J. Manuel González

J. Manuel González

Travel and Food

Education & Languages

Columbia University (New York) MBA 1974. Full Non-Need Scholarship. Most Outstanding First-Year Student.

Ateneo de Manila, AB Humanities 1971. Presidential Scholarship for topping entrance exams to the most prestigious university in the country.

Learned Wine Appreciation from the legendary Steven Spurrier, Academie du Vin, Paris 1978. Mr. Spurrier's unique impact on the wine world is recounted in Bottle Shock. Studied Italian at Scuola Leonardo in Rome, real-life setting for Eat, Pray, Love.

Fluent, well-accented French and Spanish; Beginner's Italian and German.

International Banker, Hotelier, Branded-Food Industrialist

International Finance Corporation-World Bank (1979-1986)

Senior Investment Officer, Washington DC, assigned to Mexico, Colombia, and the Caribbean. Advised governments and corporations. Traveled extensively, logged over 500 nights at mostly 4 and 5 star hotels.

Plantation Bay, a Real Resort with a Real Spa (1995-Present, Majority Shareholder)

Plantation Bay is a 5 Star International Class Resort. It is the only hotel in the world with the confidence to offer a "Just don't like it" full-refund guarantee (minor conditions apply). www.plantationbay.com. Was personally responsible for the site development plan and stylistic design of the resort. Oversaw construction, interior design, furniture procurement, hiring and training, and startup. Hands-on in day-to-day management. Also served a term as President of the Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Association.

Plantation Prime (MB2 Food Products) (2021 to Present)

Retort food canning of Filipino and international staples, combining restaurant quality with the convenience of cans packed solid, without bulking extenders like added water or vegetables. Now sold in Manila, Cebu, many key Philippine cities, Australia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. Current products include: Kare-Kare, Bicol Express, Chile con Carne, and Tita Bok's All-Meat, All-Purpose Pasta Sauce. Certain dishes are Halal-Certified.

Citizen of the World

Cities Lived In (at least one year except as noted): London. Paris. Barcelona, Malaga. New York. San Francisco. Washington DC. Hong Kong. Vancouver-Whistler, British Columbia. Manila, Cebu, Philippines. Los Angeles (6 months). Breckenridge, Colorado (2 months). Rome (6 weeks). Boston (5 weeks), Berlin (4 months), Gstaad (3 months).

Major Cities/Areas Visited

(at least two nights/three days; excludes cities mentioned above)

US and Canada: Toronto, Okanagan, Victoria/Vancouver Island, Squamish, Kelowna, Kamloops, Montreal Canada. Freeport, Portland Maine. New Haven. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Baltimore. Akron-Canton-Cleveland. The Hamptons. Detroit, Petoskey, Traverse City, Charlevoix Michigan. St. Louis. Memphis. Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale - Florida. Chicago. Houston, Dallas Texas, Denver, Vale, Vail, Pagosa Springs, Colorado Springs, Denver - Colorado. Jackson, Wyoming. Bozeman, Montana. Bend, Portland, Redmond, and Florence Oregon. San Jose, San Diego, Carmel-Monterrey, Lake Tahoe, Santa Barbara, and Yosemite California. Palm Springs, Indio, Ojai, Santa Clarita, Malibu. Seattle, Leavenworth Washington. Honolulu. New Orleans. Atlanta. Charleston. Williams, Sedona, Flagstaff, Tusayan - Arizona. Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos - New Mexico.
Latin America and the Caribbean: Mexico City DF, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Cuernavaca, San Miguel Allende - Mexico. Kingston and Montego Bay Jamaica. Castries, St. Lucia. Bridgetown, Barbados. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien Haiti. Caracas, Venezuela. Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bogota, Medellin, Cali Colombia. Lima, Peru. Santiago, Easter Island, Atacama, Puerto Montt Chile. Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo Brazil. Buenos Aires, Tierra del Fuego Argentina. Montevideo, Uruguay. San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Lesser Antilles (US Virgin Islands to Barbados). Bermuda. St. Kitts and Nevis. Sint Maarten. St. Barthelemy. Anguilla. Antigua and Barbuda.
Europe and Middle East: Budapest, Hungary. Prague, Czech Republic. Istanbul, Turkey. Athens, Greece. Valletta, Malta. Inverness, Edinburgh, Brighton, Bath, York, Belfast, Derry UK. Dublin, Donegal, Galway, Killarney Ireland. Verona, Bologna, Positano, Naples, Milan, Syracuse, Palermo, Taormina, Sorrento, Capri, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, Trieste, Sistiana - Italy. Geneva, Zurich, Ascona, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchatel, Bern, Basel, Gstaad, Zermatt, Andermatt, St. Moritz, Davos, Montreux Switzerland. Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Bruges, Belgium. Amsterdam, Netherlands. Copenhagen, Denmark. Deauville, St. Malo, Cannes, Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Marseille, Nice, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Carcassonne, Chamonix, Loire Valley, Lyon, Montpellier, Beaune France. Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Munich, Nuremberg, Cologne, Regensburg Germany. Madrid, Sevilla, Marbella, Sotogrande-Gibraltar, Granada, Ronda, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Ibiza, Priorat, Zaragoza, Ribera del Duero, Salamanca Spain. Stockholm, Sweden. Oslo, Bergen Norway. Reykjavik and Blue Lagoon Iceland. Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Villach, St. Johann Im Pongau, Kitzbuhel - Austria. Dubrovnik, Split Croatia. Ljubljana, Slovenia. Abu Dhabi. Dubai. Cairo, Luxor, Nile Egypt. Petra, Amman Jordan. Doha, Qatar. Muscat, Oman.
Asia and Oceania: Tokyo, Sapporo, Lake Toya, Niseko Japan. Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin, Lhasa, Macao PRC. Singapore. Jakarta. Kuala Lumpur. Seoul, Jeju, Busan S. Korea. Bangkok. Baguio, Daet, Balesin Island, Boracay, Iloilo, Bacolod, Ormoc, Panglao, Camotes Islands, Siargao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City, Bukidnon, Davao Philippines. Auckland, Marlborough Sounds, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Mount Cook, Queenstown, Christchurch, Dunedin New Zealand. Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane Australia.

