My colorful childhood spent in California and other places around the world enriched my palate.
I am the second of four siblings, and I grew up in a large household in Davao City. My parents loved to entertain. We have had as guests former Presidents Fidel Ramos, Corazon Aquino, Gloria Arroyo, Joseph Estrada, Benigno Aquino III and even President Duterte, and these VIPS either stayed at our guesthouse in the family-owned Eden Nature Park or at the family compound, or simply shared a meal with us.
Thus, home-cooked meals fit for state leaders were always stewing in our kitchen, headed by our cook, Manang Linda, who has passed on.
I first learned how to cook when I was in high…
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