i just love cooking!!!

I remember watching my grandmother as she cut the vegetables up for the Filipino dish Chopsuey or show me how the batter for the rice cake or puto should look like. the buttery smell of the puto would always remind me of her and the Sundays that i spent in her kitchen. My grandma was a cook beyond excellence, and the credit goes to her heart, which is a main ingredient in her every dish. Each plate of scrumptiousness and each pot of godliness must have more than its share of ... love.

She taught my mother to cook, gave her all the recipes and the secrets and the trusted tips. But she parted leaving me something more precious.

Her passion for the culinary arts.

Whatever hardships i have to go through now in pursuit of a dream that at times seem to be so unattainable, i endure for the sake of her memory. One day I'll finally be able to leave Italy, move on to a place where I can study the arts and become a chef.

well, maybe in profession. But in truth, maybe just a simple guy with a lot of heart in his every dish.



( Learning about Calabrese dishes was given a major boost when i took on a job as stay-in caregiver cum cook for this wonderfully gentle man Signor Giuglio Altieri. Here are some of the recipes that i was able to prepare for him during my time in his home. )