Northern Living: 2016 January

January 2016 Volume 10 | Issue 5

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AC T U AL P H OT OS

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CONT ENTS 10

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COVER STORY Young creatives thriving in variety

STYLE A mosaic of muted color

Cover photo by Joseph Pascual 26

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HEALTH Tuning in to unconventional lullabies BEAUTY How tech devices cause aging CRAFT Clay rings for a touch of style

EATS How a duo is curing our meat cravings

FIXTURE Making your to-do lists effective MARKET Mainstays for the methodical THE GET Tableware with a dash of wit

EDITOR’S NOTE True calling “Raise your hand if you’ve ever been asked ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’” says career coach Emilie Wapnick in one of her TEDTalks. You can’t deny that this question has been asked by your titas, titos, lolos, and lolas dozens of times. Did you ever give a straight answer? Did you really become what you said you wanted to be?

There was a time when honing students’ multiple intelligence became a trend in the academic world. Everyone was required to try out different activities or subject matters from different categories:

academic, creative, and kinesthetic.

It was used as a strategy to help the student choose one that he/she is most interested in. But what if you can’t just choose one?

In this issue, we discover a new label for individuals who chose to take multiple paths all at once: the multipotentialite.

Some can see it as detrimental to one’s career because of not being able to focus, hone, and potentially master a single skill. Wapnick identifies three multipotentialite super powers: synthesis, rapid learning, and adaptability.

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Northern Living is published by Hinge Inquirer Publications. 4F Media Resource Plaza, Mola corner Pasong Tirad Street, Barangay La Paz, Makati City. Visit www.facebook.com/ northernlivingmagazine now. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @nlivingph.

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FEEDBACK

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Hi! I really like your mag because it’s free. Kidding. But really mostly because you have interesting takes on stories. Definitely not your typical lifestyle magazine. Keep up the good work!

- Nashla Camille Locsin

GROUP PUBLISHER BEA J. LEDESMA MANAGING EDITOR DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS LEX CELERA, PRISTINE L. DE LEON RENZ NOLLASE CREATIVE DIRECTOR NIMU MUALLAM GRAPHIC ARTIST MAYSIE LECCIONES STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER PATRICK SEGOVIA CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS CHARLIE CARBUNGCO, BEVERLY DALTON, INA AMOR MEJIA, MAAN D'ASIS PAMARAN ILLUSTRATORS MARJORIE CALASIN, MARTIN DIEGOR, TRISTAN TAMAYO STYLISTS MEG MANZANO, INA AMOR MEJIA HAIR AND MAKEUP GEORGE ALIBEN, JA FELICIANO, CHUCHIE LEDESMA PHOTOGRAPHERS GERIC CRUZ, INA AMOR MEJIA, ARTU NEPOMUCENO, JOSEPH PASCUAL, TARISH ZAMORA COPY EDITOR SEPTEMBER GRACE MAHINO PROOFREADER ROMEO MORAN EDITORIAL CONSULTANT RIA FRANCISCO-PRIETO CUSTOM ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITORS PAM BROOKE CASIN, ANGELA VELASCO EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS TJ BILLONES, PAM CARLOTA, PAULINE MIRANDA, CHRISTELLE TOLISORA RICA ERLANO SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE SHANNA MALING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES INA MATEO, GENE PEREZ GRAPHIC ARTISTS ROI DE CASTRO, KATRICE MONTES, YAYIE MOTOS, JAYCELINE SORIANO PRODUCTION MANAGER JAN CARIQUITAN PRODUCTION ASSISTANT MARICEL GAVINO FINAL ART SUPERVISOR DENNIS CRUZ FA ARTIST KRISTINE MAY PAZ BOARD CHAIRPERSON ALEXANDRA PRIETO-ROMUALDEZ FINANCE ADVISOR AND TREASURER J. FERDINAND DE LUZURIAGA LEGAL ADVISOR ATTY. RUDYARD ARBOLADO HR STRATEGY HEAD RAYMUND SOBERANO VP AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER IMELDA ALCANTARA SVP AND GROUP SALES HEAD, INQUIRER GROUP OF COMPANIES FELIPE R. OLARTE AVP FOR SALES MA. KATRINA MAE GARCIA-DALUSONG CUSTOM SALES SUPERVISOR POLO P. DAGDAG KEY ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST ANGELITA TAN-IBAÑEZ SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ABBY GINAGA, THEA ORDIALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ANDIE ZUÑIGA, SARAH CABALATUNGAN, CHARM BANZUELO, LIZA JISON SALES SUPPORT ASSISTANTS RECHELLE ENDOZO, MARA KAREN ALIASAS MARKETING ASSISTANTS ERLE VIRGILIA MAMAWAL, JANNELLE TURIJA CLARIZEL ABANILLA GRAPHIC ARTIST LEE CACES, JR LAROSA

