What signals the Yuletide Season better than holiday tunes, the smell of cinnamon, gingerbread houses, and fruitcakes? All the aforementioned ingredients were foremost in the minds of the people at The Grand Hyatt Manila when they set the stage at The Kitchen of the hotel to kick off the Christmas festivities. Honoring the tradition originating from 17th century Europe, a traditional cake mixing ceremony believed to bring blessings and bounty was first on the list of activities planned for guests.
Christmas starts early at The Grand Hyatt Manila.Pastry Chef Saban Cavlak gave a live demonstration on how to bake the perfect fruit cake. Both adults and kids were invited to mix the ingredients. It is during this part when wishes are made for the coming New Year. I quietly took note of mine. The mixture from the huge pan was then poured into individual molds for baking.
My little one with the chefs of Grand HyattThe merriment heightened once it was announced that the gingerbread house decorating was about to begin. My eight-year-old daughter immediately picked her wafer house, put on her Junior Chef apron and whispered, “Mom, you decorate with the icing and I’ll take care of putting the candies and sprinkles.” I nodded and before applying my novice baking skills to the task at hand. All around our table, children squirted, drizzled and arranged multi-colored edible decors on their gingerbread homes. The adults did the same in another table. Executive Chef Mark Hagan joined in the revelry and cheered on the guests. What fun we had!
With one final inspection, my little one promptly pronounced that our sweet masterpiece was done. All the houses were neatly arranged in the front counter for the decors to settle and dry.
The cake mixing ceremony also serves as a sneak peek to the holiday offerings and celebrations of The Grand Hyatt Manila. from whimsical treats such as Christmas cookies, chocolate Santas, gingerbread houses to hampers filled with decadent goodies, there’s always “Something Sparkling, Something Grand” for everyone this jolly season.
Hand in hand, my little daughter and I left The Kitchen with her gingerbread house packed and placed inside a sturdy bag. Rocio exclaimed, “It’s going to be a sweet Christmas!”
The Grand Hyatt Manila is located at 8th Ave., corner 35th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Call +632 838 1234 for reservations.
With a pocketful of glitter,