After luxury retail, the Tantocos try their hands at events and hospitality at Lakehall and Nena’s Sanctuary
THE TANTOCO FAMILY — best known for their retail business — is dipping their toes into events and other new countryside ventures at their Sta. Elena Golf and Country Estate in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
On June 10, media guests were welcomed to lunch by the family at Lakehall, a new events space in Nena’s Sanctuary, an area within the Sta. Elena estate. Nena’s Sanctuary was named after Marina Vargas-Tantoco, wife of Bienvenido “Rico” Tantoco, Jr., in turn the son of the late Rustan’s founders Bienvenido and Gliceria Tantoco.
Lakehall boasts of a function hall that can be broken up into three (all of them named after flowers: Iris, Dahlia, and Peony) and can fit 300 to 350 people. Gardens outside, as well as a terrace, can seat up to 500 guests, with the artificial lake serving as a centerpiece. The whole of Lakehall, enveloped within concrete walls made to mimic rammed earth, has an interior decorated with bas-relief flowers (from House of Precast) and palm frond chandeliers (by Venzon Lighting). It was designed with the collaboration of Cardy Papa Design Studio, architect Bong Recio, and the interiors done by Cyndi Fernandez.
The whole of Lakehall measures 1,859.91 sq.m., a fraction of the size of Nena’s Sanctuary (at 28,000 sq.m.). By comparison, the entire Sta. Elena estate measures 150 hectares, acquired by Mr. Tantoco, Jr. in the 1980s. A part of the sugar hacienda of the Yulo-Quiros family, this was transformed into a golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. The golf course around which luxury villages were built has been included in the list of the 100 Best Golf Courses Outside the United States by Golf Digest Magazine (in 2005-2006, and then again in 2009-2010).
It is also a certified bird sanctuary by the Audubon Society.
During our tour, Lakehall was hosting several merchants who had set up shop for a fair running up to July 2. These merchants include Dough & Grocer (for rare food finds; including chocolates from France), Type A Coffee, Recess, Hindy Weber (boho-chic clothing), and Fifty Shades of Dough. Among the merchants is a flower shop managed by Marina “Nena” Tantoco, according to her twin granddaughters, Nicole Tantoco de los Reyes and Camille Tantoco Ng (daughters of Rustan Commercial Corp. President Bienvenido “Donnie” Tantoco III and his wife Crickette).
Crickette Tantoco is the President of Lakehall. She said in a statement, “We want to create modern amenities without breaking the experience of nature; offering contemporary spaces nestled in nature. We are an events hall that you can book as a venue for your milestone celebrations such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, and even corporate conventions. But we are also a curator of experiences, and we help you realize your vision for your dream event.”
The flower shop is about to become a seed of bigger things to come from Nena’s Sanctuary. This year, they’re opening a new restaurant, Rico’s Cafe, by the lake, which will serve Filipino comfort food made fancy (if we’re judging by the kare-kare that we had last Saturday, which featured pechay leaves rolled up like rosebuds). Further planned developments include a garden center, a flower shop, a home decor store, and more retail concepts. “Nena’s Sanctuary is going to be a lifestyle destination,” Ms. Tantoco de los Reyes, who sits as Lakehall Creative Office Marketing Specialist, said in an interview.
Another merchant at last weekend’s fair was Joel’s Place, selling everything from hard-to-find snacks to skincare brands not yet in the country. Joel’s Place is a new grocery concept by this branch of the Tantocos, marking the return of the family to that industry after their Shopwise and Marketplace stores were acquired by the Gokongwei family’s Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. in 2018. The Joel’s Place brand is named after Donnie Tantoco’s late brother Jose Luis, who died in 2007. The first branch will be put up in Rockwell. “It’s going to be a playground for discovering all kinds of food,” said Ms. Tantoco de los Reyes, who said that the concept will combine a grocery and a restaurant.
As leaders in the country’s luxury retail scene (the Rustan’s group holds the franchise and distribution deals for many of the world’s top luxury brands in the country), one may wonder what this background can bring to these new ventures. “My parents bring their experiences with retail and working in luxury into the events space. Whatever they pursue, they don’t want to do it in a conventional way,” she said. “We’ve never done events before. Events, and hospitality, and restaurants, that’s completely new to us. We’re experimenting with that. We’re learning this business, and if it takes off, we might create more destinations.”
Lakehall at Nena’s Sanctuary is located at Txokolate Road, Sta. Elena Golf and Country Estate, Sta. Rosa, Laguna. For inquiries write to inquiry@nenasanctuary.com or call 0998-964-3181. — Joseph L. Garcia
