FORMER model, television host, and bearer of two famous last names Bianca Araneta-Elizalde has a pretty long resume, punctuated by the names that have shaped her life. Her father is Araneta scion Enrique, her mother Maritess comes from the famous Revilla line of beauties, most of whom married society; in turn she married Juan Elizalde, also from a formidable family. Ms. Araneta-Elizalde, still, made a new name for herself, and has had it for 10 years: restaurateur.
During an early dinner on June 26 at The Wholesome Table’s first branch in BGC, Ms. Araneta-Elizalde told BusinessWorld, “It was a pretty smooth transition. It didn’t happen overnight.” Before opening the restaurant in 2014, she had first become a wife and mother. “That’s what put everything on pause, so to speak. It’s a change. I actually feel like those days of mine — modelling and doing TV — feels like a completely different life.
“My kids don’t even know that I used to do that!,” she said, and told us a story about her children expressing surprise when people would stop her on the street to ask for a picture with her.
“I miss it sometimes. Definitely I miss the good old days, but I really like where I am now,” she said. In jest, she said. “Now it’s a lot of eating; back then, not a lot of eating.”
“This is where I get to exercise my creativity behind the camera. That was in front of the camera,” she said.
BETTER DINING THROUGH BETTER INGREDIENTSFor The Wholesome Table’s 10th anniversary, they’re bringing back a few classics such as their duck confit, duck curry, the vegan Buddha Bowl, Slow-cooked Pork Belly, and their Orzo salad. BusinessWorld had a taste, and we went back for the duck curry for seconds. The rest of the dishes, at first bite, may taste like something you’ve tasted before, but have a brilliant sheen to them once you swallow. “It is just like a regular restaurant, it’s just made with better ingredients,” she said.
By better, this means organic and responsible sourcing for the ingredients. So much so that the organic supply chain has so many gaps (suppliers not having something they need; and other such issues), that she has decided to open a farm, which will see operation in six months to a year. They have been working on it since before the pandemic, but that crash paused planning.
“We used to often lack a supply of certain vegetables because of the standards we imposed. I always wanted a farm that’s going to fuel the restaurant and it’s going to be even more than organic — it’s going to be biodynamic. Everybody will be eating produce and products from the farm, maybe even be able to buy from it.”
Before The Wholesome Table’s opening in 2014, organic eating and the like weren’t mainstream in the country, but now, at least a hint of more mindful and responsible dining has become a baseline for restaurants. “It wasn’t mainstream here, but it was pretty mainstream abroad. Whenever we would travel, it was so easy to find places like this,” said Ms. Araneta-Elizalde.
“I’m glad. This was one of my goals. I’m not saying I’m the only one who participated in making this happen, but definitely a lot of people became more familiar with this way of eating (through) The Wholesome Table.”
To mark their anniversary this month, there are several promos. Diners can get 10% off on delivery when they order from GrabFood from 2 to 6 p.m. for the whole month of July. Diners also get 10% off when dining in at their branches (in the C3 Building in BGC, Taguig and their Salcedo Village branch at De la Costa St. In Makati) from 2 to 6 p.m. from July 16 to July 31. And on July 11, they will get a free scoop of ice cream at the BGC branch. — Joseph L. Garcia