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C ALENDAR

ON THE WALL

Mapping out the new year’s artistic offerings

BLANC GALLERY January 2016 Louie Cordero Jordin Isip Group Show (Melted City 2)

ART INFORMAL February 2016 Cian Dayrit Jonas Eslao Jason Montinola

POST GALLERY Jan. 09 - Feb. 20, 2016 Tin Garcia

ART INFORMAL January 2016 “Being”- Jacob Lindo “Hagiography” - Jun-jun Sta. Ana “Begin” - Group Show

ART INFORMAL March 2016 Ringo Bunoan Timo Roter Lubin Nepomuceno

WEST GALLERY Jan. 14 - Feb. 06, 2016 Group Show (Curated by Bernie Paquing) Benjie Cabangis Nestor Vinluan Rock Drilon

WEST GALLERY Feb.11 - Mar. 12, 2016 Robert Langenegger Liv Vinluan Lyra Garcellano Annie Cabigting

POST GALLERY Feb. 27 - April 09, 2016 Czar Kristoff Gino Javier

WEST GALLERY Mar. 16 - Apr. 16, 2016 Reg Yuson Jonathan Olazo Juni Salvador Ronald Achacoso

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HEALT H

SOUND ASLEEP

Where lullabies come in the form of crickets, flutes, and vacuum cleaners teasing us to sleep TEXT PRISTINE L. DE LEON ILLUSTRATION MARTIN DIEGOR

There are a lot of unusual things that go on at night: the throng of concertgoers spreading their sleeping bags on the ground, listening to music that lulls them to sleep; the 700,000 or so followers tuning in to sleep playlists on their mobile phones; and folks dreaming sweetly with earphones plugged in, listening to something as ubiquitous as the whirring of a box fan.

For decades, mystics, neurologists, and musicians have probed into the liminal zones connecting sound and sleep. During the Middle Ear Muscle Activity (MEMA), which accompanies the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) states, the tympanic tensor muscles of the eardrum twitch in response to actual sounds that the sleeper hears. The sounds leave their ghostly mark on dreams, invading them in the form frequency, amplitude, and wavelength. “The dreaming mind has [a] way of incorporating the outside interference into the storyline of the dream,” certified dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg tells the Huffington Post.

R.I.P. Hayman—real-life sandman and once the guinea pig of these studies—launched the idea of an all-night sleep concert. He played wave-patterned sounds from flutes, harps, crackling fire, and Johann Bach’s Goldberg variations to an audience that dozed off. One of Hayman’s predecessors, musician Max Richter, launched his eight-hour album “Sleep” in 2015, an oeuvre informed by how low-wave frequency

sounds can induce slow-wave phases of sleep where learning and memory apparently occur.

The Internet has then given rise to a number of playlists supplying sleep acoustics on loop. There are 2.8 million sleep-themed playlists on the net and growing, some of which involve sounds of radio static, boiling water, and singing birds. The box fan sound in particular has become a staggering hit. Digital companies have since produced background noise apps devoted to putting more people to sleep.

It isn’t the volume, but the sudden change or the inconsistency of the sounds that startle us awake, and steady, repetitive, and low-frequency background noises drown out these intrusive external sounds, consequently diminishing brain wave complexity and inducing a more stable state of sleeping. It takes basic science to explain how the steady drone can mask external noises.

