It’s so refreshing to see a female executive chef! Raffles Makati and Fairmont Makati’s new executive chef, Anne-Cecile Degenne, is the first female chef to take the helm of the hotel– and of an international luxury property in Manila.
Anne-Cecile hails from Bordeaux, worked at various properties and hotels in Europe and North America (she began her culinary journey at the Michelin-starred Campagne et Gourmandises in Biarritz, France, before moving on to Eden Rock Hotel in St. Barts, and later on Jolie Restaurant in New York) and Asia (at AccorHotels properties Sofitel Plaza Manila, Sofitel So Singapore, M Gallery Hotel Des Arts Saigon — *Accor now owns Raffles and Fairmont, btw), joined Top Chef France Season 5 (she made it to the top 6), and has cooked for Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Bono from U2, Serena Williams and Mick Jagger, to name a few.
Her plans for the Philippine properties? For Mireio, they will be launching a new menu— and will continue doing upscale brasserie French food (ala mom’s cooking) with Mediterranean influences. And as for Spectrum, they plan to introduce more Indian dishes, a Chinese roast, as well as offering more live stations for more interaction.
We had a 5-course menu at the Raffles Residences Owner’s Lounge– specially arranged by Director of Communications Monique Toda— to preview her dishes– a symphony of French classics interspersed with her childhood memories (foie gras, to which she added raspberry and buckwheat to cut the fat), creative techniques (she cooks croutons in wagyu fat, which gives it a kind of bone-marrow flavor- before topping this on the Australian wagyu striploin) and Filipino ingredients (turning calamansi into a meringue tarte.) Here’s a visual journey– and do note that these dishes can be had at the hotel upon special request. xx
For more information, phone Raffles Makati at +632 795 0777
