Jose Marie Garcia believes in spontaneous cooking, when the magic of a great dish results from the mixture of creativity, innovation, and instinct during the cooking process. Jose Marie has turned his lack of technical training in cooking into an opportunity and motivation to become better in this craft.
Hailing from a modest family in the city of Pasig, the young “Gandy”, as he has been fondly called since childhood, learned cooking for survival. Give him some vegetables, or perhaps leftover meat, and he will turn them into a mouthwatering dish that satisfies the tummy and the heart.
“I learned cooking from my mother since I was the one always accompanying her to the market. I’m the most hardworking among my parents’ five children,” Gandy jokes. “At home, I made use of ingredients at hand since spices and herbs were either unavailable or expensive. I try to recreate tastes just by estimating the number of regular condiments.”
Gandy gauges the palatability of his dishes by cooking them twice: first with mild flavors and lastly, to adjust the taste. He knows his dishes will be a blockbuster through their smell. He notes, for example, that Chinese barbecue 串儿 (chuànr) may, at times, smell like charcoal. But his barbecues and many dishes release a certain savory aroma that comes from his marinades made of lime, fish sauce, salt, and pepper—ingredients that are readily available in the Chinese kitchen.
“There was a time in our compound here in Beijing that a neighbor told my wife that he was awakened by the smell of the food I was cooking,” Gandy says with a hearty laugh. “And even other local Chinese who happen to pass by my house stop and ask me what food I am cooking. When I give them a plateful of the dish, they always say, 非常好吃 fēichánɡ hǎochī (extremely delicious)!”
Gandy has been living in China for 27 years and has worked as a DJ and a shop owner, owing to his hobby of collecting memorabilia. He lives with his Chinese wife in a Chinese hutong populated by laoren (old locals). There, he helps the laoren tend to their gardens.
“The grandpas and grandmas in our compound love me,” Gandy says, “And they love my food as well!”
He attributes this affinity for helping others to growing up as a magalang (polite) boy. His nickname Gandy is a portmanteau for ganda (beautiful), which relatives and old people called him due to his mestizo appearance, and magandang ugali (good manners).
Inspired by magalang Filipino children, Gandy has prepared three dishes that will surely be loved by international kids, even picky eaters.
His Makesong Lumpiang Shanghai is his version of the fried spring roll, a regular snack found in the birthday party tables in the Philippines. It’s a simple cheesy dish that kids can help their parents make for a party. Kids’ Pasta Creamy Soup is a creamy and comforting soup that contains alphabet- and number-shaped pasta, as well as colorful vegetables, hotdogs, and quail eggs. Kids’ Cheesy Pasta is a quick recipe using the same letter-shaped kids’ pasta, tossed with Filipino-style cheesy spaghetti sauce and ground beef or pork.
“You don’t need to be a professional chef or know rocket science to bring out the delectable flavors of a dish,” Gandy says, “It all boils down to the heart. In the end, we want to satisfy not only the stomach but the hearts of the people who will indulge in our food.”
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 Adam Balilo
Photos: Kusina ni Kabayan