There are those, of course, who offer their own theories on how washing machines can be a nighttime lullaby. Thomas Moore, creator of the app “White Noise,” simply says that people are most relaxed when they hear sounds associated with their childhood. So whether it’s rain, classical music, or the whir of a household apparatus, there really is no limit to what sounds can ferry us through those elusive hypnagogic streams.

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BEAUT Y

THE BLUEST LIGHT

Why our screen time is taking a major toll on our skin TEXT BEVERLY DALTON ILLUSTRATION TRISTAN TAMAYO

Everyone knows the dangers of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, but there are now talks of an emerging threat in the form of High Energy Visible (HEV) light.

Known as blue light, it is also emitted by the sun, like UV light.

The surprising news is that HEV is prevalent not just outdoors but also in the confines of our offices, salas, bedrooms—pretty much any place where digital devices are turned on.

Blame computer screens, tablets, smart phones, and television sets.

Although the damaging effects of HEV are cumulative through the years, it may actually be worse than UV light as it penetrates more deeply into the skin.

Considered as a silent and longterm aging wavelength, HEV does not generate the immediate erythema (the superficial reddening of the skin) triggered by UV, but it may induce carcinogenesis and photoaging (accelerated premature aging of the skin). It can also affect the skin’s inflammatory system and its healing process. Because of the

immense amount of free radicals generated through exposure to HEV light, antioxidants work harder to fight these free radicals to prevent further cell and tissue damage, and are then naturally consumed faster. Without these antioxidants, the healing process will take longer. The reduction of strength in the healing process leads to overall skin aging and uneven pigmentation.

As if sun exposure isn’t already enough to cause wrinkles, who would have thought that countless hours on the Internet could actually add years to our skin? Because SPF and UVA spectrum sunscreen can only minimally protect the skin

against HEV light, the best way to prevent further skin damage is to lessen our screen time. Unlike the sun which we can’t completely escape from even on a cloudy day, we can set aside and veer away from our computers and smart phones.

Remember the days when we didn’t check our smart phones every five minutes? We have to relive those days and put social media in the back seat if we want to look younger. The good news is that when we set our smart phones aside, at least we can generate a real “like” instead—a face-to-face and personal comment on our youthful looking skin.

Essentials: Make Moonlight Primer, makebeauty.com; Oclipse Smart Tone Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF50, skinhealth.co.uk; Skin by Marwynn’s new Total Age Corrector, skinbymarywynn.com.

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CR AF T

PUT A RING ON IT

Bring simple chic to any table with these easy clay napkin rings TEXT, STYLING AND PHOTOGRAPHY INA AMOR MEJIA

NAPKIN RINGS

What you’ll need: White polymer or air-dry clay Ruler Toothpick Small rolling pin Wax paper Directions: 1. Knead the clay and form into a ball.

2. Using a rolling pin, flatten clay out on wax paper to form a smooth shape about 1/2 inch thick, 1 inch wide, and about 6 inches long.

3. Don’t worry if the edges are not straight, but try to get a smooth surface and an even thickness.

4. Form the shape into a ring about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and press one end to the other to close the ring.

5. Using the toothpick, create texture on the surface with dots or lines. You can use your thumb to make indentations.

6. Bake the rings using package instructions or allow to air dry.

Note: Do not use modeling clay, which is non-hardening and might be a fire hazard when baked.

You can purchase polymer clay at selected arts and crafts stores like Deovir Art Supplies.

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FIXT URE

TACTILE ADVANTAGES

How to get your life back in order with just a pen and a piece of paper TEXT MAAN D’ASIS PAMARAN ILLUSTRATION MARJORIE CALASIN

The human mind can only do so much. When multi-tasking has become the norm and everybody is juggling several China plates at once, relying on pure memory to keep on top of all your tasks can cause a crash or major meltdown. Whether you are a student, CEO, or stay-at-home mother, a to-do list can help you get everything done efficiently and, hopefully, on time.

Here are a few secrets to organizing your list and your life to make them a bit easier, so you don’t run out of coffee filters, toilet paper, or miss out on a project ever again.

