Man on a Mission: Chef Chele Gonzalez Opens Deli by Chele at The Podium

One man's culinary vision takes shape with the opening of a flagship store for another unique and successful concept. Take a bite of probably the country's best NY Style Brisket Pastrami upgraded to a massive XL variant and the new Cochinillo Hero and more at Deli by Chele...

Chef Chele Gonzalez brings the #DeliByCheleExperience to Ortigas with the recent opening of the flagship Deli by Chele store at The Podium. The impressive and elegant new space becomes yet another grand stage showcasing Chef Chele's culinary creations, highlighted by the savory NY Style Brisket Pastrami alongside other curated deli offerings. Read on and step inside for a virtual peek at one of the metro's hottest dining destinations... 

Drawing inspiration from the classic New York deli, Chef Chele Gonzales adds his own inventive flair for that unique #DeliByCheleExperience starting with a refined yet contemporary vibe threaded together by the brand's subdued color palette. The look and feel of the flagship store is distinctly Chele with that understated elegance. 

As Chef Chele's team makes the final preparations for the formal opening, a wider look reveals both the retail and sandwich store blending seamlessly in a tasteful weave...

...right beside another of his concepts, Chef Chele's Kitchen by Chef Chele Gonzalez featuring indulgent baked creations like the Burnt Basque Cheesecake. The diverse concepts present an accurate snapshot of the man, one with seemingly boundless ideas that's slowly changing the local culinary landscape. 

I first met Chef Chele Gonzalez way back in 2014 with his creative and inventive spin on modern cuisine raising the bar and setting the tone for the metro's fine dining scene. But what fascinated me most is his deep and insightful approach to local ingredients and flavors from a foreigner's perspective and transforming it into flavorful stories lavishly presented with each sumptuous course. It's his play on local artisanal produce and traditional methods infused with modern techniques that makes dining at Chele's restaurant, Gallery by Chele uniquely special and memorable. It's no surprise then that Chef Chele's concepts received accolades and recognition including Top Twenty Restaurants in the Philippines, Best New Restaurant, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, Best New Restaurant in Inventive Cuisine and Restaurant of the Year. His game changing concepts were on a steady upward course until the global pandemic changed everything.

When the world stopped, Chef Chele immediately went to work. For Chef Chele Gonzalez, the quarantine experience was an opportunity to create new ideas and learn new techniques. A renewed and closer look at baking led to the hugely successful Burnt Basque Cheesecake, pies, cookies and many more laying the foundation for Chef Chele's Kitchen by Chef Chele Gonzalez. A visit to New York at one of the iconic deli institutions sparked another idea paving the way for Deli by Chele bannered by the NY Style Brisket Pastrami. Clearly, his endless ideas have kept him ahead of the game in the cluttered local food scene. 

Encouraged by the success and positive feedback from numerous pop-ups and online orders for his Burnt Basque Cheesecake and deli-style sandwiches, Chef Chele's foray into the competitive retail market was just something that was bound to happen. At The Podium, one man's vision comes to fruition with the impressive flagship store of Deli by Chele...

Inside Deli by Chele, you'll find a wide assortment of handcrafted artisan offerings consistent with Chef Chele's culinary philosophy built around real flavors from the freshest and finest ingredients prepared with both traditional and modern techniques. From their House Blend Tea Series and Kombucha...  

...to gourmet jams and preserves...

...and cured meats, cold cuts, sausages, charcuterie, cheeses, seafood and fresh baked bread, each one masterfully prepared and executed to Chef Chele's uncompromising standards. The unique concept of retail and dine-in components at Deli by Chele come together harmoniously in a smartly designed open layout for that #DeliByCheleExperience. 

As more guests arrived for the opening, Chef Chele's team at Deli by Chele starts prepping for the event over the sleek Silestone countertop open kitchen...

...while others add the final touches to one of many sweet and savory offerings. In clockwork precision under the supervision of Chefs Chele Gonzalez and Carlos Villaflor, the kitchen is ready. 

In a brief lull before the opening ceremonies, Chef Chele Gonzalez shared the milestone moment with the team behind Deli by Chele. It's an inspiring story that began two years ago at the height of the pandemic, leading to an impressive flagship store at the heart of the metro.  

Refreshing cocktails were then served...

...along with tasty starters including their specialty Pastrami Nachos (P 290) with cheese and pico de gallo offering a sample of their best-selling pastrami. This isn't your usual nachos. The deep beefy richness and the subtle briny and smoky hints of the pastrami come through with each crisp bite of the loaded nachos smoothened by the cheese, and that's just a preview of their popular deli-style pastrami at Deli by Chele. 

Meanwhile, a sneak glimpse at the counter featured some of the culinary highlights at Deli by Chele including a whole roasted suckling pig for their new Cochinillo Hero Sandwich...

