Friends Share Unforgettable Experiences and Memories With Culinary Icon Gaita Fores

Last Feb. 11, many Filipinos were shocked to learn of the sudden passing of Margarita "Gaita" Fores when her only son Amado posted the sad news on his social media account. The outpouring of love, sympathy and condolences for the culinary icon, Asia's Best Female Chef 2016 and founder of Cibo, Lusso and Grace Park was overwhelming.

- WITH PAT-P

Gaita not only left a void in the culinary scene, she touched the lives of Filipinos as well.

Gaita's sister Veana Fores shared that when Marco was seven years old, he was selling sampaguita along EDSA cor. Ayala Ave. Every morning, Gaita would buy the fragrant white flowers from him, until one day she decided to pay for his schooling. When he graduated years later, Gaita asked Marco if he wanted to work for her. It has now been five years since Marco started working for Gaita as a custodian for the buffet in the catering department, and his brother Martin works there as well.

I met Gaita more than 30 years ago when Rowell Santiago was asked to direct "Penthouse Party" (the Sunday evening show that replaced "Penthouse Live," which was topbilled by Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez) and he hired me as his assistant producer.

"Penthouse Party" was a short-lived show but in one episode, we featured Gaita. She had just gotten back from Italy where she studied Italian cooking and Rowell had heard from Virgie S. Ramos (VSR) of Gift Gate that Gaita was someone to watch out for.

For her video feature, Gaita invited the show's staff to her "bahay na puti" (the ancestral Araneta residence in Cubao), where she prepared a pasta dish for all using homemade pasta and fresh tomatoes that she blanched and crushed with her bare hands and added to the pasta. Decades later, I still remember how simple yet delicious it was, and how my attempt to duplicate it a few days later was an epic failure!

VSR was right. Gaita made a name for herself soon enough. On occasion, I would bump into Gaita at parties and social gatherings where she was the celebrated caterer. She would always be smiling, dressed in her signature all-black or black-and-white ensemble, her arms adorned with multiple bracelets. Her hair would invariably be pulled into a ponytail and large south sea pearl earrings would dangle from her ears.