Kusinero, not chef

MANILA, Philippines - Today’s chefs may be the new rock stars, but Nino Logarta, host of Q-11’s new show Daddylicious (Saturdays at 10:55 a.m.) isn’t convinced. If anything, he has words of caution for aspiring chefs.

Don’t think the job is all glamour, he warns. Many aspiring chefs don’t end up TV stars like Nino or high-earning restaurant owners. Some wind up rolling their sleeves and washing the dishes or sweating it out quietly in the kitchen. And boy will they end up disappointed.

“We don’t claim to be (kitchen) experts,” Nino says in all humility. That’s why he doesn’t have the magic word “chef” beside his name on his calling card. The title is simply kusinero, as in Nino Logarta, kusinero.

The glamorous chefs can protest all they want. Nino would rather wear his overused black shirt (the better to hide all the kitchen grime) and apron buckle down to work.

He doesn’t mind having smelly fingers after peeling garlic cloves. Neither does Nino resent ending up with oily hands after peeling the skin off cooked shrimp.

“I like working with my hands,” he reveals. Nino likes the feel of tap water running down his fingers whenever he washes vegetables. He loves touching the soft skin of fresh mussels as he gently pulls them out of their shell.

That’s why he abandoned his philosophy course on his junior year in college (Ateneo) to take up culinary arts at the Center of Culinary Arts (CCA).

Today, he can cook anything under the sun. This he showed everyone as one of four Ka-Toque hosts on Q-11. But he’d rather focus on modern Asian cuisine, like Japanese, Korean and of course, Filipino food.

This, the Q-11 executives noticed. They observed how Nino can whip up a dish to make everyone in the Ka-Toque staff burp in approval. That’s why the Q-11 bosses singled Nino out to host his own cooking show, Daddylicious.

Network execs prepped Nino up by giving him hosting workshops. His daughters, Tia, eight and Cy, nine, have also entered the picture as their dad’s aides. The girls create decorative straws and placemats that, side-by-side with their dad’s kitchen creations, perk up the drabbest-looking tables.

With the girls around, Nino knows he has to make sure his spiels are wholesome, his actions, above board.

“I have to be a good role model,” Nino muses. 

For starters, he helped Mommy Gidget Cuisia prepare food for her daughter Karel, a picky eater. He whipped up a cheesy, scrumptious Corned Beef Hash Casserole. He also prepared Crispy Veggie Burger Nuggets and Hawaiian Chicken Kebab. Karel ended up finishing her food.

“When a child sees his mom or dad cooking the food himself or herself, the kid will most likely eat it. He or she will realize his/her parents took pains in preparing the food,” says Nino.

What about making children eat vegetables?

“I don’t believe in hiding the vegetables in the dish for them,” replies Nino. “I serve the vegetables on the table. Again, if the child sees his parents eating vegetables, he’ll follow suit.”

Nino vows to give more pieces of advice to parents worried about their children’s eating habits, brand-new wives eager to please their husband’s palate and others.

Okay, time to take out those papers and pencils!