CEBU, Philippines - "I run around the kitchen in heels," Jana Fox told the gang surrounding the table. Whatever she did in the past to train her feet to move under pressure, she must've mastered it so well: By how she appeared on this Friday evening, the six-inch Shandar stiletto seemed to go like a pair of sneakers.
"I entertain customers and then I go back to the kitchen to check if everything is going smoothly-back and forth, back and forth" she said. Fox may not have any formal training in culinary arts, but she is born with a tongue that sends notes to her brain about the food she eats, like a computer code that dissects components for virtual analysis. "I am not good at remembering names of people, so I think all my memory abilities are being absorbed by my taste buds because I can always tell the ingredients just by chewing the food."
After eight years of establishing the Asian-European inspired restaurant, Chowtime(a must-visit place according to the Department of Tourism in Zamboanga), she now brings it to Cebu at Level 1, City Times Square (beside Park Mall), Mandaue City, still relying on her cunning sense of taste and smell. The Spanish familiarity is palpable in the preparation, somewhere in between moderate sweet and spicy: an instant hit in the Cebuano market.
Every time Fox sets foot on any country, the culinary charm is on top of the list. Macau and Thailand are two of her favorite food destinations, so it's automatic to prepare main dishes with noodles, spices, plus her own version of a sauced pork leg. All ingredients are brought locally, but the whole adventure lies in the incorporation of a certain influence.
Have you heard of the Adobing-the bestseller barbecued goat's meat?
"My mission is to put a local twist to international cuisine because in that way, I'm able to share the dishes I love," she continued. "It's like a diary." (FREEMAN)