It is one thing to watch Senator Chiz Escudero grill someone at a Senate inquiry. It is another to listen to him talk in rapid-fire Pilipino to air his views at media conferences. But to see him roll up his sleeves -- and cook? That is definitely a surprising treat, one that was given to select members of the press during the launching of his commercial for the Frabelle food brand’s latest line of premium processed meat offerings such as Honey Ham, Yummy Hotdogs and Cheesedogs, Hickory Smoked Bacon, and Pork Ham Tocino.
True to his straight-to-the-point style, Chiz took on the task without any need for preliminaries. He gamely donned an apron and started sautéing his aromatics like a pro, all the while talking about his kitchen experience to a very rapt audience (who agreed amongst themselves that this was definitely not something you see every day). While the pan sizzled, the Senator, talked about his humble beginnings in the kitchen. His area of expertise, he says, is breakfast.
“That was his job,” his mother confirmed. Incidentally, his mom, Evelina, built a career in the academe in the field of Home Economics. In fact, she was recently-appointed member of the University of the Philippines Board of Regents and has been president of the UP Home Economics Alumni Association and the UP Alumni Association Hostel and Canteen Services, Inc. since 2008. Since she lectures on Home Economics, this surely meant that Chiz had to learn the rudiments of cookery under her tutelage.
“As a young boy, I bonded with her mostly in the kitchen. We cooked breakfast together. She taught me stuff, like how to correctly cut a chicken into pieces, how to debone and clean a fish. Kaya excuse me, marunong akong magsaing kahit walang rice cooker!” he quips.
He explored the culinary world further when he and his posse found themselves with nothing to do, so they enrolled in a cooking class. “It was at the First Gourmet Academy in Quezon City. I studied with my brother, my brother-in-law and my neighbor under Chef Mats Loo. For three months, he taught us the basics—like how to sauté a fish.” He enjoyed it so much, he says, that he enrolled under Chef Reggie Aspiras for further studies.
“It was on a dish-to-dish basis, and I now cook my personal favorites like adobo, paella and tinola, and some Spanish dishes like cochinillo -- which I haven’t perfected yet. My kids love my version of paella; they affectionately call it yellow rice. When I cook for them, I tone down the spiciness, because I myself like my food spicy, owing to my Bicolano background.” This, he says, while sprinkling a large amount of pepper on his dish dubbed Chiz Yummy Spaghetti. “When I was growing up, we did not use ground meat on our spaghetti, just lots of hotdogs,” he recalls of his very Pinoy pasta orientation.
So, yes, he was very used to eating meaty treats such as hotdogs, and when he was approached to endorse the Frabelle products, there was no hesitation on his part. “It was not even a formal invite. My friend Frannie Tiu-Laurel came over and asked me and our other friends to try their new products. I liked it and actually volunteered to endorse it for free – so, no, you will not find this on my SAL-N!” he jokes.
This actually says a lot about the product, because after an episode where something he ate did not agree with him, he started to become very careful with the food he eats. “That is also the reason why I like to cook for my kids so I know what they are eating is safe. In fact, ‘yan ang hindi ko pinagtitipiran sa kanila. Damit pinagtitipiran ko, kasi paglalakihan din nila ito. Pero hindi ang pagkain,” he explains.
The Senator says that safe, delicious, and affordable food for all Filipinos is his dream. “Karapatan ng bawat Pilipino ang masarap at malinis na pagkain. Hindi lang ito dapat pang mayaman, dapat ang mahihirap ay magkaroon ng pagkakataon na makakain ng pagkaing ganoon at marahil ito ay isa sa mga hamon sa gobyerno na sinusubukang gampanan sa ngayon. Sariling atin ang kumpanyang ito, gawa sa Pilipinas, mula sa Pilipino, na dapat tangkilikin at ipagmalaki.” With that, he enjoined the guests to try his yummy spaghetti.
The new Frabelle products are now available at leading grocery stores and supermarkets nationwide.
source: mb.com.ph
