Engaged couple China and Gino find perfect love recipe
CHINA and Gino plan to have a garden wedding with a harvest theme.
China Cojuangco and chef Gino Gonzalez are cuteness and coolness personified. After six and a half years of being blissfully happy together, they are going to get hitched soon. The two chefs are so well-suited for each other. They have found the right ingredients and perfect recipe to satisfy all their cravings so they will never go hungry for anyone else except each other.
For the first time, the excited groom-to-be talks about their wedding plans. Congrats, China and Gino! May your love always be served hot; may you always be each other’s aphrodisiac.
Tell us about your cable show on the Lifestyle Channel and your restos.
“Chefscapades” is a travelogue which follows my dad (chef Gene Gonzalez) and I as we go around the country. We are entertained by a family that is known for its [specialty] food. We cook our version of the province’s specialty or use the produce in that area to make a dish. The show has a great concept and it is in line with my mission (and dad’s) to put Philippine cuisine on the global map.
We have Café Ysabel. I own Buenisimo by Café Ysabel and I’m a partner at La Taqueria Amiga Mia. We have take-out counters in leading supermarkets called Chef Gino’s Gourmet and Café Ysabel Kitchen.
How did you propose to China?
I proposed in one of our favorite places, Boracay.
It was Holy Week and I already brought the engagement ring. I think it took me three days into the trip until I finally asked her.
I was hoping to do it at sunset but the sun went down so fast and we had a little argument because I was delaying our plans …
So I did, I knelt down and said, “Let’s do this. Will you marry me?” Funny thing was she didn’t hear it. She just assumed I asked when I showed her the ring because she was crying already.
It was funny and cute at the same time.
What was her initial reaction?
She was … kilig.
What made you decide that China is the one for you?
I kind of knew that a few years back. I just knew …
Let us in on your wedding plans.
It will be a destination garden wedding with harvest as a theme—not too formal and not too casual. Color will be old rose and gray.
Where will your honeymoon be?
We haven’t talked about that yet but Italy and Morocco are on our “to go list.”
Don’t you have any apprehensions about marrying someone who comes from an influential clan?
None at all. The family of China is kind and humble with values of a Catholic family. I actually admire that they hear Mass together even if all of them have families already. I will be part of that soon.
Since China and you are both chefs, don’t you have unspoken rivalry in the kitchen?
No, we actually work well together in the kitchen. When we cook, we don’t talk that much but for some reason she knows what she has to do and I know what I have to do. Well, our attraction kind of started when I held her wrist to help her do tempura when we were starting out.
What’s your fave among China’s signature dishes and what’s her fave among all your specialties?
Hmmm … I love her crabs with garlic and basically anything she concocts. She loves my Thai dishes and anything I braise … and basically everything I cook except tapa even if I marinated it myself.
How many kids do China and you plan to have?
Two, maximum of three.
What excites and what scares you most about marriage?
Well, the whole thing from planning to “the day” plus the challenge of making the magic last a lifetime which everybody says is a lot of work but it can be done.
What do you love most about China?
Her kindness and patience.
If China were a dish, what would she be and why?
She would be a perfectly seared sea bass with brown butter sauce. Sea bass is one of the best fishes. It has delicate meat yet it’s easy to cook. The sauce is very complex. Just like China. She is a person who’s easygoing, but very precious. Her personality is intriguing yet very transparent just like the hazelnut butter sauce.
Pet Shop Boys concert
ELECTRONIC pop duo, Pet Shop Boys, tomorrow at the Big Dome
I can hardly wait to watch the concert of Pet Shop Boys tomorrow, at the Big Dome, mounted by Ovation Productions. The electronic pop duo has been listed as the most successful act in UK music history by the Guinness Book of World Records. The two are known for their hits “Suburbia,” “What Have I Done to Deserve This,” “West End Girls” and “Go West.” Ticket prices are P850 to P6,340. (Ticketnet outlets or at www.ticketnet.com.ph.)
Bet na bet ko ang Pet (Shop Boys)!