Keep it balanced Some people equate having long lists and full schedules with being important—this should not be an ego thing. A long list does not mean you’re being productive per se. It may just mean that you are living an unbalanced life. Ask yourself how many items on the list really matter, and what trade-offs do you have to make in order to accomplish all of them.

Have a to-do date Setting deadlines helps a lot. Some tasks have set deadlines, such as finishing that brilliant Powerpoint presentation before the big meeting at noon. For those Write it down ASAP that are not as urgent, set a do-by date anyway. Beating While there are apps such as Wunderlist and Do! that the clock adds motivation and helps free up more time help techies swipe off items on their tasks list easily, for the next task ahead. studies show that the tactile act of writing engages different brain functions, making it easier to commit Check your lists something to memory.

Once a week, review your list to track your progress.

In the same vein, look at the projects up ahead to see if Count to three you can start doing the footwork ahead of time. If you Three is a magic number, according to time- are stuck in traffic, perhaps you can start searching for management experts such as Leo Babauta, author of online reviews on that restaurant you are planning to the blog Zen Habits. The three big tasks on your list take clients to for that business dinner. can be broken down into steps, all leading towards bigger goals, and they can be supplemented by two Reward yourself smaller goals for the day. If some menial chores find If you have been consistently meeting your goals, their way on the list (“Order staple wires from office pencil in a spa treatment or ask your friends out for supplies,” for example), see if you can delegate these coffee and a catch-up date. This will encourage you to so you can spend time working on the bigger goals keep sticking to the plan, when you begin to realize at hand. As with your love life and all things work- that your load has been made much lighter, once you related, it’s about quality over quantity. started working smarter, not harder.

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ILLUSTRATION MAYSIE LECCIONES

THE NEW CLASS

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HAIR JA FELICIANO MAKEUP CHUCHIE LEDESMA

“It’s hard to romanticize the idea of having a one true calling, like there’d be bells chiming and everything.

I’m more about seizing the opportunities.”

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COV ER STORY What was your first interest? How did your other interests develop?

Music, but I never thought of it as [something I would make into] a career. People knew me as a writer and as a guitarist, but never a singer. Art [was a] close [second], then writing, which manifests in my songwriting.

What’s your style like?

My style of songwriting always has a hint of humor— dark humor. I would always poke fun at myself in certain situations. I like writing songs that you can learn something from. A song may sound simple, but it has facts in there. As for fashion, I like loud stuff. I like street style; Japanese street style, to be exact.

Who are your influences?

I like imparting knowledge. I get impressed by designers who are well-researched, who have references: Meadham Kirchhoff, Manish Arora, Tom Sachs. For music, Imogen Heap.

What do you think about the idea of people having a one true calling?

It’s hard to romanticize the idea of having a one true calling, like there’d be bells chiming and everything.

I’m more about seizing the opportunities. I have a list of projects that I do per year. That’s how I plan.

THE AESTHETE

Reese Lansangan lives a life of color without looking through rose-tinted glasses TEXT LEX CELERA PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH PASCUAL

Whether with her illustrations, her blog, or her live music performances, there’s a certain tendency for people to gravitate towards Reese Lansangan. This also explains the many artistic circles she participates in. A creative in the full sense of the word, her work in graphic design, fashion design, and music has earned her features in numerous publications, both local and international. Various accolades continue to pile up in her room since she began her artistic projects in her college years. But behind Lansangan’s special brand of laidback quirk, there’s a quiet, almost machine-like drive that keeps each of her fields of interest growing.

She just released her first solo album, “Arigato, Internet!” last December, and from the looks of it, she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

How would you describe your career?

I’m kind of resigned to the fact that I can’t really pinpoint the one thing I really like doing. How I look at it is that I’m a person that just does things. I’m a person who’s interested in a lot of things, [and] that’s not a crime.

What are the downsides of having a colorful career?

I’ve been dissuaded before, and the Internet is so saturated with artists who are so good at doing so many things. But my influences also do so many things they are interested in. The downside is, if you don’t manage your time well, you end up in three different directions, but in a very slow pace, instead of going in one direction and going really fast. But it’s hard to quantify growth.