...and a beautiful slab of tender brisket for their signature NY Style Brisket Pastrami Sandwich. 

The ceremonial ribbon cutting formally opened Deli by Chele at The Podium...

...with the specialty offerings sharing the spotlight. And rightfully so, with Chef Chele's NY Style Brisket Pastrami probably the metro's very best take on the iconic New York deli-style sandwich yet.

At the new Deli by Chele flagship store, Chef Chele introduces the newest sandwich to the menu with the presentation of a whole roasted suckling pig. 

And the best way to carve it? The traditional way with a plate...

...expertly demonstrated by Chef Chele Gonzalez cheered on by the guests. 

The juicy cochinillo with its delicately crisp layer of crackling is now ready for the sandwiches...

The Cochinillo Hero (P 590) features crispy roasted suckling pig from Segovia on tart apple coleslaw, apple jam, roasted garlic honey dressing and apple mayonnaise on a soft and buttery brioche bun. If that sounds good already, go ahead and take a bite. The delicate notes of the cochinillo are perfectly complemented by the sweetness of the apples in the coleslaw, jam and mayo along with the roasted garlic honey dressing. The textural contrasts from the crisp crackling adds a delectable layer to the hearty sandwich perfectly finished by the soft buttery brioche. The play on sweet and savory flavors bring a distinct European and Spanish style to the deli offerings at Deli by Chele for a unique dining experience.

The comfortingly familiar notes of cochinillo is the flavorful base of the savory and hearty sandwich, with the sweetness of the other ingredients and the buttery hints of the brioche completing the medley or rich and unctuous notes. The complex weave of flavors complement the other for a delicately balanced finish while the crisp crackling just seals the deal. This is one serious sandwich and a worthy addition to the pork, beef and seafood sandwiches at Deli by Chele.  

The enduring deli classic is recreated by Chef Chele with the NY Style Brisket Pastrami (P 295 Solo/P 590 Whole) with tender slabs of juicy smoked and cured beef, pickled cucumbers and the sharp bite of the creamy mayo mustard on buttery toasted sourdough bread. And it's as traditional as it gets. The savory richness of the beef lingers on the palate, rounded out by the subtle sharpness of the pickled cucumber and mayo mustard and capped by the buttery and lightly crisp sourdough. It's this sandwich, considered by many as the best in the metro and the whole country, that catapulted Chef Chele's bold and daring new deli concept. 

One more big bite just drives the point home, this is simply the best pastrami sandwich in Manila.

But Chef Chele has one more inventive surprise. Just how do you make the metro's best pastrami sandwich even better? Simple. Make it a lot bigger. The new XL Pastrami Sandwich (P 495 Solo/P 990 Whole) becomes a massive upgrade of a classic. And you can only find it here at Deli by Chele. 

The secret to the best pastrami sandwich in the metro is the beef itself. Two years in the making, the perfectly smoked and lightly charred outer bark over a juicy deep red slab of beef is a culmination of premium ingredients and traditional techniques and long hours in the kitchen. Using only grass-fed and lean beef brisket, a special proprietary rub blended with the finest ingredients is applied to the beautiful slab of beef before the tedious curing and smoking process.  

After long hours of curing and the smoking process, the resulting end product is a tender and juicy slab of beef with bold savory flavors. Consistent with Chef Chele's philosophy, real flavors take time. At Deli by Chele, you can safely say we finally have a pastrami sandwich that's on a par with the world's best. 

The XL Pastrami Sandwich is more than just the latest sandwich craze. It's a bold statement in Chef Chele's vision of serving only the finest. And you get a whole lot more with the XL Pastrami Sandwich at Deli by Chele.

Big on beefy flavors, size does matter. And that's just the beginning of a long journey with many more flavorful stories and chapters yet to unfold from one man's culinary vision. 

What better way to end a classic deli-style feast than with lavish cakes from Chef Chele's Kitchen by Chele Gonzalez where he shares cherished family recipes...

...as well as indulgent creations like the NY Style Chocolate Cake (P 295 per slice/P 2,200 Whole) for serious chocolate lovers draped in ganache.  

Chef Chele then spins his own own playfully inventive twist to a traditional local staple with the wittingly named Chika or Cheesecake Bibingka and the Queso de Bola Chika. The iconic flavors of New York with the classic hints of European and Spanish notes and just a touch of local nostalgia with the Chika makes this deli a class of its own driven by the creative culinary vision of one man.

Step inside Deli by Chele and shop for artisan gourmet creations and better yet, have a bite of their deli-style sandwiches. 

And if you're still wondering where to find the best pastrami sandwich in the country, just head on over to Deli by Chele at their newest flagship store in The Podium...

Deli by Chele is located at the Ground Floor of The Podium, 12 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. You can also visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/delibychele/ and website at https://www.delibychele.com/ for updates.

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