White House chef Cristeta Comerford visits Manila

White House Executive Chef Cristeta Pasia Comerford is here in Manila to receive an award from BPI. And I got to meet her yesterday since she was the latest honoree of Asia Society's Filipino and Proud series which was held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel last August 25.

Chef Cris talked about her life and the road to the White House kitchen. It was a very inspiring talk where she talks about success and the importance of treating every achievement as a stepping stone for the next one, even if the next one is smaller or less important than the previous one. You can never be at the pinnacle of your career since what you are doing today is just a preparation for your next role in life. Always do your best, regardless of how menial or large your responsibility is.

It was a very intimate and private gathering with Asia Society members, renowned chefs and restaurateurs such as Glenda Barreto of Via Mare, Conrad Calalang of Intermezzo, Margarita Fores of Cibo, Jessie Sincioco of Le Souffle, and Claude Tayag, and serious foodies in attendance. And since they were all there, I got my Kulinarya book autographed as well!

Binondo: Carvajal Street is a food haven!

Carvajal Street in Binondo is another food haven for those looking for a different kind of culinary adventure. To any certified foodie, Carvajal can be a very intimate and charming street market. It's a really narrow street that has been closed to traffic. In fact, it looks more like an alley than it does a street!

Among the Binondo locals, Carvajal is still called Ho Sua Hang, which is Hokkien for umbrella alley. That's because the main product of the street used to be umbrellas rather than food. Well today, one can find seafood, fruits and vegetables, as well as ingredients for Chinese dishes. If you need a hard to find ingredients for a Chinese dish you've been wanting to cook at home, it must be in Carvajal!

But if you're too lazy to cook, stalls there also sell food that's ready to eat. Don't you just love Chinatown?

Binondo: Dong Bei Dumplings are the best dumplings in Chinatown!

I can't stop raving about Dong Bei Dumplings! It's along Nueva Street (well they call it Yuchengco Street now). There are times that I'd drive all the way to Binondo just to buy my stock of frozen dumplings and pancakes which I could easily cook at home when I crave for them. The dumplings are actually from Northern China (most Chinese dishes we see here in the Philippines are from Fujian Province).

You can choose what you want inside your dumplings, from plain vegetables such as kutchai and cabbage, to dumplings with mixed pork and vegetables, plain pork, or shrimp and vegetables. You can also order them steamed or fried. Both are actually good!

Same goes for the pancakes. You can pick what you like in them. But they're usually served fried. These posts are really making me hungry! I want to go to Binondo now!