A ‘sexy’ dream come true

MANILA, Philippines - Ten years ago, my sister Barni Alejandro and I had a dream.

In 2004, we started out The Sexy Chef as a diet food delivery service, a Mom-and-Pop operation that only offered South Beach Diet meal deliveries to 10 clients, working out of my lola’s kitchen. Slowly, we learned the ropes, carved out a name in the health and wellness industry and with the help of our mom and stepfather, Myrna and Dave Demauro, we expanded our company to the much larger operation it is today.

Now we offer many different diet plans, provide healthy-food catering to private functions and corporate events, as well as low-calorie meal deliveries that have become very popular with the ever more figure-conscious office crowd.

Over the years, The Sexy Chef has helped the country’s top celebrities achieve their fitness goals. Singers, actors, TV hosts and models rely on us to get them in top shape when they prepare for concerts, photo shoots, TV and movie assignments with the special menus tailored to their needs by Barni. Lately, we have crossed over to catering to not just local artists but foreign bands that come to the country for concerts as well.

We pride ourselves with working with only the best, such as Nadine Tengco, well-known as being the nutritionist of our biggest stars. A good friend and wellness partner for many years, Nadine designed The Sexy Chef’s Fat Fighting 4 diet program, served to the contestants of a reality TV show, and proven to be effective and safe for rapid weight loss because it not only limits calories, but uses nutrients that help the body burn fat and prevent its storage.

We’re also not just for showbiz people. The Sexy Chef has grown into a household name, and our clientele now also includes moms and busy professionals who have no time to prepare their own meals but want to eat healthy, and have the convenience of having low-calorie, nutritious meals delivered to them daily. The office crowd in particular loves the option of ordering five-day lunch and dinner packages for as low as P1,250.

A few months ago, Barni and I decided it was time to take our business yet another step forward, and co-authored our very first cookbook, a bestseller since it was published last December by National Bookstore. The Sexy Chef Cookbook includes many of our tried-and-tested healthy recipes, as well as tips for a sexy body.

We are venturing even into television, as Barni and I are currently shooting our very own cooking show, a childhood dream for both of us and to be aired starting April 20 on the Colours channel produced by Cignal Digital TV, the country’s top digital TV provider by number of subscribers.

We believe we’ve come a long way since our humble beginnings in our lola’s kitchen, and we want to celebrate our success and the good health of our partners — which of course would have been impossible without the unwavering support of our family, our patrons, our partners and the media. That’s why we are called our anniversary party “In Pink,” which means “being in the best of health” or “at the very pinnacle of something.”

On March 20, we also celebrated the birthday of Tita Girlie “GR” Rodis, my manager for 20 years, who is like a mother to me. Tita Girlie also handles the careers of accomplished singers and actresses like Mikee Cojuangco, Celeste Legaspi, Joanna Ampil, Cris Villonco, Julia Abueva and award-winning broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez, among others.

In a mini-show for our guests that afternoon, I performed some of Tita Girlie’s favorite musical theater songs like For Good from Wicked, Seasons of Love from Rent. From Ang Larawan, the Musical, I sang a duet with Celeste  with no less than Maestro Ryan Cayabyab accompanying us on the grand piano. What a rare treat, indeed!

The celebration took place at Mother Lily Monteverde’s elegant events venue on Valencia St. in Quezon City, an antique house that evokes old-world charm — the perfect setting for the joint celebration.

We feel blessed, and hope we’ll be able to throw an even bigger party in 10 years’ time.

For those interested in ordering our diet programs, healthy meals, event catering and cookbook, visit www.thesexychef.ph or call 0917-7992433, 721-7399 or 721-8881.