Young, good-looking chef and hot social-media influencer Gerick Manalo loves the Christmas season. Not only is he busy preparing holiday menus for dear family members, close friends and select clients, but Manalo also starts planning for the year ahead.
Manalo has been getting a lot of exposures lately on television and he is a sought-after guest in corporate shows and events that require celebrity culinary guests. It was GMA that opened the big doors for Manalo. “I enjoyed my stints and guesting activities on shows like Pop Talk, Good News, Day Off and Unang Hirit,” he shared, adding, “I love preparing dishes for lifestyle shows, and being interviewed and featured on national television has helped me get noticed and opened the big doors for me.” Manalo was also featured on the longest-running noontime show Eat Bulaga.
There are so many things about Manalo that are interesting, and I was glad to get to know him a little better through a recent conversation.
When he was in middle school, his mom started Genaro’s Special Bibingka to help support their family. His grandmother passed down her specialty secrets to his mom, who is also a passionate cook. The business grew and Manalo thought it would be nice to be part of the family business. “I reckon that it would be a big help if I had a formal background in culinary arts, and that’s why I pursued this path.”
Manalo enrolled at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and took a course in Hotel Restaurant and Institution Management majoring in Culinary Arts. There, he strengthened the foundation of his goal of getting into the family food business, which now has five branches and is ready for franchising.
With an early penchant for French cuisine, his first internship was at the Vatel Restaurant Manila, a French restaurant that is operated by a fellow Benilde alumnus. Manalo then took a job at Sofitel Manila to hone his skills as a junior chef.
With experience and many learnings at the back of the house, Manalo developed a liking for Filipino and Japanese cuisine, too. He shared that he enjoys creating modern fusion breakfast meals, and his favorite breakfast ingredient is bacon. “I remember that I didn’t like vegetables while growing up, but as we get older, we learn and accept that what keeps us healthy will eventually make us happy, so I decided to balance my protein cravings and infuse vegetables in my food intake.”
When not whipping up meals, Manalo keeps himself busy with his commitments as a brand ambassador and endorser. He gets invites to fly to key cities all over the country to give talks, participate in cooking demo activities, and lecture to hospitality and culinary students and aspiring chefs.
Some quarters refer to him as a sexy chef but he blushes every time he hears that. “I try my best to stay fit, hit the gym for regular workouts. I also take my vitamins regularly and engage in sports activities, too. I love swimming. I relax by watching movies and I follow my favorite television series if time permits. I chill by having a glass of wine, which is either a Merlot or a Cabernet Sauvignon. I prefer red because red is life.”
Manalo shared that he is single but that’s not a reason to be lonely this joyous season. “There are so many reasons to choose happiness,” he volunteered, adding, “The right one will come when it’s meant to be, when I am ready. I believe in destiny as much as I believe in working hard to attain the goals we set.”
The twentysomething chef was recently in New York to learn about Intensive Food Styling at the International Culinary Center for a month. He is already making use of his learning and applying these to his holiday food concoctions and meal preparations.
Manalo plans to put up a new business in the coming year and hopefully star in his own food and lifestyle show soon. His star is definitely on the rise—in and outside the kitchen.