MANILA, Philippines - Michel and Amparito Lhuillier hosted a champagne party for kith and kin at the Tap Room of the Gustavian. That is one in a string of excellent dining places they own in Cebu.

Reason for the celebration was the visit of their children, Franck and Yvette (nee Lhuillier) Warnod, who live in Paris and had come to the Philippines on vacation with their children, Maxim and Bianca.

They had outings to Cebu resorts which are world-famous, and there were excursions to the family farm in northern Cebu. There they have stretches of beach, tracts of land planted to flowers, and various waterfalls that cascade into rivers.

At the party, Moët & Chandon was poured all night into crystal flutes for ?Cheers? by uncles, aunts, cousins, and dear friends who date back to Yvette?s childhood.

Glimpsed about among the closest and dearest: Angie L. Mathieu, Marguerite Lhullier, Ana Marie (nee Llamas) and Johnny Dizon, Michael and Joanna Lhuillier, Chris L. Darza, Claudine and Mikel Ugarte, Martin Miranda, and many more.

Chef Dietmar Dietrich prepared a wonderful menu. The ?montados? of Salmon and other delicacies on rye bread were delicious. So was the Indian chicken curry with countless condiments. Drawing raves were the fluffy ?bouche de reine? pastries stuffed with escargots flown in from France.

Hamming it up

At one point chef Robert Lilja wheeled in what seemed like the biggest and heaviest loaf of bread ever. It was actually a huge juicy leg of ham baked beneath bread crust. A long line formed as he began to slice it with gusto.

Among those present were Louis Thevenin with his fiancée Honeylet Samia, Alice Gauny and Alexandra Hammacher. They are with Les Amis de la France French Cultural Institute and Language Center in Cebu, which has the full support of the Lhuillier family.

Louis is the director while Alice and Alexandra are part of the teaching staff. There is much interest in Cebu to learn French. The facility has state-of-the-art equipment and the latest books. As Louis says, ?You speak French from day 1.?

?French Rendezvous?

Les Amis has teamed up with the Arts Council of Cebu to present a series of cultural events dubbed ?French Rendezvous.? They started with the Gypsy Jazz show by the famous brothers Boulou and Elios Ferre at the SM Cebu Theater One. It was an SRO audience.

Coming up is the showing of ?La Vie en Rose? also at SM June 14 at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Then on June 21, Cebu joins the rest of the world in ?La Fete de la Musique? at Paseo in Mabolo, graciously lent be Edu and Jaja(nee Chiongbuan) Rama.

Filmfest

Another highlight is a French film festival scheduled at Onstage of Ayala Center Cebu on June 27-29. Bastille Day will also be celebrated in Cebu, tentatively set for the 11th of July. Ambassador Gorard Chesnel will be invited.

Going back to Franck and Yvette, they left Cebu with fond memories of what seemed to Michel and Amparito as an all-too-short stay.

When will they be back? Chances are it will be during the Christmas holidays. ?We have nine grandchildren,? Michel and Amparito tell everyone, ?And it would be nice to have the entire family there.?

Eldest son Charles Lhuillier and Joanna (nee Palanca) live in Manila with their daughter Nicole Veronique and son Marcel Charles.

Michael Lhuillier, the next eldest, and his wife, also named Joanna (nee Maitland- Smith), reside in Cebu with their three sons: Micheal James, Matthew, and Myles.

As we?ve said, Yvette and Franck live in Paris with their Maxim and Bianca. This brings us to the youngest of the family, the celebrated Monique Lhuillier, who is based in California with husband Tom Bugbee and their son Jack Nicholas.

What?s the latest on Monique? She?s been in New York this whole past week doing private showings of her wedding gowns, formal evening wear, and more.