Much Ado at Villa Escudero

Tradition. Ado Escudero respects tradition. He loves the past with its fiestas and customs like having respect for elders. "I am old fashioned, he says.

Entertaining. Conrado Escudero is renowned for the events that he organizes, including the annual Good Friday procession in his hometown of San Pablo, Laguna. The Villa Escudero that Ado conceived years ago continues to surprise many guests who are enchanted by the native cottages and water sports of the resort.

Ado, 68, is a dedicated chef and the author of the book, Cooking with Coconut. He is a member of the Council of Cornell University, his alma mater. As an haciendero, he helps manage the family’s coconut plantation of about 800 hectares. His elaborate carrozas, carriages used for religious processions, are displayed in the Museum beside his resort. Don Ado pauses here to reflect on first impressions and his love for beautiful things.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

The saddest time of our history was when the Makapili pointed out their fellow Filipinos to the Japanese. The Filipinos would then be picked up to be beheaded or shot. One-and-a-half million Filipinos were killed and some of them are heroes of our land today. My brother, Arsenio, was one of those beheaded.

Who or what is your greatest love?

My love is my work and what I am doing.

What is your most fervent wish?

To maintain all the good Filipino qualities and traditions like respect for the elderly, love for music, dance and fiestas instead of fighting a war to bring peace.

How do you resolve your conflicts?

Through very rigid planning. I even rehearse with meticulous details. Once I have done that, everything falls in place.

What book influenced your life?

I am a chef so I like to read books on food. I knew James Beard and Julia Child. They were so kind to me.

What is your greatest fear?

Me, with the softest of hearts, I am a very brave person, especially during combat. In the face of danger, I become more solid. I stop, think and assess the situation.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My love for beautiful things because too much of it is also not good. Sometimes I cannot control my desires.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

Very obvious. How I wish I were thinner but all my life, I have been chubby.

What is your motto?

Be firm but fair. I believe in compensation for every effort.

If you were to die, who or what would you like to come back as?

Do you know that I already died? I had an out-of-body experience in 1993 in the hospital. I’d like to come back during the days of the Roman Empire as a powerful emperor.

What do you most value in your friends?

Companionship. Sharing. Confiding in each other. My friends are my wealth.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Food. I will go to any extent to produce the best food on the table. I am also a very practical substituter; that’s how I survive living in the province. Home. I love beautiful homes. It’s where I am every day.

What is the first thing you look at when you see a man/woman?

Their cleanliness, hygiene, then their personality.

If you could be any historical character, who would you like to be?

My ideal person is my dad, Don Arsenio Escudero. A very quiet, unassuming haciendero, ready to assist in calamities. In the Bataan Death March, he brought two trucks with medicine and food to assist the prisoners.

Name a moment that brings back happy memories.

The golden wedding anniversary of my parents.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Villa Escudero, resort which I started in 1979 with a loan from my mother of P30,000.

Which famous quotation would you have wanted to be the author of?

Enjoy it while you can.

What makes you laugh?

I easily laugh for any kalokohan. I enjoy text jokes.

What did your dad often say to you?

"Totoy, hayaan mo na sila. Dadating ang araw maiintidihan ka rin nila." (Do not mind your critics. Time will come when they will also understand what you are doing. )

What was your favorite journey?

My trip to Peru, tracing the history of the Incas. My seven-day Nile cruise tracing the history of the pharaohs. Everyone should take that.

What is your ambition?

To finish building my house; to entertain my friends. To be happy.