Ginny Roces de Guzman

Meet the girl behind Gustare, a place for passionate foodies who like to discover new eats.

Gustare may be the food shop you've never heard of—and the co-owner and chef in charge likes it that way. It's a place for passionate foodies who like to discover new eats. 
                                                           
                                                 
                                  Gustare is located at Unit D, G/F, W Tower, 39th Street, North Boni Triangle, Bonifacio                                                              Global City, Taguig City (tel. no.: 352-6121; mobile no.: 0915-8463234).

What's the story behind Gustare?
My business partner, Chiqui Lara, and I were classmates from kindergarten up to high school. She's always wanted to do something with food. We sold our Sugarhouse business years ago, and after lying low and doing consulting jobs here and there, we decided to set this up. It's kind of a new concept shop, inspired by trips to New York where they have neighborhood stores with take-away stuff. This is our take on that. 

The shop has a secret, low-profile feel about it. Is that intentional? 
We don’t want to be very commercial. Our market likes the allure of being the ones to discover new stuff. They like that idea.

It's like a best-kept-secret nook—not just the store (which is hidden inside W Tower) but also the items you sell.
It's a surprise. We have an interesting selection. We have familiar dishes like lasagna, pot roast, and not-so-familiar things like arroz con pollo, a line of curries, pumpkin ravioli. My friend calls Gustare a kitchen lab. A lot of our things are experimental because I like to do that. We also have ordinary things, too, like chocolate cake, but done really well. 

Tell us about your santol bagoong.
My mom makes that. Santol is sour so they saute that with bagoong. When you eat, you get the sour and salty combination. It’s good with just plain kangkong or vegetables.

Favorite places to shop for food?
I like weekend markets because there's an element of freshness and there's always something new. And I get inspired by the home chefs who do their stuff very well. I also like Farmer's Market. For our ingredients in the store, we try to source locally as much as possible. For supermarkets, I go to the ones near my house like Unimart or Cherry Foodarama. I also like The Landmark.

Any discoveries at the market lately?
The last time I went to Legaspi Market, I had this chicken that a classmate of my husband makes. It's by the Reyes family. It's chicken that they cook in a beer can. They get a beer can, open it, stick the chicken in it, then roast it.

Favorite supermarket section?
I like the spice section because you can do so many things with the condiments and spices. That's the most inspiring [area]. You can let your imagination run wild.

Favorite dessert?I make my own because that's exactly the way I like it.
I like something lemony. I also like a combination of different textures—something that's crispy, gooey, sticky, soft. For me, that would be a perfect dessert.

What's your top shopping tip? 
Chat with your suki. From them, you learn how to tell if the produce is nice. Shopping can be a learning process. You have to be curious. 


Photography by Kai Huang  Gustare) and At Maculangan (Ginny Roces de Guzman) | Hair & Makeup: Benjie Angeles | Gustare is located at Unit D, G/F, W Tower, 39th Street, North Boni Triangle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City (tel. no.: 352-6121; mobile no.: 0915-8463234).

• jesusa pelagio 6 months ago Report Abuse

     

  i like your cook........