Passionately Spanish

Passion is a divine blessing, even more so when we have the occasion to build our lives around it.  Food is my passion. I love all aspects of it: the simplest form of cooking and eating, down to provenance and farming, manufacture and sales. I love to read about food, talk about food and write about food. There is something so noble in how a simple necessity can represent so much more than just nutrients but also a history, a culture, a people. Food can bring people together and the lack of it can tear countries apart. Food can reflect our inner psyche, reminding us of childhood memories, guilty pleasures and all our repressed complexes.

I was never the practical career girl. Growing up I always did things that I loved. I loved to write. I hated math and as soon as I could, excluded it from my life. (Unfortunately now as a businesswoman I’m struggling to learn accounting.) I loved to cook. I loved history, geography and languages. I did a number of interesting internships during my university days in Paris. Working for the Philippine Delegation at UNESCO and the UN Environment Program are some of the most valuable experiences of my life. However, no matter how interesting it was, it was still work — paperwork and deadlines that were not always fun to do.

Noted Spanish food and wine expert Juan Carlos de Terry

Flash-forward to today and although working in the food and beverage industry is not easy — long hours and over-exhaustion are very common symptoms — it is always fascinating. One thing I love about my job? Meeting people just as passionate as I am. Chefs, food journalists, vintners, oenophiles, restaurateurs, F&B managers, importers … whoever it may be and no matter how nonchalant they may try to be, I find that there’s always one passionate force that drives them. When you find the right question to ask, there’s an immediate spark in their eyes as they gush about their special moments discovering a small wine off the coast of Italy or this hole-in-the-wall in Vietnam that serves the best pho.

Juan Carlos de Terry is one of those men who seem very aloof. To me he was just a face on the menu card of Terry Selection and the owner of one of the few places in Manila I could find the best kind of smelly cheese. When I first met him during the Spanish festival at New World Hotel he wasn’t very talkative and, well, looked at me like many do … another journalist, another interview. But slowly as the conversation moved on and I got him talking about his childhood memories, hands started to fly about, intonations in the voice changed and the glimmer, that spark that I always look for, was there.

Hearty and rich: Cordero en chilindron, a perfect marriage of lamb and bell peppers at M2M Cafe in New World Hotel.

De Terry is a man of history and culture with just a touch of disciplinarian precision and a focus on harmony, which probably stems from his career as a pianist before moving full-force into the food industry. When asked about the typical Filipino-Spanish fare usually served in restaurants, he claimed with conviction, “I believe in fusion; to create something new. But there needs to be respect for the symbols of tradition. We can not Filipinize callos or paella.”

He describes how Spain is the real birthplace of Mediterranean gastronomy because of its rich history as a melting pot of cultures spanning the Phoenician, Roman and Moorish civilizations, over to the rule of Emperor Carlos V; how Cervantes’ Don Quixote helped promulgate Spanish dishes around Europe. I could see the little child glinting in his eyes as he spoke about cocido. “I was very excited to have cocido when I was small because I was already thinking of the day after when they would turn leftovers into ropa vieja.”

His attention to detail is what makes his food delicious. The buffet spread was done with care and only serving smaller portions that were to be refilled frequently so as to keep consistent quality. “My staff is used to making dishes a la minute; it’s very different to have food laid out and sitting there since 11 a.m.!” The cordero en chilindrón or lamb in bell pepper sauce was bursting with harmonious flavor. Usually lamb and bell peppers are two very strong ingredients. My pet peeve is when chefs throw some bell pepper in a dish for color and it completely ruins and overpowers everything. Lamb is also very tricky because the meat is so pungent; when not cooked properly and married with the right aromas it can be difficult to eat. The lamb was so soft it flaked away from the bone with a light touch of my fork. It married delicately with the bell pepper sauce, which seemed lovingly prepared with patience. It was a rich and hearty reflection of the melting-pot cuisine Spain has, reminiscent of maybe a Moroccan tajine and the festive paprika sprinkled all over Iberia.

All fired up: The char-flamed homemade chorizo at Terry Selection

“Fire up a chorizo!” he shouted like a general. “You know this is homemade?” Char-flamed, homemade chorizo was brought to the table. Black and red grilled bits were immediately consumed by my hungry little self … the slight picante of both the carbonated pieces and the spices, fresh pork meat, brought me back to my childhood of fired chorizo and orange chorizo-oil rice. It’s such a strong and distinct taste that chorizo has become a flavor of its own in Europe’s edgy restos. “Chorizo oil, chorizo foams, chorizo broth…”

De Terry sent back the morcilla de Burgos twice. “It should be more crispy on the sides.” For me it was still decadently delicious. Poorly understood by most, this blood sausage with rice, when well done can be marvelous. It was. I ate two large pieces and only the faintest sign of respect for my cholesterol levels stopped me from taking the other two pieces. We washed everything down with a nice and crisp Albarinho wine and finished off the meal, forgoing dessert but with more delectable stories from his travels. “That steak with époisse … it was something else. Two Americans came in the restaurant scrunched their noses and slammed the door. It smelled strong, you know? But was so good…” he trails off with the just the slightest smile and I, smiling big, having learned so much and thoroughly enjoying our conversation, thinking to myself: “I love my job.”

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Catch Juan Carlos de Terry at the New World Hotel’s M2M Cafe for the Spanish Food and Wine Fest till Oct. 31. Lunch is at P1,269 per person and dinner at P1,381 per person. For more information call 811-6888.