yesterday i had to go out and buy a newspaper, something i havent done in years! and it struck me that the same thing is happening to people with Heneral Luna, saying they havent been to the theater in years yet here they are. the Lord be praised!

Production designers Benjamin Padero and Carlo Tabije left no stone — or should I say plate — unturned when it came to the food styling.

col boyd was not crazy about the local food

the spread prepared by chef toto gonzales and chef gene. i explained to chef gene the scene would have been after dinner where the guests would have milled around to chat and gossip. chef gene suggested this lineup. we also discussed plating and i took notes, including flower arrangement!

our awesome executive producer, nando ortigas, all dressed up beside ms annie rocha, wife of our producer, ed rocha. on the right is line producer, daphne chiu.

captain rusa (played by archie alemania) eating again on the set! here we served some english biscuits along with sconces. carlo even had to make sugar cubes from scratch to go with the tea. and yes, everytime we have food in our scenes, we have to make sure we have a bit more because the actors enjoy eating them. good luck nalang kung maubusan kami ng food props!

i had to go buy a copy of the philippine star because chef claude tayag featured the food in HENERAL LUNA in his article. we’re so honored to be mentioned. and im also glad we really took the time to understand the food along with consulting chef gene gonzales of cafe isabel and in turn was provided with the technical expertise of chef toto gonzales for the food in the banquet scene. we also consulted with chef gene on plating, even the use of brandy, and fencing!

thank you chef claude for the wonderful article. the HENERAL LUNA FB PAGE posted a photo of the newspaper in print yesterday. click on the photo for the full article online. a full description of the food we featured in film is in the article 😉

mas bagay jan ang ensaymada!