Experienced Hotel Patron

Five-Star and Other Notable Hotels Stayed In (world-renowned hotels in bold)

The Ritz London. Grosvenor House London. Arlington House London. Hyde Park Hotel London (now Mandarin). InterContinental Paris (now Westin). Four Seasons Gresham Palace Budapest. The original Imperial Hotel Tokyo (now demolished). Four Seasons Sultanahmed Istanbul. Grande Bretagne Athens. Carlton InterContinental Cannes. Luna Hotel Baglioni Venice. Beau Rivage Lausanne. Hotel de la Paix Geneva. Baur au Lac Zurich. Waldorf-Astoria New York. Flemings Hotel Mayfair London. Les Armures Geneva. Hotel de Russie Rome. Hassler Rome. Sofitel Villa Borghese Rome. Park Hyatt Milano. Grand Hotel Villa Igiea, Palermo Sicily. The Madrid Ritz. Barcelona El Palace GL. Peninsula Hong Kong. Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. Hullett House Hong Kong. Prestonfield House Edinburgh. Hotel Imperial Vienna. Westin Excelsior Florence. Westin Grand Frankfurt. Villa La Massa Florence. Inn at the Market Seattle (*). Four Seasons Hong Kong. The Raffles Singapore. The Peninsula Manila. Hotel Okura Tokyo. Mandarin Oriental Washington DC. Four Seasons Washington DC. The Dorset New York (long demolished). Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva. La Scalinatella Capri. Bellevue Syrene Sorrento. Four Seasons Whistler. Schloss Monchstein Salzburg. Mandarin Oriental Barcelona. Disney World Yacht Club Orlando. Disney World Beach Club Orlando. Regent Petite France Strasbourg. Dorint Maison Messmer, Baden-Baden. Heidelberg Suites. Locanda dell'Amorosa, Tuscany. Heathman, Portland Oregon. River Place, Portland Oregon. Mark Hopkins, San Francisco. The Lodge at Torrey Pines San Diego. Mandarin Oriental Munich. Four Seasons New York. Mandarin Oriental Geneva. Hotel Vitale San Francisco. The Upper House, Hong Kong. Le Royale, Lyon. The Bostonian, Boston. The Peabody, Memphis. Lausanne Palace. Palafitte, Neuchatel. Bellevue Palace, Bern. Les Trois Rois Basel. The Willard, Washington DC. Park Hyatt, Washington DC. Hotel d'Angleterre Geneva. The Chatwal, New York. The Park Hyatt, New York. Hotel d'Europe Avignon. Chateau Petit Verdus Bordeaux Region. After Six Stockholm. Grand Hotel Oslo. Boscolo Exedra, Nice. Grand Hyatt Incheon. Hotel Lotte, Jeju. Luxury Suites, Amsterdam. Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Berlin. Skt. Petri, Copenhagen. Viking Sun Majestic Fjords Cruise Owner's Suite. Hanseatic Hotel, Bergen. Brown's Hotel London. Mandarin Oriental Miami. Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills. Halekulani Honolulu. The Peninsula Chicago. Brasada Ranch, Oregon. Adlon Kempinski Berlin. Capitol Kempinski Singapore. The Conrad Chicago. The Blue Lagoon Retreat Iceland. Terra Dominicata Priorat. Castilla Termal Monasterio de Valbuena Ribera del Duero. Palacio de San Esteban Salamanca, Hotel Urban Madrid. Huka Lodge, Taupo, New Zealand. Azur, Queenstown, New Zealand. Bay of Many Coves Resort New Zealand. Grand Hyatt Melbourne. The Langham Sydney. Viking Jupiter South America and Chilean Fjords Cruise, Owner's Suite. Le Hameau Albert 1-er Chamonix. Viking Rhine-Danube River Cruise, Explorer Suite, Viking Sky, West Indies Explorer Cruise, Owner's Suite. Park Lane Hotel New York. The Pierre New York. Park Hyatt Dubai. Qasr al Sarab Desert Hotel Abu Dhabi. Windsor Hotel, Lake Toya, Hokkaido. Park Hyatt Niseko Hokkaido. InterContinental Cairo. Sheraton Cairo. Mövenpick Dead Sea Resort. Mövenpick Petra. W Amman. Hard Rock Hotel, Ibiza. Viking Antares, Nile River Cruise, Explorer Suite. Precise Tale Seehof Davos. Chedi, Andermatt. Park Gstaad. Bishopsgate Hotel Derry. Lough Eske Castle Donegal. Aghadoe Heights Killarney. The Merrion Dublin. Glenlo Abbey Galway. Four Seasons Seoul. Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik. InterContinental Ljubljana. Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana. Alpenhotel Schwarzsee Kitzbuhel. Hotel Sacher Vienna. Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. Ritz-Carlton Atlanta. Four Seasons Singapore. Relais Christine, Paris. The Lancaster, Paris. Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong. Shangri-La Vancouver. Barriere le Carl Gustav, St. Barthelemy. JW Marriott, Sint Maarten. Four Seasons Meads Bay, Anguilla. Four Seasons Embarcadero, San Francisco. The Ahwahnee, Yosemite. Cypress Inn, Carmel-by-the-Sea. San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara. The Huntington, Pasadena. Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs. Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai, California.

