By Gerard Ramos / Lifestyle & Entertainment Editor
‘EVER wondered why some dishes are called comfort food? It plays a crucial role in our lives—it does not only provide sustenance, it can also help in triggering the moods and emotions that we have.”
So says Chef JP Anglo, the man behind such favorite dining destinations as Sarsá (in Makati City, Bonifacio Global City, SM Mall of Asia), Kafé Batwan (Joya Lofts and Towers in Rockwell, Makati City), Maipao & Mushu (in Bacolod City) and Liberation Shawarma (in Hole in the Wall inside Century City Mall, Makati City). He is also the man behind recipes in the book Mood Food, a collaboration between the chef and Russell Hobbs (www.facebook.com/russellhobbsph), the UK brand that is the global leader in small kitchen appliances. Part cookbook, part life meditation, part showcase of the various small appliances from Russell Hobbs that elevate cooking and food preparation at home, the book was launched recently at Top Shelf in Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street, and it came as no surprise that the event drew a good number of the lifestyle media. After all, we live in an age when chefs have become celebrities not unlike rock stars—with their own fan base, their own TV shows, and coveted and courted and fawned over by powerful men and women.
With his stint in MasterChef Philippines and a much buzzed-about association with one rather controversial personality, Chef JP is regarded as, yes, a celebrity chef around these parts—but it is a label he readily shrugs off. “I’m a cook and I just love feeding people.”
Now, that’s something we would happily get behind.
Meanwhile, Chef JP says of his handsomely mounted book: “With Mood Food, we will show everyone how easy it is to prepare food that would suit or enhance their moods. And with the help of Russell Hobbs, the dishes are not only a burst of flavors, but also a treat for the eyes.”
How did your interest in food began?
My uncle, the half-brother of my dad, lived in Hong Kong and taught me how to do fried rice the right way, and that basically was my entryway to Chinese dishes.
At that point of discovery, did you quickly make up your mind about carving out a career as a chef? How did family and friends receive the news of your aspiration?
When I was in my college years, my parents were already frustrated with me, because I was jumping from one course or college to another. So when I told them I wanted to go to cooking school, they told me it was my last chance, and I did do good when I got there. They were pretty much relieved that I found my spot. Honestly, at the back of my head, I always knew I wanted to be in the kitchen cooking good food.
How did you go about pursuing your dream?
First I went to the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA), then furthered my culinary studies at the Le Cordon Bleu at Sydney.
What discoveries did you make during your time in culinary school with regards to the life of a chef, or a lifetime career focused on food?
That it’s not a glamorous job, the pay is bad and the hours are long. You cook all day, and you clean everything you use afterward. I realized, too, that culinary school was just the tip of the iceberg. There were so many other cooks who were better than me and it pushed to work harder and longer than anybody else.
How was the first time you cooked an elaborate meal for family/friends?
It was fun! It was exhilarating, though I’m not sure if it was actually good. But everyone who was present was just happy for me and they all supported me.
What was the first restaurant you opened, and what were the challenges you found the most daunting in opening one? Has it become any easier opening new restaurants? Do you plan to open more?
MaiPao—it’s a Chinese restaurant. I grew up eating Chinese dishes. My family had a fast-food Chinese place when I was growing up, so opening a Chinese restaurant seemed logical. Besides, everyone eats Chinese food. Food cost and overall the designing of a kitchen and the technicalities involved were the challenges that I found most daunting, but, yes, it gets easier opening up restaurants as you go along. You learn from past mistakes. Right now, I already have seven restaurants, and I think I’m going to stay with that number for a while, I want my life back for a while so I have time to enjoy life and surf!
How do you think the recently concluded Madrid Fusión Manila is going to impact Filipino cuisine on the global stage?
Now we’re “out there,” the world knows we Filipinos can cook! It’s up to next generation of cooks to follow through. Margarita Fores and others have paved a way for the rest of the Filipino cooks to push forward.
Why is Filipino cuisine taking a far longer time to gain the kind of global traction that Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai and Korean cuisines have long enjoyed?
Well, our culture has always been mahiyain with our food. We don’t force it on people, we used to let foreigners come and eat food they’re comfortable with, but that’s wrong because our food is good! We should stop being so shy about our cuisine and introduce it to everyone we meet.
As an individual chef and as part of a community of highly regarded Filipino chefs, what do you think can and needs to be done for Filipino cuisine to gain international acceptance?
We should be gutsy with our food and quit playing it safe. We live in a tropical country, we have so many undiscovered ingredients that we have not yet utilized. Our vinegars, our fruits…and we are surrounded by a bounty of seafood due to our geographical location. We are lucky, but we have yet to use every local ingredient we can.
After a day of whipping up all these scrumptious offerings, what guilty pleasure in food do you look forward to?
SPAM!