MISSING the chance for an actual trip to this mystical land and walk the streets of Marrakesh and search for treasures in the amazing souks of the land, I will have to settle at the next best thing - the food!

Well, not actually "settle," it is more of taking a gastronomic trip to a foreign land pretty much like what food critic, the Grim Eater aka Anton Ego, experienced on the first bite of Remy's ratatouille. He was the young child in his beloved mother's kitchen once more.

But this dive into the spice-filled cuisine will have to demand more from those who haven't been to the Middle East - I am one of those - and dig deep into their fertile imagination for images of Morocco to flash on their minds as they feast on this remarkable spread. Dropping the fork with mouth agape and eyes staring fixedly on an empty space will add more to the drama.

Who is taking us to this wonderful place?

Someone who can relate to the Dabawenyos taste buds. Someone who knows how to lead the locals' penchant for dining towards a taste they can truly enjoy, savor. Another Dabawenya, perhaps?

"I find much joy in creating themed menus and perfecting old favorites," says the Dabawenya, chef and world traveler Wendy O whose impressive resume lists her expertise working from Manila to the Middle East.

Wouldn't she make the perfect "flavor tourist guide"? A local, a chef and most importantly, she is preparing the dishes herself.

For a couple of weeks until the seventh of June, Chef Wendy O. will be the guest chef of Caf‚ Marco at the Marco Polo Hotel and promises everyone that she will "cook up a storm that reflects perpetual summer" reminiscent of the Middle East. Can anything get any hotter than that?

On opening night, she prepared dishes with the Moroccan flair and that is good enough for me as prelude to the much-anticipated showing of the second serving of Sex and the City on the big screen. (I just have to inject that in.)

Just like Morocco, Davao produces a large range of fruits and vegetables. Morocco produces large quantities of sheep, cattle, poultry, and seafood which serve as a base for the cuisine and so do we. This is where Wendy picks it up; these ingredients take center stage in her kitchen as she whips up her dishes with unique Middle Eastern flavors.

She pointed out that she infused the characteristic flavoring ingredients in the Moroccan cooked dishes like lemon pickle, cold-pressed, unrefined olive oil and dried fruits. Since Moroccan food use spices extensively like the zaafran beldi (saffron), maasnous (parsley), mint, karfa (cinnamon), kharkown (tumeric), skinjbir (ginger), the tahmira (paprika), kamoun (cumin) and many more, the dishes will have a bit more spiced compared to the Middle Eastern Cuisine.

From the special menu of the evening, I particularly took my fancy on personal favorites- the lentil soup, the hummus and tahine dips. The salad was truly refreshing and the lamb meatballs and couscous and the dory fish was just amazing. There were lots more but popping my belly was not option. There is another night for these wonderful dishes.

To make the run more exciting, Wendy has prepared four menus for the duration of this food festival. This gives you to taste again a favorite dish or explore more the region and have a bit of everything from the spread in the next few days.

Another diet busting gathering but certainly worth the temptation. Plus it was nice to see Wendy in action- as a chef this time.