Each time you are trying something new, each time you are practicing something, it’s an enrichment of the self so there’s no loss. If you don’t manage your time well, you end up being a hobbyist. You have to try and make it work so you can make your hobby something you can make money out of.

With all the interests you have, what do you have to compromise?

Honestly, time with my family. I mean, I would really make a point to be there with them on Sundays, but some nights, I don’t get to. I’m trying to make amends in the ways I can. It’s hard to strike a balance between career and family, especially if you have lofty dreams.

It’s an emotional compromise. You can’t really weigh it, it’s unfair to do so.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing instead?

I never really saw myself doing anything else. I can’t imagine myself not being an artist.

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COV ER STORY

CREATIVE CIRCLE

An underlying commitment to her passions keeps Bea De Jesus busy TEXT LEX CELERA PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH PASCUAL

Aside from her current day job as art director for a popular bookstore chain, Bea De Jesus keeps herself occupied with her clothing brand Sune, her stationary brand Snail Mail, and soon, another project that focuses on indigenous materials called Abaca. But the 28-year-old isn’t simply jumping in and out of her different interests. De Jesus keeps a firm grasp on whatever she’s working on, eyes wide open—a quality she picked up from her marketing and sales background. After her stint in sales, De Jesus earned enough to send herself to a graphic design course abroad, and eventually became a freelance graphic designer. According to her mother, her propensity for being fearless was obvious from her childhood. Now, her knack to push boundaries manifests in whatever work she takes on, whether in design or business.

Daria Werbowy, the Olsen twins, Leandra Medine, and Phoebe Philo. For design, it’s Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Peter Mendelsund, Paul Rand, and Christopher Doyle.

What are the downsides of doing so many things at the same time?

I think I’m turning into a scatterbrain; even if I’m on break, my mind isn’t. And I get tired sometimes [because of that]. I can’t do everything at the same time with the same quality. If I did both simultaneously, the results would be subpar. I know they won’t be the best.

And you can’t do subpar.

No, I really can’t. I would rather sacrifice one and do a good job with the other, whether it’s for my day job, Sune, or any of my other projects.

What are your plans with all of your projects in the future?

Ideally, I would find a way to combine all of [my projects]. Like set up a studio or something.

Do you still have weekends?

What’s your aesthetic?

I don’t! But [my projects] are my creative outlets. If I It’s minimal. It’s clean. [But] I like mixing styles. I like didn’t have any of these sidelines, I would be bored. adding rough elements.

What’s the difference between doing just freelance What’s on your reading list? work as opposed to having both a day job and Right now, I’m reading Just Kids by Patti Smith, and freelance projects?

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari. I tend to read a I think the difference now is that I have a routine lot of books at the same time, because sometimes, I that I really have to stick to. Mornings before work, I leave one of the books I’m reading in the car or at do errands for my clothing line, and now I sleep late home, and end up reading something else. because I do work after work. A planner really helps.

Who are your influences?

Do you think about the future?

For style, it’s sisters Vanessa and Victoria Traina, All the time.

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COV ER STORY

“[My projects] are my creative outlets.

If I didn’t have any of these sidelines, I would be bored.”

HAIR GEORGE ALIBEN OF KIEHL'S STYLIST SERIES MAKEUP CHUCHIE LEDESMA

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ST YLE

PANDORA’S BOX

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ST YLE

An innocent daydream in drapery and somber tones PHOTOGRAPHY GERIC CRUZ STYLING MEG MANZANO

Coat, P1,685, hooded cardigan, P1,275, and top, P755, all Forever 21, SM City Makati.

Pants, P2,495, Bleach, Greenbelt 5.

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ST YLE

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Sandals, P735, Forever 21. All SM City Makati.

