For Judy Ann Santos, cooking is a shared memory and life skill

MANILA, Philippines — Beyond her actress persona, Judy Ann Santos also passionately pursues her interest in cooking and being a chef. Proof of that are the restaurant venture, the cookbook and the digital content Judy Ann’s Kitchen.

The doting and devoted mother and wife is able to successfully straddle between the entertainment and culinary worlds. She seems to be showing no signs of slowing down, especially if partnerships for collaboration arrive on her doorstep.

“Well, as soon as magpakita sila ng (they show) interest in staying in the kitchen and trying to help,” said Judy Ann when The STAR asked about the age children should be introduced to cooking in a recent press conference. The latter also welcomed her as the culinary ambassador of UFC, the country’s leading condiments brand.

“Mothers should start nurturing their kids (and interest in it) already. Pag pinapaalis mo sila sa kusina (when you keep them away from the kitchen), they (might) feel (that they’re) off-limits and they are not allowed to be there,” added she. “So, they won’t feel excited about cooking. As soon as they show appreciation for food or (being) in the kitchen, you let them get involved.”

The sense of involvement and participation allows children, with the guidance of a parent or an adult, to feel the texture of, let’s say, vegetables, and taste food, as one could gather from Judy Ann’s line of thought. Part of it is exploring different kinds of flavors. Then, little by little, they will join in food preparation and cooking. It serves as the children’s baby steps to discover a passion for cooking.

“Basically, teaching your kids to cook is your bonding time with them,” said she. “That’s time you can nurture them. You can talk over the kitchen. It is a memory and a life skill in one.”

A mom of three, Judy Ann could attest to her children’s cooking and kitchen skills. She and Ryan Agoncillo are parents to Yohan, Lucho and Luna.

“I would say lahat naman sila kayang kumilos sa kusina (all of them can work in the kitchen),” said she in the group chat, adding Luna has shown more enthusiasm in cooking, while Lucho knows to cook food that he loves, like steak.

“Mas sa pagluluto, para siyang ano sa akin sa bahay, para siyang swimming (cooking food at home is like swimming),” shared Judy Ann. “They have to learn to swim kasi survival skill siya (it’s a survival skill), the same thing that they also have to learn to cook para di sila nakaasa sa kung kanino man (so that they are not dependent on anyone) in the future.”

The actress-chef was also asked about any connection between her two passions, which both require professionalism.

“(The kind of) work in front of the camera or work in cooking is different,” said she, “but if the passion is the same? I think the effort would still be the same. It’s just that when you’re acting, you’re using emotions, kailan makita at maramdaman ng mga tao yun (viewers need to see and feel it). In cooking, it’s also the same. You will use your emotions only to connect to your food.” Any dish evokes good memories of the past that one brings to the present and the future, as one may put it. A good emotion can inspire a person to present delectable and delicious food.

Given the stark contrast between acting and cooking, Judy Ann is able to do it and enjoys every bit of each profession because she treats one as her playground. She tells relatable stories through her characters and makes happy tummies through dishes. Acting and cooking are somehow complementary in her life. If she gets tired doing the former, she does the latter to recharge her batteries and vice versa. But one thing is clear. Both require dedication and creativity.

With UFC, she can use its products, including banana ketchup, to make a simple food extraordinary or special. Judy Ann said that banana ketchup is a staple in her spaghetti. She would dip the salty, crispy and veggie okoy (fritter) into it. Banana ketchup gives a different taste in tortang talong (eggplant omelette) and breaded, crispy pork chop. Adding a teaspoon of it to a bowl of sopas also makes a difference.

With that, a person can explore different and favorite dishes and pair UFC banana ketchup with them.

“You’ll be surprised that it could make a difference,” said she.

A piece of information given to this paper says the partnership between Judy Ann and the brand is “a landmark legacy campaign that celebrates Filipino culinary pride and proves that excellence starts at home.”

Does she see herself playing a chef in a film in the future?

“We’ll see,” said she. “That’s gonna be exciting, that’s for sure, but that’s gonna be very difficult kasi mahirap mag-shoot ng pagkain (it’s challenging to film scenes about food), very critical yung mga steps. (Doing a) movie, similar to ‘Julie & Julia,’ that would be so fun, that would be very, very fun. Sana, sana (I hope I can do one soon).”

And she even brought up the idea of starring in a film about the life of Filipina food technologist Maria Orosa, the person who invented banana ketchup. It could be a perfect pitch for the Metro Manila Film Festival in 2026, with the company behind the brand as a film producer.