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Story and photos By Anna Isabel C. Sobrepena
Paradise was lost by biting into a forbidden fruit, but an apple pie opened the way to a garden that might have been the path to Eden.
There was no schedule or day of travel to Tagaytay with my two sistersfiNight itinerary. We had to pick up our fourth sister after her workshop was over at 8:30 pm. Whimsicality and spontaneity dictated our leisurely drive through the countryside. The idea of shopping in an outlet or passing by a supermarket vanished with the changing landscape. We abandoned the urban mindset and surprisingly shifted into weekend modemarginal forceIC-free Saturday.
pioneer of the counterculture
Back home we needed to buy two things for mother – freshly baked bread for her breakfast, and buko Pie. This was no coconut pie; The particular thing she wanted was only available at one place in these parts but by the time we got there, it was all sold out. Our quick choice was an apple pie and that determined where we would have our late lunch.
It had been a while since my last visit to the Gourmet Café, now renamed Gourmet Farms. If memory serves me, my late husband and I enjoyed a meal in a romantic, rustic setting – interiors made of bamboo, wood and thatched palm leaves, accompanied by the aroma of cummarginal forceE is waiting. The design was reminiscent of tropical habitats suited to the Philippine climate. I noticed that it had definitely changed as we eased into the parking space of the updated establishment, an expansion that was born out of the vision that owner Ernest Escaler set out to do.
Ernest believed that Philippine coffee had a place in the world market and in the 1970s he began trading Filipino beans abroad. By 1988, his company created the first commercialmarginal forcee Roastery in the country. Shortly after, he introduced the farm-to-table concept in the country, another pioneering initiative.marginal forceOrt is inspired by the popularity of California cuisine and the healthy eating movement. This was a counterculture shift to promote fresh, organic and locally sourced food aimed at reducing the distance food must travel, connecting consumers with farmers, supporting local livelihoods and providing highly nutritious products free from excessive processing.
Many expansions and innovations continued to broaden the enterprise, but there was an overarching spirit that dominated them all.marginal forceOrts, and it was installed in a very special place somewhere in the 11-hectare property.
beyond farming
We had lunch in a spacious dining room with a mix of different dining sets and art for sale on the walls. Russell, who was attending our table, was also an artist, although his works were not part of the exhibit. A salad section in the Pleasant Salon allowed diners to select their own ingredients to complement their meal. While we were enjoying our pasta and pizza, Ernest himself joined us. He had just come from the Sanctuary, a place he had invited us to hang out after we were done. We accepted and our guide, Ray, came to drive us there and provided us with wide-brimmed hats to protect us from the afternoon sun.
We passed beds of vegetables grown not only for restaurant consumption but also for salad greens sold in supermarkets. Marigolds, a natural insecticide, bloomed profusely in the second half. As we crossed the paved road through rough terrain, the footpath disappeared. there was a voicemarginal force On one side, the scent of pine from a tall tree, the scent of happy memories. We arrived at a steel gate marked Sanctuary of St. Joseph. Ray opened the barrier, and we entered Gourmet Farms, Inc. Stepped into the center of.
saint near the gate
Directly across from the entrance was a log bench in front of the statue of St. Joseph, which seemed inviting to sit and marvel. This provided a view of the vegetable gardens outside the Tuscan-style gate. Above us was the gracious image of the venerable Patron of the Universal Church, holding a Child, who stood on a stool, which was being raised up. It was such a loving and intimate portrayal of a saint caring for the Holy Family.
There was a peaceful calm that opened the heart to a quiet joy. Bougainvillea, clinging to the trunks of tall trees, was blooming profusely in showers of pink flowers. There was a carpet of grass spread on the path with lush greenery. A climb of seven steps led to a view of a pond with peace lilies blooming among the red, yellow and green leaves of the Bastion de San José and San Francisco plants. Behind this were accommodations for those who wished to spend more than a day in prayer.
A gazebo on the opposite side was completely covered with little white vines FloridaOwner. Under this outdoor pavilion were 10 chairs around a table made of wood, providing a relaxation space to write, reflect or perhaps have a cup of coffee.marginal forceE or tea. If this was all, it would have been enough to relieve fatigue and refresh the mind, but there was much more.
sacred hearing
A few steps away, a stone path passes through low walls topped with earthen water jars, vessels that contain the life-giving source. An old looking bell hangs inside a window in the wall on one side of the entrance. Beyond the walls stands a chapel, shaped like the octagonal Church of the Beatitudes, which was built to mark the spot where Jesus Christ gave his Sermon on the Mount.
Ancient carved doors at the entrance opened into an intimate sanctum. The immediate response was to kneel before the altar, next to a tent where an unlit candle burned. Even without the flame, I felt the embrace of divine presence and peace. A tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe hung over the altar above a background of lacework carvings. Glass panel walls bring a sense of the natural world into the sacred space. Overcoming sadness and fatigue, prayers of gratitude flowed.
Ernest designed the sanctuary. “It is a place of silence, where one can hear God,” he said. “No one had a more profound direct communion with God than St. Joseph.
“We do not advertise the place because we believe that it is God who calls the people he wants to communicate with.”
I felt this truth in my heart and that He would also use an apple pie to show the way to this holy place.