Annette Gallego invited media friends to “Afternoon Tea Delights” last Saturday, 3 to 5 p.m. at her Bake Art Culinary Studio in Nivel Hills, Lahug.
It is the first thing you see as you turn into the driveway that leads to the City Lights complex. It is not just a culinary studio with state-of-the-art equipment but a delightful coffee shop done in happy colors.
Actually, we were there for a preview, in order of appearance as in a play: Cookie Newman with granddaughter Arwen, Mayen Tan, Honey Loop, and Chinggay Utzurrum.
Annette and Lilu Aliño, her classmate from STC days, had prepared equally colorful kits for us to get all the info we needed, as they also gave us running commentaries about the undertaking.
Afternoon Tea Delights will feature regularly at Bake Art starting the first week of November, serving between 2 to 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, we were being plied with any choices of tea: Camomile, Earl Grey, English breakfast, Green Tea, or Jasmine Grey Tea.
The delights were in array at a sideboard.
The finger sandwiches were of smoked salmon and cream cheese and pinwheels of chicken and walnuts, while the savoury was mini spinach quiche.
The sweet delights were tempting, as in Belgian chocolate tarts, Espresso Panna Cotta, Lemon Curd Tarts, Petite cheesecakes topped by blueberry, cherry or mango; Red Velvet tortes, and best of all, Pistachio French Macaroons.
“I learned to make the macaroons in Bangkok,” said Annette with a laugh, “But the chef was pure French!”
Bake Art Culinary Studio offers workshops for the young as well as for adults. One successful one had mothers and daughters. Why not fathers and sons? Or husbands and wives?
A special workshop for Nov. 29 is for Christmas sugar cookies and gingerbread houses. Reservations are already being accepted. Call 260-7845.
There are special week end baking and cooking workshops for kids and teeners, as well as for adults. Similar workshops will be offered in summer vacation.
Bake Art offers gift certificates for baking and cooking lessons, which are ideal as gifts during the forthcoming holiday season.
Speaking of holiday treats, Bake Art offers specialty cakes, cookies and pastries, packed as perfect give aways.
Bake Art is available for year round theme parties, exclusive birthday and anniversary celebrations, as well as team building seminars and other corporate events.
Bake Art Culinary Studio was established in 2000 by chef Annette Gallego as a training center for cooking and baking. She was joined by her sister Maritess and cousin Gret in the early years of Bake Art in a small house transformed into a culinary school.
In 2002, Bake Art transferred to another renovated house along Maria Cristina street corner Juana Osmeña. They continued to offer summer classes to kids and teens, as well as periodic classes to adults for the next 10 years.
On September 2013 Bake Art moved to its new location at Citylights Gardens in Nivel, Lahug. The new location boasts of excellent facilities, spacious working areas, plus complete kitchen tools and equipage. As you have seen, it also has a coffee shop.
Inspired by her passion for food, Chef Annette set up Bake Art in order to enable her to share her expertise to aspiring cooks. From savouries to pastries, cakes and pastas, Bake Art offers its students a wide range of dishes to learn, and master.
It comes as no surprise for Annette Gallego has had constant exposure to the family business, Angelica’s Bake Shop. After graduating with a degree in Business administration from St. Theresa’s College, she went to take baking and cooking skills in various parts of the world.
She went to the Wilton School of Cake Decorating in Chicago, Illinois; the French Culinary Institute and the Institute of Culinary Education, both in New York; Escuela de Gastronomia in Madrid; the Blue Elephant School in Bangkok, Thailand; and the Macaron French Pastry Arts Center, also in Bangkok.
In Cebu Annette went to the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management. She also took up the Advanced Pastry Program at the International Culinary Arts Academy here in Cebu.
