CHEF BOY LOGRO : KUSINA MASTER NONPAREIL INDEED!

Kung putahe si CHEF BOY LOGRO, sasabihin kong ‘acquired taste’ na exotic siya.  Noong una ko kasi siyang nasilayan sa MasterChef Philippines, parang naiirita ako sa kanya sa hindi ko matukoy na dahilan.  Hindi mo agad siya makapalagayang loob dahil halatang may overbearing attitude siya about him pero later ay naaliw na rin ako sa kanya, especially nang mapanood ang iba pa niyang shows kung saan ay superkukelya siya ng mga putaheng puede ko ring lutuin in the warmth of my kitchen on my new gas range. Promdi ang dating nya, as a matter of fact ay meron siyang P and F syndrome, ganun rin ng CH at SH slips pero kever, mukhang masarap talaga siyang magwhip ng dish.  Lately, happy naman ako sa bago niyang  show na KUSINA MASTER sa GMA7 ; perfect ang timing dahil ang niluto niya kahapon ay niluluto mo ngayon habang nakaantabay ka sa lulutuin niya na siya namang lulutuin mo bukas. One day delay sa kusina! Masaya siya habang nagluluto at maharot sa guests at audience which is very important para may quick recall ka in between chuckles and laughter sa mga recipe at sangkap.  Surely, mukhang may sariling following na rin si Chef Boy dahil talbog niya sa rating ang SHOWTIME ng ABS2! Wanna know more about CHEF BOY LOGRO? READ ON…

An excerpt of  “His Inspiring Cinderalla Story” by: Rica Roldan

Chef Boy is the second child in the brood of eight of fisherman Justaniano Logro and wife Consorcia , Chef Boy had very humble beginnings.  The family lived in a small house by the sea, where the young boy could hear – and even feel – splashing of waves. 

Chef Boy did get to study, but he never got to high school because his parents could no longer afford to send him to school.  Nurturing the dream of going back to school and somehow improving the quality of his family’s life, he at the age of 13, went with his uncle to Manila to work and earn living.

His first job was a houseboy in a Chinese Restaurant in downtown Quiapo.  He did not know how to speak Tagalog.  His salary was P50 a month for cleaning all three floors of his master’s house  and for going to Quinta  Market Daily.

 Chef Boy is industrious and creative, he did not waste the opportunity to learn.  After cleaning the house, he would go down to the restaurant and help out in the kitchen, kneading dough’s for siopao and assisting the chef cook lechon kawali.  Since he was only learning to speak in Tagalog, he would at night, get a notebook and draw the vegetables that he saw in the kitchen, give them his own names to them, and make illustrations on how to cut and cook them.

 His Culinary Life

 Eventually, Chef Boy moved to Astral Villa Restaurant  (later to become Josephine’s Restaurant ) in Makati.  I was there where he met Spanish Executive Chef Antonio Cuadrado Perez, who generously shared his talent with eager protégé’.

 By the time Chef Boy started working as a restaurant in Matabungkay and then Bayview Plaza Hotel, he was very adept in the Kitchen, his Tagalog was perfect and he was learning to converse in English.  His life made a complete turnaround in 1982 when he left the country to work as sous chef at Sultan Qabass Bin Said’s Palace in Oman.  The opportunity to do so has presented itself was back in 1978, but Chef Boy decided against it.  But with a wife and kids to provide for now he took challenge, not knowing exactly what awaited him in the foreign land.

 Oman didn’t turn out to be the bed of roses for him, but he persevered.  He tried to get along well with the Egyptian Chefs, learned to speak Arabic, and took his job seriously.  He made an impression on the Sultan, who grew very fond of him and thus appointed him as head chef.  He accompanied His Majesty on International trips, where he was exposed to Spanish, French, English and Turkish gastronomy.  Eventually his family joined him in Oman, and his Majesty provided them with a palatial house.  They lived among ambassadors and enjoyed the best that life has to offer.

 But Chef Boy’s heart longed for home and so, after eight years he and his family finally came home.  He joined Manila Diamond Hotel in 1992 as one of the sous chefs.  Promotion came in his way and in 1995, he earned the distinction of becoming the first and only Filipino Executive Chef in a five-star deluxe hotel in the Philippines.

After years of distinguished service as the Chef of the Sultan of Oman, and later on as the Executive Chef of Manila Diamond Hotel, Chef Pablo “Boy” Logro chose to settle down in a small town closest to his heart. It was in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite that he realized his full potential, this time as a Chef Instructor and mentor to students of his unique culinary school. He established the Chef Logro’s Institute of Culinary And Kitchen Services, has attracted a local, regional, national and international following. The School is located in Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Cavite Philippines.

 The Secret of his Success

 Apart from having high standards in International food preparation and an insatiable passion to learn, Chef Boy attributes his good fortune to an unwavering faith in his good fortune to an unwavering faith in God. As Chef Boy always says “Nothing is impossible with God, since I was small I’ve always had a strong faith in God.  It was God who gave me everything and I try to give back a part of it by helping others.  I also make it a point to pray before serving each dish I make, it never fails.”

KANTAR MEDIA RATINGS (EXCERPT)

February 13, 2011

It’s Showtime (ABS-CBN) 9.5%; Chef Boy Lagro: Kusina Master (GMA-7) 14.6%; Eat Bulaga! (GMA-7) 21.1%

Mundo Man Ay Magunaw (ABS-CBN) 10.1%; Kokak (GMA-7) 15.2%

Angelito Batang Ama (ABS-CBN) 11.8%; The Good Daughter (GMA-7) 15.5%

Pinoy Big Brother Unliday (ABS-CBN) 13.2%; Broken Vow (GMA-7) 15.5%

Precious Hearts Romances: Lumayo Ka Man Sa Akin (ABS-CBN) 15.2%; Love You (GMA-7) 12.5%

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