To America and back

MANILA, Philippines - It is an understatement to say that my life over the past year and a half has been a whirlwind of change. I altered my Facebook status from “in a relationship” to “engaged” to “married.” I have settled into and moved out of three different countries. As another chapter unfolds, a popular saying comes to mind: Life happens while you’re busy making other plans.

While I was living partly in Thailand, I had the rare opportunity to have dinner with my friend Ricky Lo who was in Bangkok for a short visit. He met my journalist husband Carlos for the first time. We told him about our plans and how excited we were to start a new life in New York City. Ricky later wrote about that evening in his column. We did migrate to the US but now, just over a year later, we are back in Manila completely immersed in our careers here. How did everything change so fast?

I realize now that while I may have shipped all my things to New York, my heart never left home. I should have been concentrating on attending auditions and getting an agent there. Instead, I found myself more excited about keeping tabs on my Manila-based diet food and event catering business, The Sexy Chef, a company under OBC 5 Star, Inc. which I now co-own with my mother and sister, chefs Myrna Demauro and Barni Alejandro-Rennebeck.

The Sexy Chef started out delivering only South Beach Diet meals but has now expanded to offering 12 different diet programs. I feel elated whenever clients tell me how they love our food and that we have helped them lose weight.

I am most alive when I am performing on stage but I have to say it’s also exciting for me whenever I hear that one of our country’s top celebrities enrolled in one of our programs. They turn to us when they want to slim down for a photo shoot or special event. With their hectic schedules, most celebs simply don’t have the time to go to the supermarket to buy and cook their own healthy meals.

One example is TV Patrol showbiz news anchor, Gretchen Fullido. Known for her natural curves, many would wonder why she would ever need to lose weight. And yet, she says she loves getting food delivered from The Sexy Chef because she just can’t get enough of the guilt-free desserts.

Some months ago, one of the most in-demand actresses and TV show hosts, Ruffa Gutierrez, sent me message asking if we could prepare meals that adhered to her prescription from The Cohen Lifestyle Clinic. We heard that the Cohen Diet was the latest buzz word especially among high-profile celebrities. I told Ruffa to give us a bit of time. After only a few weeks, we started delivering her food and became like her own personal chef.

Regine Velasquez came to us wanting to be camera-ready for a movie project with Aga Muhlach. When I saw her recently she told me she lost a total of 25 lbs. on our South Beach Diet. She is now on our Anti-Plateau Diet which fitness nutritionist Nadine Tengco prescribes to those receiving sculpting treatments from Sexy Solutions by Belo.

Everyone is talking about my friend, Concert King Martin Nievera’s amazing weight loss. The Sexy Chef is thrilled to have been part of his success story. I saw him recently and I told him he’s looking a lot like he did over 25 years ago when he just started his career.

Speaking of 25 years, on Nov. 9, I will be one of the special guests in Dingdong Avanzado’s 25th annniversary concert titled Dingdong Avanzado 3.25, Tatlong Beinte Singko at the Music Museum. Actually I should also be celebrating my own silver anniversary but I am much younger than both Dingdong and Martin. People may get the impression I’m as old as them! Hindi pa naman, no! Hahahaha!

It has been occurring to me a lot lately that my life in so many ways has come full circle. But I also know that there’s still a heck of a lot more adventures to come.

For diet food delivery and event catering, log on to www.thesexychef.ph or call 721-7399. The Sexy Chef will be having a Gift of Health Sale from Dec. 1 to 15. Diet programs are 20 percent off during this limited time.