Martin Andanar: The newsman is a chef

Quite a few are familiar with the name Martin Andanar. He has been in the news industry all his life, he says, doing radio and now online news reporting. He had already been with TV5 since 2003, when the station was still owned by Tonyboy Cojuangco. His only live TV appearance nowadays is on the 5 a.m. early morning show when he joins Lourd de Veyra as hosts of Good Morning Club.

Sometime early March, we received a text message from Martin saying, “I now work nearby. I would like to invite you to lunch anytime you’re free.” We called him and set a date. He gave us an address five minutes away from our house. We climbed the stairs and found Martin and his wife Aleli preparing our lunch. It was a most welcome surprise. We had expected to go to some restaurant nearby, instead we were being treated to home cooking, the quality of which few restaurants can compete with.

While Aleli was busy with the food, we engaged Martin in conversation regarding the career he had chosen. What made you go into becoming a newsman? Was there any favorite newscaster who became your idol, we asked him.  

Quickly, he answered, “I was working as a legislative assistant at the Lower House back in 1994 and I got so fascinated by the radio reporters writing their political reports and reporting live using their radios. Back then, my favorite newscaster was Angelo Castro and Peter Jennings. So, when I went to Australia to finish my university degree, I took up Film & Media Studies and Social Political Studies with the objective of becoming a newsman someday. Now, I’m here!”

Hmm, we thought, it was interesting that during the Marcos Era, I had also looked up to Castro and Jennings (both deceased) as idols, both of whom we had met, prior to and during the People Power bloodless revolution.   

How did you start in the media industry?

“I’ve always wanted to become a radio DJ since grade school. The break came in 1994 when Al Torres, station manager of Kiss Jazz 101.1 hired me as a DJ for the station’s graveyard shift. After one year the station manager of MRS 92.3 FM, hired me.

“After studies in Australia, I started working for GMA’s DZBB as intern radio reporter after which Mike Enriquez encouraged me to try television.”

Compare working on radio with that of television?

“Radio to me is more challenging because the sound or audio plays the biggest part of the experience. Ergo, all effort should be placed in audio editing to make the sound more real and convincing for the listener to stay tuned. Otherwise, he moves to another radio station or another media platform like Facebook, Instagram, or Mobile TV for mobile news or entertainment.”

Isn’t it dangerous to be working in media with the many kidnappings and killings going on?

“Yes, it is very dangerous and it freaks me every time I read in the news of another media man shot or assassinated. My other job as radio commentator on Radyo5 exposes me to that danger.”     

When did you start cooking and who introduced you to it? What do you get out of it?

“I started cooking about three years ago. I learned to cook because it was getting expensive always eating out. I cook dishes like Asturia Fabada, Spanish Oxtail Stew, Bacalao, Dry Aged Steak (I dry age them myself), bacon (I cure and smoke them myself), crispy oven-baked pork belly, etc. Cooking relaxes me!”

Give me your favorites with instructions on how to get the most out of it.

“I have three favorites: Bacalao, Spanish Oxtail, Homemade Smoke Bacon and Homemade Dry Aged Steak. For Homemade Dry Aged Steak, buy your fresh ribeye steak at the meat shop. Hang it inside your fridge for 14 to 28 days. Make sure that there’s nothing inside the fridge but just the steak. After 14 days and when you are ready to cook, trim off the desiccated parts, season and cook.”

How does your wife help you in your work or in your cooking?

“My wife watches me cook and improves it. With work, she’s my fashion consultant and her patience is enough to help me go through it.”

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