HONG KONG

I have travelled 85 countries in 35 years, I had a job once that saw me flying more each week than most fly in a year and I have frequent flyer miles cards from nearly two dozen airlines.
yet for the past 18 months I was actually happy not to fly anymore.

The last flight I took was the funeral of my mother,other than the flight that relocated me to the Philippines. I guess the flight home to say good bye to Mum was enough and I just did not want to fly anymore after that. I was finally done !!

Suddenly in the space of two weeks I will tomorrow be traveling to hong Kong for the second time.
The first was a work trip, the second is pure and absolute luxurious time off.
Flying was fun last week, but it was about a comfortable seat and sleep as I had a freshly broken rib and had worked a very long day with it.
This trip is about, no laptops, no work, no phones, just peace, pool and relaxation.
So on the eve of my next flight I thought I had better post a few photos of the wondrousness that was Hong Kong, last week, so that I can free up some space for the posting of next weeks photos.
Food glorious researching food and some free time and fun will be the order of the day.

A good friend worked there for years and speaks admirably of the once British enclave, others I know speak not so fondly of the place. As confusing as it is tiny, I do know that it takes forever to get a taxi and even UBER has its issues finding you at busy times.
Schedule and plan, I was warned for a trip to Hong Kong and so after posting this, I am off to plan dinners, lunches and getaways as well as sleep time, pool time and massages.

to those who are reading the blog from the Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Finland, Welcome !! it is a pleasure to find new readers of the words and I appreciate the time you spend search through the old posts.

Be safe and see you all again soon, and enjoy the pics of Hong Kong's HOFEX 2015 and some of the hotel in which we stayed last week and this, the amazing Peninsula Hong Kong.

THE PENINSULA HONG KONG

The LOBBY

The Peninsula Hong Kong's lobby, the perfect way to start the day - coffee and a newspaper

the pool

heaven in water

The BBQ room - yummy - a behind the scenes photo

THE PENINSULA BOUTIQUE

THE PEN BOUTIQUE

PEN BOUTIQUE pastries

HOFEX 2015

COME HERE FAT BOY !

The 19th of February was the first day of Chinese New Year, I was tired and it was just five days since we celebrated Valentines Day at the hotel, a 3 day weekend event (13th-15th). On the 18th February night I had spent the evening working late trying to complete in record time some chocolate centerpieces for the next days event, Chinese New Year and the four days of events that accompanied it (19th-22nd).

Perhaps it was tiredness, perhaps it is my suspicious and paranoid nature, but the first thing I heard someone say upon entering work that 19th morning was definitely in my mind, "Come here fat boy !".
I was not offended, I am after all not a small guy and am comfortable with my size, but stunned at their brazen happy nature at saying it, they literally waved at me as they spoke the words!
By lunch time I was becoming slightly perturbed at the regular occurrence of this statement though and the type of people asking me to "come here". Had I gained extra weight overnight?
At lunch we were setting up the Escolta buffet when even one of my close colleagues came out with the same statement, despite the fact he was standing beside me? 
I asked him politely to repeat his words...... carefully!!!!

So it would seem that the Chinese have a sense of humor or at least the Cantonese language does a and that "Fat boy" and "Fat Choy" sound remarkably similar when spoken with various other languages, dialects and accents.
(The most common Chinese ways of saying Happy New Year are Gong Xi Fa Cai(Mandarin) and Gong Hey Fat Choy(Cantonese). )

The remaining fours days of the Chinese New Year celebrations were less remarkable, just busy. 
Yet again our team did a remarkable job.
I have heard it said by senior management in a previous job that," if I don't say anything assume that it means Im happy with what you are doing.."
 I don't find that very comforting style of management personally. 
Id prefer to tell my staff every single day how amazing they truly are, especially after they perform such amazing back to back events as Valentines and then Chinese New Year.

