Some of the most retentive memories of man are those related to food. As eating activates all our senses at once, man's experience with food becomes anything but ordinary; so much so that food is able to do far more than satisfy man's hunger. More often we utilize food as a way to reflect culture and belief or to pass on a legacy from one generation to another. As such it enables to influence our mood, our emotions and even memory. This distinguished attribute of food makes the art of Culinary interestingly parallel to Architecture -in which the purpose goes beyond providing a basic need of man but more significantly to convey an idea, a conviction, and in this case, a story.
The experience begins across the street at the intersection of (insert street names) and you are looking at the building as an observer. The first thing you notice is the conical form which represents the most important poetry applied onto the design. With its curving figure your eyes are drawn to its vertical presence -from street level all the way up to the apex where you see a dome magnificently sitting on top of. This very strong element strategically positioned at the corner with a form so distinct against the rest of the structure is intended to represent the uphill milestones of Chef Jessie's career.
Beginning with a Pastry shop on the Ground level, this delightful display of Chef Jessie's baking talent celebrates her first love in cooking and commemorates her achievement of becoming the very first Filipina Pastry Chef in 1990, the catalyst that launched her career. On the second level you will find an entire floor dedicated for Commissary. This is to represent the growth of her business from being a pastry chef to becoming one of the country's finest restaurateur from owning a series of successful restaurants all over the metro. Two levels higher, you will find the executive office of Chef Jessie. This office sits in a corner of an entire floor dedicated to become the permanent address of her very own company, JCS Gastronomie Inc. Above this level is the penthouse where you will find the Marketing office and a spacious Showroom. The architect deliberately appoints the highest floor for the showroom because it is intended to showcase the signature of Chef Jessie's paramount quality and likewise to emphasize the company's consistent escalating potential. Then finally, as one of the most important features of the design, a floating prayer room is found on the roof deck crowned by a translucent dome premeditated to become visible from the street to symbolize Chef Jessie's profession of faith.
The entire facade of the building binds the overall design by finding inspiration on basic culinary cuts to achieve the shapes of the windows. Among the ones used were Julienne cut for the conical corner, large and medium dice for the protruding mass, and a Batonnet in the gaps of the accordion-like wall applied on the south and west facade as a device to protect the building against the hot afternoon sun.
Last but not least, the heart of the building interior such as the main lobby and elevator core shall reveal Chef Jessie's color request of green, yellow and orange. These colors, reminiscent of Chef Jessie's famous Mango Flambe, projects itself outside the street which as a result completes the architectural metaphor as "the building that Mango Flambe built."
