Chef Florabel on serving stars’ favorite food, paying it forward

Usually in a showbiz event, if the caterer is Chef Florabel Co-Yatco, expect it to be star-studded, well-attended and important.

Bringing her services to an event is an added star value to it. But even though how noble her stature and services may be as the “Filipino Chef to the Stars,” I was pleasantly surprised by how simple, humble and “cowgirl” Chef Florabel is.

Despite having 21 restaurants such as Florabel in Estancia, the Crisostomo and Mr. Franks chains, the A-list chef is generous enough to choose and meet up at a competition, the classic Filipino restaurant Milky Way along Arnaiz. “Kumakain talaga ako sa iba (I also dine in other restaurants),” she said.

Almost any mall you go nowadays, especially if it’s in the metro, has a restaurant by Chef Florabel. Though her catering services have been an aspirational goal among Filipinos, she maintains the mentality like she hasn’t “made it” yet.

“Until now, hindi ko naman naiisip iyon sa totoo lang (I really don’t think about it),” she shared. “Kasi parang lahat ng restaurants na binubuksan ko, it’s always a new chapter and a new challenge for me, of course, in the past 15 years that I’ve been working.”

Chef Florabel celebrates her 51st birthday (Sept. 27) with elderly, orphans and moms in Lubao, Pampanga.

Talking to Chef Florabel made me crave for my go-to items in her restaurants like Sautéed Baby Squid with Housemade Chorizo and Housemade Goose Liver Pâté. So, I wondered what she would order in the restaurant we were at. We ordered Lechon Kawali, Fried Beef Tadyang, Inihaw na Liempo and of course, rice. Oh, and don’t forget the patis, calamansi and chopped siling labuyo on the side.

Chef Florabel said that though she may whip up many complicated dishes, the food expert’s cravings are simple, “There are days at home that I like spam and rice. Favorite ko Beef Steak Tagalog at Sinigang na Baboy at mainit na kanin. Pandesal at itlog.”

It was her profound passion in the kitchen that made her stand out. Chef Florabel studied Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Santo Tomas. “The reason why I took up Hotel and Restaurant (management) was because I loved to cook as a kid, I was really left behind in the kitchen. I love to eat.

Lubao residents learn how to evaluate their dishes and make Adobo Paella from Chef Florabel.

“So, of course, doon na-develop (yung) love for cooking and baking ko. So, hinanap ko na course iyong may cooking. Hindi ako mahilig mag-aral noong bata ako. Ano rin mabulakbol din ako noong bata ako.”

Chef Florabel started with Chef Jessie Sincioco in the ‘90s after graduation and stayed there for nine years. At the age of 23, she was already appointed by Chef Jessie to handle a highly-coveted restaurant Top of the Citi, wherein she built relations with celebrities and high-profile personalities. Her humor and outlook in life serve as an added value to her success. “I asked Chef (Jessie), ‘Chef, bakit mo ba ako inaalok? Ano ba ang mayroon sa akin?’ Iyong attitude ko raw towards work. Iyong sense of ownership ko raw. Nagtrabaho ako sa kanya and the rest is history.”

Opening her own restaurant was a natural progression for Chef Florabel and she just knew it was time. The date was the same as the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2005, when Florabel in Podium was opened. Days later, Dec. 15, Chef Florabel helped celebrity restaurateur Marvin Agustin broaden his restaurant business by helping him create the menu of the much-loved Japanese restaurant in the late 2000s, Sumo Sam. “Ang gusto niya kailangan kasama raw ako. He trusted me,” she said.

Chef Florabel doesn’t just handle VIP but VVIP (or Very, Very Important People). From celebrities, tycoons to politicians, the list just grows. Who would forget the much-raved-about celeb wedding of Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales?

“Si Aga, natural sa lalaki (na) mahilig sa steak, ngayon fish na, iyong barbecue ko,” said she. “Si Charlene, she likes my spicy tuna salad.”

Sports patron and MVP Group head Manny V. Pangilinan ushered in the big corporate accounts for Chef Florabel. His favorites include “basta malutong. Lechon Kawali mahilig iyan. Si boss very simple lang kumain iyan, basta quality. Si Al Panlilio nga mahilig sa fried chicken.”

As of the moment, it is the First Family and their clan whom she regularly caters to. She has also been seen with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, a patron of hers even before Pres. Bongbong Marcos took office in the Palace. These are their top requests: “Because they’re busy at lagi sila kumakain sa labas, sa restaurants, mahilig talaga sila sa homecooked food. Sinigang, adobo, kare-kare, buro.”

For Chef Florabel, she treats all her clients equally and believes that is one of the keys why her clients from when she started continue to come back and order from her until now.

“Sa totoo lang hanggang ngayon, whether may catering ako na 10 people o 1,000, kinakabahan ako kasi kailangan wala akong makalimutan, ano gusto nila, paano pa mapapaganda. (I) always treat every catering (event) as special, na special iyan, ako iyan. Kung ako ang mag-event, iniisip ko ano gagawin ko, ano gagamitin ko na kutsara at plato. (Every) client is different, iba talaga. Bawat client customized talaga.”

Besides being a hands-on chef, Chef Florabel is also a supermom to her four beautiful children — starting with Adela, who is nine; Manu, her eldest boy, five; and twins Josef and Isaiah, two and a half years old. Manu and the twins were conceived via surrogacy to strike a balance in her very busy life.

Now having them around, Chef Florabel never misses being there for all their school and doctor appointments, and cooking for them. “They’re my priority, of course, time management talaga,” she said.

Chef Florabel is also a mother to her hundreds of staff members as she makes sure everyone is well taken care of. “Sa awa ng Diyos, iyong mga kasama ko noong nagsimula ako, madami sa kanila are still here. Natural din sa akin, gusto kong tumulong, very generous ako, especially to my core staff, mga tao muna tumulong sa akin.”

But besides this, since two decades ago, Chef has also been helping the Don Bosco community.

“Pinapaalam ko noon kay Chef Jessie sa Le Soufflé kapag gabi na, iyong mga bread ginagawa kong pudding, pinadadala ko sa kanila. Hanggang ngayon nag-cater pa rin ako sa mga taga-Don Bosco at nearly 10 years ago, sa mga elderly naman.”

When she celebrated her 51st birthday last Sept. 27, instead of throwing a birthday bash, Chef Florabel celebrated it with the elderly, orphans and moms in Lubao, Pampanga. She even did a demo and taught them how to elevate their cuisine and to make adobo paella.