It was a few weeks after the triumphant — and touching — rescue of the trapped Chilean miners that Dusit Thani Manila hosted a wine dinner featuring the Chilean original Casillero del Diablo, yet a sense of awe still hung in the air.

Chile’s Ambassador Roberto Mayorga was on hand during the dinner, receiving warm congratulations and graciously thanking everyone for the support extended to their compatriots in a remote desert halfway across the globe.

It was a fitting setting to the similarities and contrasts between the Philippines and Chile. Filipino chef and food entrepreneur Stephanie Zubiri had prepared a five-course menu that paired her creations with chardonnay, pinot noir, and carmenere selections from Chile, and at the cocktail area were artworks by self-taught Filipino painter Jun Balasbas. The paintings depicted colorful snapshots of Filipino life, idyllic and playful. Jonathan Sy of Gallery BIG curated the exhibit, marvelling in conversation with guests both at the growing interest in Filipino contemporary artists and the skillful rescue of the Chilean miners — an affirmation of how through skill and persistence, anything is possible.