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HAIR GEORGE ALIBEN OF KIEHL'S STYLIST SERIES MAKEUP CHUCHIE LEDESMA

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ST YLE

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M ARKET

ON THE JOB Desk staples transform madness into method PHOTOGRAPHY ARTU NEPOMUCENO

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NOLI SOLI Ad FP.indd 16

9/30/15 2:43 PM

SPECIAL FEAT URE Clockwise from right: Tessa Prieto-Valdes on stage as host of the night; Chef JP Anglo serving up another batch of potstickers; Chef Mikel Zaguirre’s interpretation of chicken terrine.

A DECADE OF INNOVATION

Hinge Inquirer Publications celebrates 10 years in publishing TEXT LEX CELERA PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREA BELDUA

Call it a gathering of friends and esteemed guests, of tight-knit communities convening for one evening to celebrate 10 fruitful years of publishing. Last Nov. 24, Hinge Inquirer Publications (HIP) celebrated its anniversary at the Century City Mall events area.

Tessa Prieto-Valdes took the stage to introduce the various heads of HIP’s freezine and commercial titles: Denise Alcantara, managing editor of Northern Living, Southern Living and Cebu Living, Jed Gregorio, editor of Scout, Cai Subijano, managing editor of Preen.ph, Ria Prieto, editor of Inquirer RED, Cit-cit Sioson, editor of Look magazine, Juana Yupangco, editor of Baby magazine, Patrick Joson, editor of MultiSport, Angelo Comsti, editor of F&B Report, Eric Salta, managing editor of Soul BGC and F&B Report, and Bea Ledesma, group publisher of HIP. For dinner, top chefs Mikel Zaguirre of Locavore, Jayps Anglo of Sarsa, Happy Ongpauco-Tiu of Pamana, Dedet Dela Fuente of Pepita’s Café, and Myke “Tatung” Sarthou of Alab served a host of bitesized versions of their restaurant’s favorite dishes.

Following his restaurant’s penchant for serving fresh interpretations of local fare, chef Mikel served chicken tinola xiao long bao and chicken terrine with

caramelized onions and mustard and malunggay pesto.

Meanwhile, chef Jayps served batchoy beef ribs in a soft bun and molo potstickers, the former is an experiment that Anglo served for the first time, and the latter is an all-time favorite. Anglo designed the dishes to express HIP’s progressive values. “Since it’s Hinge, and Hinge is very forward, very hip, binagay rin namin iyong menu para maging hip din,” Anglo says.

Chef Happy served easy-to-eat versions of her restaurant’s popular fare: sisig mixed with chicharon, chicken inasal with crispy chicken skin, and bulalo steak with roasted bone marrow, all individually wrapped in pita bread. Chef Happy also served three variations of native paellas: aligue, longganisa, and baby adobong pusit.

“It’s never a complete celebration without lechon,”says nobody else other than the lechon diva herself, chef Dedet. Mainstays of Pepita’s Kitchen, lechon de leche and binagoongan rice stuffing were served from Dela Fuente’s station.

Chef Myke Sarthou finished the course on a sweet note with Alab’s signature desserts: bibingka cheesecake and sapin sapin.

SPECIAL FEAT URE

Clockwise from top: editors Denise Alcantara of Northern Living, Southern Living, and Cebu Living, Eric Salta of Soul BGC and F&B Report, Cit-cit Sioson of Look, group publisher Bea Ledesma, editors Juana Yupangco of Baby, Cai Subijano of Preen.ph, Jed Gregorio of Scout, Ria Prieto of Inquirer RED, and host Tessa Prieto-Valdes; Chef Happy Ongpauco-Tiu; Quayn Pedroso and Shaira Luna; Scout magazine’s June 2015 cover star LA Aguinaldo; JP Anglo’s batchoy beef ribs in a soft bun.

EATS The Double Smoked Candied Bacon with a kick from black pepper and chili flakes (right).

The HotBox Burger is served with a hefty amount of fries topped with parmesan cheese (extreme right).

OPEN KITCHEN

Where the bacon and sausage are made from scratch TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAPHY TARISH ZAMORA

Let’s be honest: every new restaurant that opens in the city claims to offer comfort food.

But how do we define comfort food, really? The definition is very subjective, varying from person to person. My comfort food will most likely be totally different from yours; that’s why each chef opening a new restaurant can claim to serve comfort food— their own take, anyway.

