forks, shoe laces, metal scraps, receipts, gesso paint, glue, nails, coils and remnants of a plumber’s tools and parts make for “Uncertainty”, a multi-media art exhibit recently launched at Blanc Gallery.
[read more] [2 Comments]
"Sorry, I Can't. I'm Fasting."
by Cherie Altea
posted on Monday March 3, 2008 in Food
There are many ways to fast and abstain during the season of Lent without making it too miserable for you. Personally, an empty tummy and a headache from fasting turns me into a very mean crank --- a totally different creature altogether. I can name several real people:
[read more] [24 Comments]