Chef Ed Quimson teams up with Mandarin Oriental, Manila’s chefs to bring heirloom Filipino-Spanish dishes that are both traditional and innovative at Paseo Uno’s Pasos del Tiempo (A Walk Through Time). Presented with the support of the DOT in conjunction with the Filipino Heritage Festival, the week-long culinary event will be held from May 26 to 31.

"The legacy that my grandmother and ancestors who saw food as a key element that kept family ties stronger lives on. It is for them that I gladly accepted the invitation of Mandarin Oriental to work with them in presenting Filipino heritage dishes with Spanish influence, because many of these dishes are the hallmarks in any Tuason kitchen," Chef Ed says. At age of five, he already displayed his passion for exquisite delicacies during many well-spent moments in the family kitchen.

The family’s penchant for transforming Sunday gatherings into a gastronomic celebration was cited in publisher and cultural heritage specialist-writer Felice Sta Maria’s 2007 National Book Award winning book, "The Governor-General’s Culinary Kitchen: Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes (1521-1935). Sta Maria described each weekly event of the Tuasons in the 1920s as truly a fete. The soirees had about a hundred in attendance, and consisted of three seatings for lunch, following a formal rigodon de honor. "The menu typically included snipe with a liver sauce, turkey with stuffing (leftovers to be served with Salsa Diablo and pate the next day), tongue with a tomato and caper sauce, chicken pie, baked ham, and El Vulcan of mashed potatoes," she wrote.

The Tuason family has not only been renowned for their culinary abilities and standards, but has produced some of the pillars of the country’s catering and restaurant industry, particularly in Spanish cuisine.

Food connoisseurs and food-loving urbanites get to sample some of the family’s Filipino-Spanish fare, among them: Carne Frita, Arroz a la Vizcaina, Baked Fish Fillet with layers of tomato, potato and onion in white wine, Sotanghon con Caldo, Pollo a la Casserole, Roast Turkey, Chicken Galantina and Lengua con Alparras. The meal can be capped off with sweet treats like Arroz con Leche, Compota de Guyava and Dulce de Santol.

Pasos del Tiempo’s dishes can be sampled during lunch and dinner at Mandarin Oriental’s Paseo Uno buffet. For details, call 750 8888 extension 2411.