HotBox Kitchen owners Michelle and Evan Corby helped me define comfort food by asking, “What do you love to eat when you’re home?” If that’s the case, then Filipinos would usually answer adobo, sinigang, nilaga, or anything that mothers usually cook for dinner. The Corbys, though, have just moved to Manila from Canada to start anew with their own growing family.

With the couple’s combined

background in the culinary industry, they wanted to open up a simple and approachable restaurant where they can cook whatever they love. “Both of us are meat lovers. We make our ow sausage and bacon in our house,” Michelle shares. That makes 90 percent of the food they serve in HotBox cooked from scratch, and the result is a Canadian rustic comfort food joint. “We usually smoke the sausage and bacon on weekends. So, just follow the big pillar of smoke [in the sky] and that’s where we live,” Evan laughingly adds.

The idea is you hang out here alone or with friends after work, eat your stress away with their ultra-savory food like Double Smoked Candied Bacon or Bourbon Glazed Pork Chop, and cool down with a bottle of beer before heading home. Or maybe

you could hit two birds with one stone and order their CheddarBeer Mac and Cheese, a routine anyone could do especially if they live in the Addition Hills area.

What makes this new small space interesting is its open kitchen. “It’s like a chef’s table.

[This is where] guests can sit and chitchat while we’re cooking. No secrets. No hiding. [We show] who we are and what we do with the diners,” Michelle says with pride. And the best thing about it is that everyone in the kitchen is always on their best behavior.

HotBox Kitchen. 450 P. Guevarra cor. Wilson St., Addition Hills, San Juan City. 275-4577. www.facebook.com/hotboxkitchen.

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RECIPE

GREEN BLOSSOMS

The unassuming vegetable takes the form of a salad for an easy healthy treat

1/4 cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted Fresh dill, chopped Flat parsley, chopped Tarragon, chopped

TEXT AND STYLING CHARLIE CARBUNGCO PHOTOGRAPHY PATRICK SEGOVIA

PREPARATION

CAULIFLOWER SALAD WITH YOGURT AND CHICKPEAS INGREDIENTS

For yogurt dressing 1 cup yogurt 5 tbsp. unfiltered sunflower oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 tbsp. honey 2 tsp. salt Ground pepper, to taste

For salad 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced 1 cauliflower, cut into florets 1 bunch green onions, cut into 1/4-inch rounds 1 cup chickpeas 8 oz button mushrooms, stems trimmed and quartered 1 bunch radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

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1. In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the yogurt dressing. Then add salt and pepper, to taste.

2. Mix all the salad ingredients in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes. Then toss all of the ingredients with the dressing until the vegetables begin to give off some of their liquid. The salad should be slightly soupy.

3. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with paprika, and serve.

T HE GET

ON THE TABLE

Plates that reflect your appetite TEXT RENZ NOLLASE PHOTOGRAPHY PATRICK SEGOVIA

On this set of tableware, hungry badgers, bears in red underwear, and caped foxes crave for cake, cheese, and biscuits, much like humans who prefer their meals plated.

These storybook-like sketches set on fine bone china embody Guava Sketches’ philosophy of good design, combining the quotidian and utilitarian with quirky and ecological sensibilities.

Sisters Joan and Jennifer Cantemprate, managers of Guava Sketches, remark, “Just as there are no two pieces [here] that are exactly alike, our consumers are unique with their discerning tastes.” With this Jimbobart set, the Cantemprates were fascinated by the artist’s wit and humor. “There is an element of fun and playfulness in Jimbobart’s tableware that is refreshing. You can’t help but be drawn to it.”

James Ward, the man behind Jimbobart and creator of these quirky creatures, says he delights in knowing that people see themselves in his wildlings. And who wouldn’t, with these caped and masked forest crusaders’ stoic expressions betraying their desire for crumbs? These creatures do not belong in locked display cases. They’re meant to be on the table, filled with good grub—or better yet, in front of diners as hungry as they are.

Available at www.guavasketches.com

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