The pains & pleasures of cooking

MANILA, Philippines - After the final round of auditions, 16 home cooks were carefully selected to complete the lineup for the cooking reality show, MasterChef Pinoy Edition, the daily morning kusina-serye hosted by Judy Ann Santos. The number has since been trimmed down to 13, after one made a voluntary exit and two others were eliminated. The rest of the home cooks continue to headline the morning show on ABS-CBN, which tests their cooking skills, know-how and expertise.

While the first season featured kiddie cooks in Junior MasterChef Pinoy Edition, this new show focuses on home cooks who are all experienced in whipping up their signature dishes or have made cooking their passion.

Joining Judy Ann in the daily morning show and reprising their roles in Junior MasterChef are Chef Ferns (Fernando Aracama), Chef Jayps (JP Anglo) and Chef Lau (Rolando Laudico). They sample and critique the dishes of the amateur cooks competing in the show for a chance to win P1M.

All home cooks who passed the initial test were given a black MasterChef apron. In between the cooking challenge, it was a chance to bring together some of the participants with people dear to them, like an old love, a mother not seeing her children for years, siblings who spent time apart from each other, a son reunited with his mother.

Some home cooks recalled their experiences in life like separation, childhood, job and relationships. There were tearful recollections and dramatic reunions.

After the drama, they were made to whip up the dish they want to flaunt within the 45-minute cooking test to win the much-coveted white apron and be part of the finalists to compete against each other in the daily show.

The remaining home cooks featured are Lito Dulva, a cop from Sorsogon; Reggie Apolinario, call center agent from Laguna; Gian Espadera, human resource management student from Davao; Ivory Yat, nurse from Quezon City; Ronnel Torres, sari-sari store owner from Pampanga; Mac Serrano, former seaman from Tarlac; JR Royol, band vocalist from Benguet; Lilibeth Nicolas, a housemaid from Quezon City; Carla Marcaida, business woman from Bulacan; Myra Santos, accounting associate from Muntinlupa; Maureen Angala, housewife from Muntinlupa; Melissa Gutierrez, marketing director from Quezon City; and Betty Bais, housemaid from Cebu.

The final selection of home cooks and the dish they presented was held at Treston International College at the Fort, Bonifacio City, which also serves as a culinary center that trains home cooks to become professionals.

The screening of the amateur home cooks was more stringent and honest this time, with higher expectations from the judges. Expectedly, the selection was filled with drama as real-life stories also unfolded before the viewers who got to know the home cooks better.

All of them are made to stay in one, posh house where they are expected to foster their bonding and share their experiences with one another.

MasterChef Pinoy Edition highlights the challenges and struggles of the participants not just in cooking but in real life, as well. They are made to share their success and defeat as they face one cooking challenge after another.

Every week, two home cooks are expected to leave the show after Judy Ann and the three chefs have given their critique of the dishes they have sampled. As Judy Ann said, the challenges are harder this time. “We will be more blunt in our comments. To be a good chef, one has to endure all the hardships (in cooking).”