PASTRY Chef Francesca “Ricca” Alvarez Arambulo must have inherited the culinary genes of her grandmothers, Rosita V. Arambulo and Merceditas B. Alvarez.
With a highly individual and independent attitude, 34-year-old Ricca discovered her talent for baking early in her still young life. But she pursued her love for the aesthetics by enrolling in Interior Design for one and a half years.
She explored another field—psychology —at Cebu Doctors College. She finally finished a two-year Diploma in Culinary Arts at the International Culinary Arts Academy of Cebu in 2008.
Her internship brought her to Manila under celebrity Chef Fernando Aracama. She then took a Master’s Program in Hotel & Restaurant Operations in Constellation College in Toronto, Canada. Her journey into the world of cookery is more like an odyssey.
After all, she was born into the hospitality business, the Borromeo-Alvarez clan being owners and operators of the Montebello Villa Hotel and Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel.
I remember Ricca as an active, athletic girl who simply loves to be her own person.
During our family gatherings, she was already showing her talent for preparing desserts. She prides herself with her first signature delight, Leche Flan, the recipe of which was handed down by her paternal grandmother, Rosita.
Her Christmas presents were always pastries —she cooked and baked—in fancy packaging.
After returning from Canada, Ricca eschewed working for the family and flew instead to Singapore to gain experience in her culinary career in the award-winning five-star Swissotel Singapore Stamford’s Pastry Section.
Here, Ricca honed her pastry skills and was privileged to work with a group who prepared pastries for Michelin-Starred Taiwanese Chef Andre Chiang’s fine dining restaurant, Jaan, located on the hotel’s 80th floor.
For another two years, Ricca was Sous Chef for Urban Spoon before she finally decided to come home to start her pastry business back in Cebu.
On her Dad Raul’s recent birthday celebration in the Glass House of Montebello Villa Hotel, Ricca proudly informed me that she made the favorites of her dad.
There was the towering Pistachio Sans Rival, eight layers of delicately crispy wafers of beaten egg whites with crushed pistachios, creamy egg yolk and butter filling in between.
Her Ultimate Pie, a medley of the best pies in one— pecan, pumpkin and green apple.
The delicious flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger blended very well to give an ultimate treat to the palates.
For chocolate lovers, her Chocolate Salami made only from the finest Beryl’s chocolates from Malaysia, heavy cream and condensed milk for that sweetness is mixed with cookie crumbs, rolled and set in the fridge.
Ricca’s Smores will make every kid squeal with delight, bite-sized goodness of graham cracker crust, topped with home made marshmallow fluff and drizzled with rich, dark chocolate.
Her pastry brand, Wicked Bites, which currently is by orders only, is slowly but surely gaining popularity. She plans to open her own Wicked Bites with a hole-in-the-wall concept to start with by early next year.
Meanwhile, orders from her home also include Christmas treats like Candied Apples coated in different flavors: the original home-made caramel, salted caramel, white chocolate, caramel with home-made bacon and Oreo-drizzled with white chocolate.
There are also the ubiquitous Crinkles in three flavors—ube, lemon and cheetos. Ricca has an official taster before it reaches the market, her 13-year old son Andoni. Here’s to a Sweet Christmas!
