Noynoy's "Simple" Inaugural Dinner

On Wednesday, the country will party for two reasons: to say goodbye to the past 9 years of dishonest leadership and to say hello to what we hope will be a more transparent regime. Following the footsteps of his mother, the next president is projecting an image of simplicity and a common touch. This is supposed to be reflected in the menu that will grace the occasion on early Wednesday evening, for the cocktails that will be serve in lieu of dinner at Malacanang for the new president and his 700 guests. 

The lady in charge - and of course it must be a lady in charge ;) - is the elegant better half of Senator-elect Serge Osmena, Bettina. When I heard from Inaugural Spokesperson Manolo Quezon that she had been tasked with the event, I could not agree more with the organizers that she is an excellent choice for the job. I have had the pleasure of working with her for an event called Pink Kitchen, for the benefit of I Can Serve Foundation, which raises awareness and raises funds to help cancer patients. The food bazaar that she organized with Beth Romualdez and I Can Serve founder Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala has got to be one of the best food events ever to grace the country. 

 Bettina Osmena with daughter at Tickled Pink bazaar 2007

While Mrs. Osmena insists that the Malacanang kitchen staff is excellent, they still decided to use the services of caterer Via Mare under the direction of owner and Malacanang catering veteran Glenda Barretto. "We chose Via Mare because they're sanay na (experienced). There's no more learning curve. They already know their way around Malacanang. They even know the halls better than I do!" Osmena explained.

Glenda Barretto, of course, is the legendary founder/creator of Via Mare who has served the Palace since the days of Madame Imelda Marcos. At a dinner a year ago, I remember her sharing her memories of Mrs. Marcos: "She was very creative and knowledgeable with food. After her trips abroad, she would come back with knowledge of new cuisines and share them with me. She would say, 'Glenda, simple lang ang ginawa nila' and relate what she tasted. She wanted to take Filipino cuisine to higher levels of elegance and presentation." 

Mrs. Barretto was also the genius behind the presidential kitchens of former President Fidel V. Ramos and former President Joseph E. Estrada. 

Glenda Barretto (rightmost) at an I Can Serve event with Margaux Salcedo, Myrna Segismundo, Claude Tayag and Tita Trillo

The menu is limited to hors d'oeuvres and Filipino desserts: pritchon, a corned beef cart, fresh lumpia, a kakanin table, kesong puti with pandesal and a halo-halo hut. Via Mare had supposedly offered a more complicated menu but Mrs. Osmena vetoed this menu, laughingly saying, "Wait a minute, I don't think [President Noynoy] will like this fusion 'eck-eck'!"

So the final menu will include straightforward dishes like suman, Laguna kesong puti and Vigan longganisa in "petit" pandesal, chicken inasal in mini skewers. 

The guests will be limited to official guests. "No wives!" Mrs. Osmena emphasized. "It will be a simple and fast affair."

How did they prepare for it, I asked. Aside from the guidance of Mrs. Barretto, "I consulted with Manila's top hostesses," Mrs. Osmena said, "who of course I will not name!"

I am still pretty sure that while it sounds simple, it will, in reality, be fancy. There will be kamote but it's not just kamote, it's "Sweet Potato Croquettes stuffed with Mashed Squash" and "Squash flowers stuffed with herbed white cheese". The corned beef is no icky Argentina, it's a "Roast Corned Beef in Hot Cart" with kaldereta sauce. So no matter the humility or apparent simplicity of a head of state, of course this Inaugural Cocktail will still come through as nothing less than a presidential affair.

There is no sincerer love than the love of food. - George Bernard Shaw