People travel far and wide to find their passion. Some are just born with it. Others even discover it later in life.
Jackie Ang-Po, owner of Fleur de Lys Patisserie and host of Q-11’s True Confections, has found it early on and has never left the kitchen since then.
“I remember when I was small, I had this aunt who had a penchant for buying and acquiring machines for the kitchen. But she never used them,” confesses Jackie when asked about her love affair with baking. ”Then my mom brought them to the house and I asked her if I could use them. Then, she said yes.”
That’s how it all started for Jackie. And her four older brothers were the first to experience her culinary adventure.
“I would bake for them,” says Jackie. “You know boys, especially my brothers who played basketball then, have this huge appetite, kakainin nila kahit walang lasa. Basta may pagkain lang. So, I felt great. Ang galing, galing ko. I got inspired. They ate everything I prepared.”
Jackie studied business at the Ateneo de Manila University and learned to put her money where her mouth is. But her plan of starting a business was rudely interrupted when her US-based brother asked Jackie to babysit her nephew. In exchange for the job, Jackie’s brother promised to finance her education (in baking) in the US.
Now, Jackie has Fleur de Lys Patisserie and True Confections.
“It’s hard,” says Jackie of her hosting experience. “Thanks, Sam (Oh) is there to do most of the talking. As a host, my concern always is what I bake or what is interesting for the audience.”
Saturday nights at 6:30, Jackie, along with other co-hosts Sam Oh and Aileen Anastacio of Goodies and Sweets whip up simple, fancy desserts and share the secrets behind them. They show the how-tos of making sinful sweets in Do It Yourself Desserts. The trio also presents world-class desserts in Sweets Around the World. In Guiltless and Behind the Sweets, on the other hand, they come up with low-sugar, low-fat desserts and all-time favorite sweets, respectively.
Off cam, Jackie brainstorms with the show’s think tanks on what to bake like Classic Chocolate Cake and Shortcake; pastries perfect for coffee and cuppa; Bananas Foster Crepe and Samurai; Food for the Gods; Apple Pie and Bittersweet Truffle Tart; and No-bake Raspberry Charlotte and Croquembouche.
Asked what’s the challenging part of being a pastry chef-host, Jackie says, “Balancing the difficult-and easy-to-make desserts. Some people watch the show for entertainment while others catch it to learn something new and do it at home.”
Jackie the pastry chef says she is happiest when there are no leftover meals in her kitchen. That’s the time she can say that she has served her purpose and has a bestseller of the day.