Agnes Lim, Trixie Fuentes, Thei Perez, Annalyn Solano, Lawrence Mendoza, Ronel Zapatero, Ryan Carandang, Aries Dasal, Jermaine victorino, Adonis Crucilo, Ador Zapatero, Elmer Cua, Parcy Laete, Enol (Eleanor) and Anna Cajepe, Jedel Bulahan, Xyrus Tobius, Rolando Manaslan and Jojit Corpuz, Yuki (Christian) and Ferdie Almeria, Kevin and Lui.. are all responsible for the amazing food our guests enjoy from our pastry department, chocolate room and Bakery.

So to the team of staff at the Peninsula Manila Hotel, thank you for your efforts. 
Great job and you are all superstars. 
We have our days, our trials and tribulations at work, at home and on our way too and from. 
We have our phones stolen, we fall off buses, we get our bags snatched and we all get sick (cough, cough), and we have lives that are personal that don't get the attention they each deserve as we are all seemingly always at work. 
But individually and together somehow we bring it all together day after day and create amazing food. We don't all get along lovingly, we don't all see eye to eye and we don't all actually see each other always thanks to our crazy 24 hour operation between the three kitchens but we do get the job done to the best of our daily ability with the hiccups that are thrown our way.
For that I am blessed with a great team that is strengthening daily into great pastry chefs.
While others may find it suitable not to thank you or us as a team for our work, our creations, artwork, buffets and abilities, I will. THANK YOU. 
Once a week there may be a blip on the radar in the form of a guests issue, but considering we run a 24 hour a day operation split between three kitchens, you do a remarkable job.

From this "Fat boy" that you call Chef who gets it wrong often...thank you and Gong Hey Fat Choy to you all. Chinese or not , 2015 is our year , lets make it happen.

Oh and please don't forget Easter is only 36 days away....:) (smiley face)

Mango Coconut Tartlets

Chinese New Year Amenity 

Lychee and mango jelly, fresh mango- lobby dessert Day one of Chinese New year celebrations

Escolta

Amazing Bakery centerpieces produced by Baker Ryan Carandang

AFTERNOON TEA in the lobby- Hopia, Tikoy, egg tarts, sesame balls and Chinese Eclairs ha ha ha

Always the artist, Thei Perez works magic with her cupcake displays

Cupcakes by Thei Perez

Trending - Spheres

A few years ago with the advent of half sphere shaped moulds from companies such as Pavoni and Demarle, we all, pastry chefs, found perfection in the smoothness of mousses in a dome shape.

Thankfully someone took the concept further in the chocolate world and created spherical shaped moulds and perfect half spheres which could be joined together to create the perfect circle or ball or sphere.

The sphere by itself could be said to be a little boring, yet the beauty of serving a dessert that is shaped like a beach ball on a pile of sand , is that it enraptures everything that is beautiful of my trade.
An innocent perfect shaped ball sits on a delicious pile of soil like deliciousness and within its perfection of shape and chocolatey goodness, lay the possibilities of all our childhoods combined. Sweet deliciousness at its best.

Spheres make for great decorations, especially around this time of year , Christmas, but it is the possibilities of them as mediums in which to serve dessert that entice me the most.
See what you think from the latest desserts conceptualized by the pastry team @ The Peninsula Hotel Manila...Enjoy

Christmas Decorations in Chocolate begin to take shape, the sphere assisting that effort so well at this time of year

PENINSULA BOUTIQUE dessert for the festive season...perfection well rounded.

Even for Amenities, the sphere encapsulate perfectly

Whether complete or slightly melted, the sphere makes for perfect desserts

When a dessert looks this perfect why the need for much garnish and sauces, everything is held within its own perfect shape. Strawberries and cream never looked so good.

PECAN PIE....never looked so good

PINKTOBER @ The Peninsula Manila Hotel

PINKTOBER @ The Peninsula Manila Hotel
Come join us for some truly amazing desserts and pastries at our PINK Afternoon Tea in the Peninsula Manila Hotel Lobby on a daily basis, our try our PEN BOUTIQUE for a little something to take home..
My team and I are working hard to bring the flavors of sweetness to everyone in Manila.

Better Late Than Never

I was at a meeting today and someone commented on my status in a TOP TEN list, to which I argued they were wrong.....then I was sent the link to look at...
In 2012 I had the honor of being named on of the Top 5 pastry chefs in the MIDDLE EAST, but I had never been aware that I was also listed in the Top 10 FOOD GURUS of the MIDDLE EAST...