Experienced Restaurant Patron

Notable Restaurants Patronized (*to *** denotes Michelin stars. World-renowned restaurants in bold.)

PARIS:
Taillevent (***). Jules Verne Alain Ducasse, Tour Eiffel (**). l'Ambassade d'Auvergne. Le Grand Colbert. Alain Senderens at Place de la Madeleine (**). Mollard. Le Train Bleu, Gare de Lyon. Fouquet's (*). Pavillon Ledoyen (***). Le Procope. Restaurant Polidor (setting for Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris). Brasserie Lipp. I'llot Vache. Le Grand Vefour (**). Lasserre (**). La Coupole. Les Deux Magots Café.
ROME:
Il Gabrielo. Imago at the Hassler (*). Tre Scalini Piazza Navona. Ciampini.
HONG KONG:
Spring Moon, Peninsula Hotel (***). Amber (**). Tim Ho Wan (*). Otto e Mezzo (***). Caprice (***). Lung King Heen (***). Pierre Gagnaire at Mandarin Oriental (**). l'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (***). The Steak House (*). Sevva Bar. NOBU InterContinental. VEA Kong (*). Beefbar (*). Tate Dining Room (*). Peking Garden. Spring Deer. American Restaurant (now closed).
LONDON:
Les Ambassadeurs Private Club. 5 Hertford St. Private Club. The original Hard Rock Café. Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill. Sweetings. Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa. The Savoy Grill (*). Simpson's in the Strand, Gordon Ramsay's Heddon Street Kitchen. The Wolseley. Hakkasan Mayfair. Gaucho Piccadilly. Benares (*). Fera at Claridge's (*).
SINGAPORE:
Odette (***). Les Amis (***). Beni ( ). Nouri (*). Shinsen Hanten (*). Willow (*). Atlas "Singapore's most sought-after cocktail bar".
NEW YORK:
Gramercy Tavern (*). The Modern, Museum of Modern Art (**). Le Bernardin (***). La Grenouille (formerly ***). Aquavit (**). Gabriel Kreuther (**). Andanada (*). Marea (**). River Café (*). Mario Batali's Del Posto (*). The Waverly Inn. Gotham Bar and Grill (*). Eleven Madison Park (***), multiple winner "Best Restaurant in the World". Tom's Diner (setting for Seinfeld). Peter Luger, Brooklyn (*). Per Se (***). Porter House Grill. Aureole (*). The Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal. Blue Hill (*). Mario Batalli's Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria. Café Boulud (*). Sardi's Restaurant. Brasserie Ruhlman. Rock Center Café, New York. NoMad (*). Sel et Poivre. Katz's Deli (setting for When Harry Met Sally). Bar Masa. 21 Club. Jean-Georges (***). Ai Fiori (*). Ellen's Stardust Diner. Le Pavillon (*).
VANCOUVER-WHISTLER:
Araxi. FireRock Lounge. Quattro. The Boathouse, Black + Blue. Granville Island Market.
BARCELONA:
Los Caracoles. Bar Mut. Tapas 24. Cinq Sentits (*). Caelis (*).
SWITZERLAND: Chubut, Gstaad. The Japanese, Andermatt (**). Cheval Blanc, Basel (***). La Table d'Edgard, Lausanne (*). Palace Sushi Zen, Lausanne. Kornhauskeller, Bern. Meridiano, Bern (*). Restaurant VUE, Bern (*). Brasserie Lipp, Geneva. Il Lago, Geneva (*). Rasoi, Geneva. Summit, Gstaad.
