Maria Ellen traces the illustrious career of Chef Cyrille Soenen

Every chef worth his toque dreams of heaving his own restaurant someday. Some are very lucky to realize this dream early in their career, but some chefs prefer to ac­quire as much experience as they can have from top res­taurants of the world before they finally put up their own. The restaurant business represents a very competitive world and a good chef with a lot of experience behind him is better equipped to deal with the competition.

With 24 years of experience behind him, working in restaurants worth their Michelin Stars, Chef Cyrille Soenen has finally attained his dream restau­rant at Hotel Celeste in Metro Manila’s Makati City.

Chef Cyrille Soenen is a graduate of the culinary and pastry school at
the Ecole Hotelier Mederic in Paris, France. After he graduated from this prestigious school, he started his apprenticeship at the world renowned Hotel Ritz – two Michelin Stars, Place Vendome, Paris.

After two years at the Hotel Ritz, he moved on and worked in other restaurants-Duc d’Enghien – two Michelin’s, Le Drouant, one Michelin and L’Intendant du Roy et Au Bon Plaisir du Roy in pastry. His stint in these restaurants further honed his skills in “cuisine gastronomique” and “patisserie.”

He then served in the French Defense and Finance Ministries for his manda­tory Military Service, cooking up dishes to the delight of the French govern­ment. The adventure bug caught up with the young Soenen and he wanted to see more of the world. He traveled from Scandinavia to South America while working in Croisieres Paquets, and Paquebot Mermoz.

Back in Paris, he worked at one star Michelin Restaurant Chez Faucher for a year, then went back to Hotel Ritz, this time as chef de partie, where he was assigned to the hotel’s main restaurant -the two Michelin star Restaurant L’Espadon.

In 1996, he joined the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) and worked at Le Grand Hotel Intercontinental where he was “seconde” in Café de la Paix, one of the most well known Brasseries in the world and Restaurant Opera
- two Michelins.

After three years, he transferred to Hotel Intercontinental Manila, where he was Executive Chef at the hotel’s Prince Albert Restaurant. Manila society, who patronized Prince Albert only had high praises for Chef Soenen’s gour­met brand of cuisine.

When Crown Plaza Galleria, a sister hotel of the Intercontinental, was about to open, Chef Soenen took up the challenge of opening this brand new ho­tel at the Ortigas area. He became the Executive Chef of this hotel and of Holiday Inn Galleria, making him the only Executive Chef in charge of two hotels in the Philippines. He conceptualized the now popular 7 Corners Res­taurant and set a new standard in banquet operations for the biggest ball­room of Ortigas.

Having armed himself with all these culinary experiences, he took up one bold step: Putting up his own restaurant. He named his restaurant, CICOU, (pronounced see-sue), which is his nickname and which people close to him fondly call him. His restaurant bears dishes that would delight any gourmet. Just like the best chefs in the world, Chef Cyrille Soenen taps his inexhaust­ible talent and creates dishes that are unique. He merges Asian influence with traditional French cuisine, constantly experimenting to the delight of his faithful and new clientele.

His lovely Filipina wife Anna is in charge of welcoming the guests and makes sure that every patron gets the best service. Just like most supportive Fili­pino wives, Anna is not leaving anything to chance. She is on top of every detail to ensure that every client is happy in Cicou. After all, this has been her husband’s dream ever since he was a young student in culinary school, and she will move heaven and earth for him to attain his dream. With Anna by his side, Chef Soenen can fully concentrate on doing what he enjoys the most -creating dishes to delight his patrons, giving each one of them an unforgettable dining experience.