(this was September 2012)
http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/pics-15013-caterer-awards-2012-5-perfect-pastry-chefs-named/

CATERER AWARDS 2012: 5 perfect pastry chefs named The shortlisted entrants for MidEast Pastry Chef of the Year unveiled (Aug 28, 2012)

Winner Pastry Chef of the Year: Dragan Rucnov,  Fairmont Bab al BahrMaree... JOB TITLE: Highly Commended: Aaron Maree, Executive Pastrychef, Abu Dhabi.

Had I known about this other honor, it would not have changed anything. But it is in fact nice to know simply from the fact that ARABIAN DREAMS the cookbook which came out in 2011 was self funded and was done so to re-ignite change in the way people think about Middle Eastern Desserts.
In conversations recently with several different parties about the direction of new and up coming projects, I am aware that ARABIAN DREAMS really did do it's job.
That people are starting to see the convergence of Modern French patisserie and the possibility of utilizing Middle Eastern ingredients and flavors into that. Or the fact we can look at a Baklava and transform it into a new dish with the same taste, texture, layers but in a format that our guests never thought possible. Thus giving longevity to the Middle Eastern flavors of old, to a new generation of food lovers, looking for something less traditional and more modern, complex and amazing in looks.
Arabian Dreams the cookbook remains my lives "Oeuvre" and the proudest of all 16 cookbooks that i have written over my 30 year career in pastry. If I do no others, I will be honored to be permanently linked with Arabian Dreams for it speaks from the heart and speaks "ME".

Being named in the MAY 2012 Top 10 Food Gurus in the MIDDLE EAST is an honor, even though it was MAY 2012 and I just found out about it today in February 2013 I am pleased and honored on behalf of Middle Eastern pastry to have been noted, for with a light shone toward me for such, it means that a torch has been held high for the world of pastry in this region and deservingly so.

France is renowned as all things sweet and confectionery like, but I truly believe that the world of tomorrow's desserts and pastries will truly emanate from the wealth of experience and the expertise that is coming out of the MIDDLE EAST at this time...I am constantly and fortunately involved with multiple projects being thought of, conceived and being formatted pre, during and post production and I am aware right now of some truly incredible outlets and concepts coming to all countries with the GCC, and that too makes me happy that the sweet world is evolving here endlessly. For amazing leaps forward in patisserie look no further than THE VICTORIAN (http://mashmoom.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-victorian-patisserie-and-chocolate.html)... Created under the work of Frank Haasnoot (Chocolate World Champion), the concepts have turned pastry again into a true work of art, along the lines started why such visionaries in our trade as Christophe Michalak, the desserts are almost too good to eat, literally. They are really that beautiful.
For me to be named in a list of Top Food Gurus, is one thing, I do not take things like that to hart and let it get the better of me, I never have, even after 20 years of writing and books. I love my trade and I love the process of production of the pastries and cakes, training the staff and making something new. Im in that process right now, of starting something new, and over coming blogs you will learn where and when that "SOMETHING NEW" will occur and live and breathe.
Accolades are nice, but in this case, I'm simply proud that to have been recognized, even a year ago, has brought light toward us all in the pastry professions, here, locally on my home soil of Bahrain or internationally in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia or Cairo....
I love the world of pastry and promise you all that the best is yet to come...I know, I'm building it as we speak....

Top 10 F&B industry gurus in the Middle East

10 Aaron Maree, Patissiere and author
Aaron Maree has
been waving the flag
for Middle East
patissieres for 25
years. Author of
book, Arabian
Deams, he has
worked tirelessly to
push Middle Eastern
pastry under the international spotlight.
He visits Europe often to stay on top of the latest trends, and greatly enjoyed his role as personal executive chef at a Middle East royal palace, before which he held posts including corporate pastry chef to international companies like Cadbury Schweppes and Mövenpick Marche.

Too see the full list of top Ten F & B GURUS in the MIDDLE EAST see the link http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/14279-top-10-fb-industry.