The Cendrillon hibiscus blooms again (finally) at Purple Yam
This hibiscus (gumamela in the Philippines) was given to us by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, the publisher of our cookbook, Memories of Philippine Kitchens when Frank Bruni, then food critic of the New York Times gave us a 2-star review of Cendrillon on August 3, 2005.
This gumamela flowered and gave us so much pleasure for several months that we decided to keep it indoors at Cendrillon during the winter and outdoors as our mascot by the door during the warm summer months. But for the last three or four years, it was just a plant and it never bloomed again.
When we closed the Cendrillon doors in March 2009, the gumamela came home with us and stayed indoors in our house until early this spring when we were putting out as much greenery and flowers for the Purple Yam backyard. Perry Mamaril, our resident artist and lunch chef, never gave up on this gumamela. “It will bloom again, believe me,” he reassured me.
Today, one of the hottest days on record, as we were suffering triple digit temperatures here in Brooklyn, the first bloom came out. “And there are more buds in the offing,” Perry told me like a proud Dad.
Thank you Leslie, Marisa and all the wonderful people at STC for giving us good memories (and a very beautiful book, too).
