The island of Mindanao in Southern Philippines is a melting pot of culture and different beliefs and religious practices. One urban area that shows off this diversity is Cotabato City, named by the Philippine National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) as the “cultural and historical center” of Region XII (Central Mindanao)[i]. Locals have taken this a step higher and call their hometown, the “City of Cultural Charms” because of its imposing structures such as the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque, the largest of its kind in the country, and cultural flairs such as the colorful handwoven fabrics and intricate brassware called inaul.
“My hometown is definitely grand,” Jennifer Ramirez Corcoro says, “But many of the locals grew up to be extremely humble. Many families, including ours, made ends meet when we were young. Despite that, my mom taught me and my siblings good manners and told us to keep our feet on the ground wherever we go.”
Jennifer’s journey in cooking started in the family: her culinary heroes are her parents. During her formative years up to her teenage life, Jennifer cultivated a love for cooking during the times she helped her mother in the kitchen. This interest in cooking, however, came to a partial halt when Jennifer began working abroad to support the family.
From 2005 to 2009, Jennifer relocated to the Middle East to work as a house assistant for several families, first in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and finally in Saudi Arabia. Jennifer rekindled her passion for cooking when she got a chance to work for a bakery of a relative of her Saudi boss. There she taught herself the rules of Western table settings and learned baking.
Jennifer finished her contract and went home for a short vacation. She eventually found work as a nanny in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) in China in late 2009 and more part-time jobs in Macau SAR in 2010, until she eventually settled in Beijing in 2011. While in Macau, she was introduced to a jovial Chinese family who was looking for a pet sitter. When her contract with them expired, she remained in Beijing and worked in a kindergarten.
Soon after, Jennifer found her way back to the food business. She worked as a waitress in local restaurants in Beijing, where she met a local Chinese businesswoman who would soon become her new boss.
“This lady runs her restaurant in Shunyi, and initially she asked me if I could recommend friends to work there. Most of my friends already have work, so I applied for the job instead. And I got it!”
Her work as a waitress has allowed her to make use of her experiences in cooking and people relations in the Philippines and the Middle East. It has also given her the time to give back to the community, through volunteering for KnK. In the many fairs that KnK has organized, Jennifer has always been present to welcome customers and guests with her hearty smile. She even competed for the first title of Miss KnK during the Piyesta Kultura Philippine Culture Festival in June 2019.
When KnK founder Perlita Pengson approached Jennifer to become a guest cook for the Kain na, Kabayan cookbook, she did not have any second thoughts.
“In all those experiences, I have always remembered mom’s advice: stay humble. And always serve people with a smile.”
Jennifer shares five recipes for the cookbook, which reminds her of how her Filipino trait mapagkumbaba (humbleness) has helped her to keep both feet on the ground. She starts with her favorite dish, Pinakbet, an easy vegetable, meat, and seafood dish popular in her native Cotabato City. She also reimagines two recipes: Makesong Manok is her cheesy take on a fried chicken dish by a friend in Macau and Tortang Dilis is the update of her dad’s breakfast meal, anchovy omelet, stuffed into crispy onion rings. Patatas Rolls is her version of nilupak, a popular snack in her hometown, using potato instead of cassava roots. The Pinoy-Style Vegetable and Fruit Pizza is her party starter snack that she aims to showcase when she builds her eatery at home.
“I am thrilled to be part of this cookbook because this allows me to showcase my ideas on cooking,” she says. “Thank you, Kusina ni Kabayan for this opportunity.”
Works Cited
[i] National Economic Development Authority. (2017, May). Overlay of Economic Growth, Demographic Trends and Physical Characteristics. SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Development Plan 2017-2022, p. 21. Retrieved September 2019.
[ii] Cotabato City and Nearby Places to Visit. (2018, August 28). Retrieved September 2019, from Wandering Feet PH.
[iii] National Economic Development Authority. (2017, May). Promoting Philippine Culture and Values. SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Development Plan 2017-2022, p. 50.
This article first appeared in the Kain na, Kabayan: The Kusina ni Kabayan Philippine Cookbook.
Email kusinanikabayan@gmail.com to get your copy.
Co-written by Marjorie Joy Olea
Photos: Kusina ni Kabayan