The Modern Lola Lita

Morcon. Hamonado. Kaldereta. Halayang Ube. The usual stuff you would see in a typical Filipino handaan.

*Our house in Bulacan, a silent witness to my Lola's cooking prowess.

I will only be considered a graduate of Culinary school once I master my lola's signature dishes. That's according to my mother. The problem is my lola passed away in 1990 and she did not bother to pass on her recipes - and nobody cared to learn from her.

I did not expect to learn how to cook/master these Filipino dishes when I entered MIHCA*. In fact, our curriculum is only good for 4 months. My initial plan was to get a job onboard a cruise ship and learning how to cook and enrolling in Magsaysay's in-house school seemed to be the perfect formula to fulfill my cruise ship plan.

However, a few weeks into our curriculum made me realize that I want to be a Chef and not just land a job as a cook in a ship galley. All these years I have been yearning to have my own niche, to have a job which I love, and yes, after years of searching I can proudly say that I have found home in cooking. I want to continue the tradition of savory dishes my lola has been known for  - and yes, this would mean going back to my roots, taking off my toque and my chef's jacket, and dealing with our local kusineras to accomplish this.

And this is what I what I am going to do after I finish school in February. I will be the Modern Lola Lita.

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*MIHCA - Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts - www.mihca.com.ph

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