Pianist Oliver Salonga at Kiss the Cook Gourmet

Many things happen when the moon is waxing. It is a good time to dream and set dreams in motion.

On Independence Day, like-minded people got together for twin events: the formal opening of Kiss the Cook Gourmet (KTCG), a restaurant, deli and alternative art space in one, and the inaugural exhibition "Moonlight and Water." The simultaneous solo shows feature the works of Norman Chow, Merci Dulawan, Baboo Mondoñedo and this, uhm...whatever.

As the party got underway, Ray Sison, principal flutist of the Manila Symphony Orchestra, observed that the venue was suitable for evenings of classical music. This after the warm reception for his interpretation of a short repertoire of the masters' music that suited the exhibit theme: Chopin's Nocturne, Mozart's A Little Night Music and Debussy's Clair de Lune with Saint Saens' The Swan from Carnival of the Animals for his encore.

The dreaming went on, with Mia Protacio, lighting designer by day, "poorest" patroness of the arts by afternoon and evening, giving her few centavos' worth--how young operatic singers needed exposure, too, in any venue, wherever there is an audience, new, old, in between still capable of being moved. She is a board member of the Philippine Opera Foundation.

By late evening, as original guests drifted off and a fresh bunch of diners came in, the dream took hold. Today, Ray texted: "It is a dream. But true." KTCG's Waya Araos texted: "Go for gold!" And Pablo Tariman, whose heroism in his classical music advocacy never wavered, announced that the tickets and flyers were on their way. And the event, you ask?

Oliver Salonga, two-time first prize winner of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA), will open KTCG's Intimate Concert Series with a piano recital on July 4 at 6 p.m. at the restaurant-cum-alternative art space (65 Maginhawa st., UP Village, Quezon City).

His program includes: Mozart's 12 Variations on Ah! Vouz Derai Je, K. 265 and Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K.330, Chopin's Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 35, and Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83.

A master of music in piano performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the guidance of 2001 Van Cliburn silver medalist, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Salonga was awarded the Sadie Zellen Piano Prize for his superior musical talent. Under Pompa-Baldi’s tutelage, he won the gold medal in the 2008 Joenju International Piano Competition in South Korea. He is on his summer break from studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he is an artist diploma candidate.

Salonga debuted with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Ruggero Barbieri. A critic wrote of his rendition of the Grieg concerto: “A dazzling pianist… The distinctive phrasing, the brio, the sense of drama made the piece sound fresh and yes, even contemporary.”

The pianist was a soloist in Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under George Ellis and got a standing ovation. He was soloist in Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.2 in A major with the Lynn University Philharmonia under the baton of Albert George Schram. He performed the same concerto with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Rodel Colmenar and received rousing cheers.

The dinner concert, produced by KTCG, Bösendorfer and Music News & Features, will benefit Vest Foundation which, among other missions, aids the continued education of Aeta children in Barangay Bayan-bayanan, Dinalupihan, Bataan.

Limited seats of 60. Tickets at P1,200 each inclusive of dinner. For reservations, call 7484152, 3573811 or text 0906-510-4270.

Photo from Salonga's Facebook

Froyo: The planet’s new ice cream

The sign is atop a heap of other signs: Dave’s Yogurt Bar. I swiveled from where I was seated at the back seat of a cab, sometime in May last year. I was en route to an out-of-town assignment, but I promised I would return to that clean, well-lighted place at 16 United Street, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City. The bar-café is behind other eating places that serve steaks and barbecued meat products.

And for those from outer space, yogurt is this planet’s new ice cream.

Return I did for an initial sampling of the plain yogurt. If Oprah has had her Aha! moments, I have had mine every time I go to Dave’s. First time I went there was with my kumare Anna Leah Sarabia, then with hard-to-please Kiss the Cook caterer Waya Araos, followed by my sisters and daughters, ex-colleagues at a now defunct media office, Gilda Cordero Fernando, spiritual worker Bong de la Torre, and Club Nostalgia singing host-emcee Lincoln Drilon.

Once I brought cups of different-flavored yogurt to freelance writer Gou de Jesus's pad for an afternoon of catching up, and she just mewed in delight while taking a few teaspoonfuls of the stuff so the supply would not run out quickly.

Unanimously, they say, they’ll go there on their own the way I always do to try the regular flavors on the line-up like passion fruit, everything from the berry family (strawberry, wild berry) grape, mango, vanilla bean, dark chocolate and coffee. Dave’s now has a premium line: macadamia, pistachio, dark decadent chocolate, among others. Coming soon is mangosteen (the word itself makes me salivate).

When franchise owner David Onstott, a Filipino with American-Bavarian roots, says, “Our yogurt cakes are awesome,” you’ve got to believe him. This guy is a living testament to what diet awareness can do to alter one’s life for the better. Born with a form of skin asthma, his parents tried different medications on him. As they sought other cures, they learned that a diet leaning more on fruits and vegetables alleviated David’s discomfort.

Today David can pass for someone in his late 30s. I could scarcely believe it when he said he’s 50. No botox. The man detests anything artificial, starting with his own products. His motivation for making yogurt is “to make a healthier frozen treat than ice cream,” he says.

Few people read labels on ice cream containers, and it’s high time that more do. The label declares the usual ingredients, namely, water, sugar and milk solids. The last can include some hazardous chemicals for preserving the ice cream’s color, for guaranteeing shelf life (preservatives), for stabilizing to keep the other ingredients together instead of breaking apart when they’re frozen. There’s artificial flavor, too (only 2-5 percent fresh fruit; everything else is unreal).

Perhaps the worst ingredient there is white sugar, the most destructive kind.
But back to Dave for less scary news. Fresh yogurt, which is the base, is made from scratch. It takes him two days from the time he gets the milk (pure cream) to the time he turns the stuff into frozen yogurt. He uses as much as 40-50 percent fresh fruits so he finds no need to artificially color his products. The color comes from the fruit. David doesn’t compromise taste and texture.

“So how good can this possibly be for you?” he challenges me as I dig into a cake.

He is keeping prices “as low as I can. It’s important that people get their money’s worth when they come by. That means something to me,” he says.

For the salad he makes for me, which he calls “just a salad,” he throws in on the spot lettuce leaves, sugar beets, cubes of multi-grain bread, tomatoes, sesame seeds and pours a vinaigrette and olive oil dressing. It’s a huge bowl, but he assures me it will be finished in no time and I will feel light, with room enough for another round of yogurt.

Next on his personal menu is to start a class on how to feed an ailing loved one at home and how to help them recover, again through a good diet.

He’s moving out of his charming “hole in the wall” in Barangay Kapitolyo; his products will soon be found in more than 10 outlets in Metro Manila malls.

Dave’s Natural Premium Yogurt is open for franchising. Email bananakings@yahoo.com or text/call 0905-219-8961. He has a fan page in Facebook.