CALIFORNIA:
The French Laundry, Yountville (***), multiple winner "Best Restaurant in the World". Scoma's, Buena Vista Café, Campton Place Restaurant (*), Quince (***), Benu (***) San Francisco. Tommy's Hamburger, LA. Canter's Deli, LA. Californios, San Francisco (**). Spago Beverly Hills (**). The Hungtington Rose Garden Tea Room, LA. The Rooftop Grill at Montage, Beverly Hills. Wolfgang Puck's CUT, Beverly Hills (*). Zenith Steakhouse, Flagstaff, Arizona. The Penrose Room, Colorado Springs Olivella, Ojai, California. Malibu Seafood, Malibu, California.
OTHER USA:
Morton's Steak House, Palm, Lafayette Restaurant, Old Ebbitt Grill, Blue Duck (*), Marcel's Washington DC. Havana 1957, La March Miami. Mrs. Mac's Kitchen, Key Largo. Everest (*), Momotaro, Entente (*) - Chicago. Orchids, Azure Honolulu. Alan Wong's, Honolulu (*). Fleming's Fine Steakhouse, Miami. Nola, Galatoire's, R'Evolution New Orleans. Union Oyster House, Ruth's Chris, The Bristol, Legal Seafood, Cheers (setting for Cheers) - Boston. The Peninsula Grill, Charleston.
OTHER WORLDWIDE:
Private Dining Room, Chateau Palmer, Margaux. Esperanto, Stockholm. Ekstedt, Stockholm (*). Fjord, Stockholm (*). Boccaccio, Nice. VUN at Park Hyatt Milan (*). La Casserole, Strasbourg (*). Maison des Tanneurs, Strasbourg. Fink Stuebel, Strasbourg. Goya, Madrid. Palacio de Cibeles, Madrid. Le Pavillon, Zurich (*). Le Gabriel Bistro, Bordeaux. La Tupina, Bordeaux. Oliviera, Nice. Chateau de la Chevre d'Or, Eze. Licandro le Bistro, Aix-en-Provence. Momo Yama, Jeju. Narnia, Jeju. Truluck's, Fort Lauderdale. Maaemo, Oslo (***). Enhjorningen, Bergen. Palmen Restaurant, Oslo. Castelroc, Monaco. Restaurant RED, Amsterdam. A Valenciana, Lisbon. Restaurant Salon, Copenhagen. Det Lille Apotek, Copenhagen. Facil, Berlin (*). Rockpool Bar and Grill, Sydney. Lord Nelson Brewery, Sydney. The Grove, Auckland. Amano, Auckland. Lune Croissanterie, Melbourne. The Panorama and The Alpine Restaurants, Hermitage Hotel, Mount Cook, New Zealand. RimRock Café. Jervois Steak House, Queenstown, New Zealand. Rata, Queenstown, New Zealand. The Pullman, Galway. Cedars, Donegal. Lake Room, Killarney. Etto, Dublin. Pearl Brasserie, Dublin. Orsan, Croatia. Konoba Dubrova. Konavoski dvori, Dubrovnik. Huka Lodge Dining Room, Taupo, New Zealand. Crackers, Berlin. Siglodoce, Avila. El Nacional, Barcelona. Jardin de Diana, Barcelona. Moss Restaurant (*) and Lava Restaurant, The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Hotel, Iceland. Sublimotion, Ibiza, touted as "the most expensive restaurant in the world". L'Isola, Bonito, Beefbar, and Shellona, all in St. Barthelemy. Au Violon, Basel.

Humorous Travelogue Writer and Social Commentator

(Philippine Star except as noted)