Philippines Chef
CAROLINA JUAN Profile
Filipinos are not only great singers, we are also excellent cooks!
CookEatShare Points
About me
I'm happily married and a mother of three - 21, 18 & 15 years of age. I started learning to cook pretty late as my Mother died when I was 12 and there was really no one who can teach me. But here in the Philippines, we can hire household help who can do the chores with a little instruction and I didn't feel the need to cook at such an early age. Like any kid, I wanted to play. I found time to finally put my hands to work after I got married and pregnant. I was asked by my husband to resign and that left me with a lot of time at my disposal so I put it to good use...I enrolled at a reputable cooking school. There, I learned the basics of cooking and baking and later on learned some other Asian recipes as well, particularly Chinese & Japanese. I was even able to use my newly acquired skills by selling Le Gateau SANS RIVAL for Christmas.
Anyway, from there, I learned that cooking and baking can be fun, creative and productive. In fact we have also ventured into the restaurant business and have been doing some kitchen testing at home.
Cooking Influences
My aunt - Juliet T. Aguirre, Sylvia Reynoso-Gala, Liberty Mills, Center for Culinary Arts
Recommendations
Favorite Cookbooks
- Good Housekeeping Philippines compilation (Cris Abiva)
- Practical and special, with readily-available ingredients
- Kitchen Rescue (Reggie Aspiras)
- I like Reggie's personal touch and that she shares all her secrets.
Chefs I recommend
- Carol Lavin (Metro Manila, Philippines)
- She was my classmate at the Asian Institute of Management and CCA when I took "Venture into Entrepreneurship in the Food Industry". Now she is a highly acclaimed chef and instructor at the same school. She has also won a great deal of awards both here and abroad.
Restaurants I Recommend
- Chic-boy "Chicken@Baboy" (Chicken & Pork) (Metro Manila, Philippines)
- This concept is the brainchild of my spouse. Our specialty is the Cebu Lechon Liempo (Cebu Roasted Pork Belly). After opening a main branch at Jupiter Street in Makati City, Philippines, we now have 24 stores open, 34 more underway and many more for approval.