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On September 5, 1975 , Glenda Rosales-Barretto, an intrepid culinary expert, raised the curtains of the first Via Mare. Located on Legaspi Street in Makati , Via Mare was established as a seafood specialty restaurant. Mrs. Barretto, with her prodigious knowledge of the culinary arts, took the challenging task of developing the restaurant's menu and concocting new and innovative recipes.
In no time, Via Mare's fine cuisine and service became a byword in Manila and with this came the insistent clamor for catering. The burgeoning demand for catering prompted Via Mare's management to establish its catering division. Today, this division accounts for serving a considerable portion of the upscale market. It boasts of having catered to some of the most demanding functions for ten to over ten thousand guests. |
Indeed, Via Mare's eminence in the restaurant industry in the 70s is evident in the functions it has catered significant events and has prepared memorable banquets for esteemed State guests which included: King Fahd, Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, President Gerald Ford, then California Governor Ronald Reagan, His Holiness Pope John Paul II, England's princess Margaret, Pakistan's Prime Minister Bhutto, India's Prime Minister Indira Ghandi to name a few.
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Via Mare's driving force
Glenda Rosales Barretto --- chef, restaurateur and artist--- is the driving force behind Via Mare. It is her vision that shaped Via Mare´s unique dining experience that was to become a personal favorite of presidents, statesmen, gourmets and foreign visitors.
She is the leading exponent of Philippine cuisine. With Via Mare restaurants she has elevated cooking and catering into a fine art by coming up with several neoclassic culinary innovations recognized worldwide. She is currently an active member of several distinguished gastronomic societies including La Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotiseurs Baillage de Manille and Les Toques Blanche Philippines.
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New branches, new opportunites
In the 80s, Via Mare added yet another feather to its cap, by extending its services through the Café Via Mare, which lured shoppers and moviegoers. This dining concept has been hailed as a pioneering attempt at creating a truly Filipino café. Maintaining its own kitchen, this outlet copped a niche in the hearts of diners with such heartwarming fares as bibingka, puto bumbong, pancit luglog and dinuguan.
Another jewel to the Via Mare crown was the management of the Gloriamaris Seafood Restaurant in 1982 - a majestic restaurant serving the best Cantonese cuisine and manned by two prolific chefs from the Crown Colony. Gloriamaris opened in a fitting celebration in time for the MMF, which was attended by respected actor Peter Ustinov, Brooke Shields, George Hamilton and prima ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn. |
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In 1985 it was awarded the food and beverage concession of the prestigious Philippine International Convention Center. It has honed its ability to service banquet functions up to 6,000 persons. It has arranged banquet functions for national and international convention; it has provided exquisite dinner for Heads of States attending the Asean Summit and APEC Meetings. It was called upon to provide catering in many landmark events as the Miss Universe Coronation Toast and the dinner for the World Law Conference.
Via Mare continued to spot new avenues to expand its services. With the rise of the mega malls, Via Mare saw an opportunity to reach out to the emerging middle class. It has established coffee shops known as Café Via Mare at the Landmark in 1988. |
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For Via Mare, this was also a time for looking at horizons outside the country. In 1988, it brought its culture of fine cuisine to the US by opening the first Via Mare outside the country in Los Angeles , California at the former Brown Derby. The restaurant, which features a formal dining room and a coffeeshop, has since attracted not just the expats in LA longing for the familiar tastes of Filipino homecooking, but a growing number of foreigners who have fallen in love with Philippine cuisine because of Via Mare's irresistible offerings. |
With the building boom in 1990, Via Mare finally decided to build a home it can rightfully claim as its own. A four-story edifice rose on Bagtikan Street in Makati . The establishment of this impressive headquarters marked Via Mare's active stance in reaching out to more sectors of the society.
Via Mare operated the food and beverage service at the penthouse of the posh Philippine Stock Exchange Centre in Pasig City . Here, one can dine to the heart's content and still conduct business in a setting that is both conducive to relaxing and closing deals. With this outlet, Via Mare has cornered all fronts: from the glitzy set to the mall breed to the hardworking crowd of the corporate world. |
International Functions
Via Mare has also showcased Philippine cuisine in several functions abroad such as the Centennial Banquet by the Makati Business Club in Hong Kong hosted by President Fidel V. Ramos for the APEC Business Forum, State Dinner hosted by President Joseph Estrada at Alvear Palace in Argentina, and the dinner hosted by the Philippine government for the International Hotel and Restaurant Association in Hotel Krasnapolski in Amsterdam. |
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Home Meal Replacements
Aside from restaurant operations, Via Mare brings its rich culinary tradition into the frozen food industry where it endeavors to bring its specialty dishes to every home in the Philippines and the world. Popular dishes like Lumpiang Ubod (Heart of Palm Egg Roll) and Sugpo sa Gata (Prawns in Coconut Cream) are now readily available thanks to the latest frozen food innovation aptly named Via Mare Redi-Feast. The products are now available at leading supermarkets in the Philippines and exported to Japan , Australia, Canada , Sweden , Guam and United States of America . |
One of Philippine's best
The seafood specialty restaurant is consistently shortlisted as one of Manila´s premier dining places. Ever since it opened its doors to the public in 1975, Via Mare has been in the list of must-dine places in both local and foreign travel publications. The restaurant has also won for three consecutive years the Restaurant of the Year of the prestigious Kalakbay Awards given annually by the Department of Tourism. It has also brought honor to the country by bringing Philippine cuisine at par with the world´s best through Via Mare´s participation in world expositions and international culinary conventions.
Due to its vision of promoting Philippine food to the international cuisine scene, Via Mare was awarded the operations of the Philippine Restaurants in two World Expositions:
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World Exposition '92
Viva Manila Restaurant, April- November 1992
Seville, Spain
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World Exposition '98
Viva Manila Restaurant May, - October 1998
Lisbon , Portugal |
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World Exposition '05
Latik Restaurant, May - October 2005
Nagoya , Japan
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Aside from the numerous raves it has received from the public sector, Via Mare's excellence has also been hailed and admired by the different food societies that have welcomed its membership. Among them are the Chaine des Rotisseurs Baillage de Manille, the Food and Wine Society, the American National Restaurant Association, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation.
Today, Via Mare once again shares its culture of culinary success by branching out into the franchising Via Mare Coffeeshop and Oyster Bar to reach out to more people here and abroad. |
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