Jay-R: The trauma stays

More than three months after the accident in L.A. in which the sister of his girlfriend was killed, Jay-R still carries the trauma even if, he claims, he (and his girlfriend) are slowly but surely moving on.

“I’m sorry,” Jay-R apologized during a brief chat with Funfare at the office of Universal Records where UR boss Kathleen Dy-Go handed to him the plaque for his album Souls in Love which has surpassed the “gold” mark. “Up to now, I can’t talk about it.”

I understood. The tragedy was too painful to recall.

But for the benefit of uninformed Funfare readers, here’s what happened that fateful day before Christmas last year, as gathered from reports: Jay-R, his girlfriend and her sister were at a park at the outskirts of L.A. They saw a tunnel and they were told that it was “abandoned.” Out of curiosity, they entered the tunnel, not knowing that a train was coming. They were already in the middle of the tunnel and it was too late to back out. The space between the train and the tunnel’s wall was enough for only one person with back to the wall. The girlfriend’s sister was caught in the grab bar of the train which dragged her along the rail, while Jay-R and his girlfriend watched helplessly in horror.

Jay-R went to L.A. late last year to spend the holiday season with his parents (his father is Jun Sillona, 78, who used to work as a photographer in the old Manila Times).

“I’m here most of the time so I decided naman to spend time with my family,” said Jay-R. “I hardly saw them. I was just talking to them on the phone.”

Now more than ever, especially after that traumatic incident, Jay-R said that he realized that the family is the most important thing in life, in the world.

“It’s your family that you turn to during trying times; it’s your family that you draw strength from.”

Jay-R came back with his girlfriend two weeks ago, ready to resume work. He was in the cast of the just-concluded GMA show La Lola (topbilled by Rhian Ramos in the title role) which he found “a lot of fun” especially with the riotous Keempee de Leon playing his gay co-star.

He will continue to promote Souls in Love, which was the best-selling album in 2008, and prepare for a new one in which he promises “a lot of surprises.”

“Work is the best therapy,” admitted Jay-R who plans to have his parents come back for good. “I want them with me. I need them around.”

Asked what’s the best lesson that he learned from that pre-Christmas tragedy, Jay-R looked sad, his eyes turning a bit misty.

“I don’t know how to answer you; I don’t think there’s an answer to that, not now anyway.”

Obviously, the impact of that incident hasn’t totally sunk in yet.

* * *

Don’t be surprised if Filipino-American White House chef Cristeta Pasia Comerford becomes First Lady Michelle Obama’s best friend at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

According to Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre (of The Filipino Reporter), the First Lady is said to be extra chummy with the Pinay chef she now calls “Cris,” from the day the two met when then outgoing First Lady Laura Bush introduced them to each other late last year, with Mrs. Bush heaping praises on Cristeta’s culinary expertise, as well as her warmth and grace.

In the latest issue of Vogue magazine, Mrs. Obama mentioned that she wanted to get to know more about the Manila-born chef who has become a celebrity herself, being the first woman and first minority executive chef in the history of the White House.

“Just a month after the Obamas moved to the presidential residence, Cristeta has already mastered some of the likes and dislikes of the First Family when it comes to appetite,” said Edmund who recently interviewed Cristeta.

In a report by Entertainment Tonight (E.T.), the UP-educated Cristeta said First Daughters Sasha and Malia Obama don’t always want to eat their green food.

“The chef says First Lady Michelle Obama enjoys creamed spinach but the girls are not as crazy about the dish,” reports E.T. “Mrs. Obama told Cristeta, ‘Sasha still didn’t like it … and sometimes (the) kids are like, ‘it’s green.’”

Cristeta told Edmund that the kitchen staff “is still working on cooking for youngsters but as for President Barack Obama’s favorite dish, he loves scallops!”

“The family favorite of the Obamas is the White House huckleberry cobbler,” according to Cristeta.

Last Feb. 22, the First Lady opened the White House kitchen to six culinary students so they could learn about preparations for a big official dinner.

Wrote Edmund, “Mrs. Obama was joined by Cristeta, executive pastry chef Bill Yosses and social secretary Desiree Rogers. They toured the students to the kitchen and guided them through the menu and planning for Pres. Obama’s first state dinner that night for the National Governors Association’s winter meeting in Washington, D.C. ‘This is where the magic happens,’ Mrs. Obama told the students from the L’Academie de Cuisine in nearby Gaithersburg, Maryland, as they gathered in the main kitchen.”

Mrs. Obama told them about the value she places on fresh and regionally-grown food.

“That’s one of the things that we’re talking a lot about, you know, when you grow something yourself and it’s close and it’s local, oftentimes it tastes really good,” she said. That’s especially important, she added when trying to get kids to eat vegetables.

Added Edmund, “Cristeta told me that Mrs. Obama stood beside her and later allowed her to do the talking for the students. Cristeta said that she patiently answered questions like how to get a job in the White House kitchen and if she sources local ingredients, while Mrs. Obama looked in awe.”

The soft-spoken Pinay from Sampaloc, Manila, now lives in Columbia, Maryland, with her husband, John, also a chef; and their daughter, Danielle.

Cristeta also told Edmund that she designed the menu for the governors dinner to reflect the season and represent the American spirit. It included beef from Nebraska, red dragon carrots from Ohio, sea scallops from Massachusetts and watermelon radishes grown in the Washington area. The dessert featured huckleberries from Idaho.

“Mrs. Obama was asked what her favorite dishes served from the White House kitchen were,” continued Edmund, “and she said that the waffles and grits at breakfast were particular family favorites. She also praised the soups and salads served for lunch.”

Cris was retained as the administration’s head chef last Jan. 9, with Mrs. Obama stating, “Also the mom of a young daughter, I appreciate our shared perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families.”

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