All he ever dreamt of as a teenager was to be a crew member of McDonald’s. Sadly, he didn’t make the cut because he was “too young.” And so when he applied for a summer job again, this time at Tia Maria’s in Alabang, he came prepared.
“Stapled together with my curriculum vitae was my parental consent, which I begged my mom to sign. At Tia Maria’s, when you order a glass of Margarita, the waiter has to dance. So I told the interviewee that I could do it with flair. Well, that sealed the deal for me,” recalls actor/restaurateur Marvin Agustin. It was at Tia Maria’s where he was actually discovered by the talent scouts of ABS-CBN.
From being a waiter, Marvin has tackled so many roles as an actor. But the one thing closest to his heart is his new role: as the celebrity endorser of Knorr cubes. As such, Marvin gets to wear Knorr’s chef jacket representing the Philippines, and joins a distinguished roster of Knorr chefs, about 200 of them around the globe, who believe in the meaty superiority of Knorr cubes.
“Knorr and Marvin share the same passion for good food,” says Seanta Reyes, brand manager, Knorr. “He’s been using Knorr cubes even when he was younger. Both professionally and personally, he is a perfect partner for us.”
In his latest TVC for Knorr, Marvin shares his expertise in the kitchen with moms, carinderia owners, and other cooking enthusiasts.
“Since Marvin really uses Knorr cubes, he believes in the meaty superiority of the product over seasoning granules. That superiority has been proven by an independent lab test in Europe, which shows Knorr cubes having at least five times more meat flavor than other seasonings,” enthuses Seanta. Knorr cubes are made from real meat and vegetable extracts. The Knorr cube variants are pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, tamarind and sinabawang gulay.
“My family has been using Knorr cubes from way back. Knorr doesn’t just add saltiness to your food. It provides the natural taste and flavor of the meat,” Marvin adds.
Marvin, The Dreamer
Marvin comes from a foodie family. Cooking and eating are their favorite bonding activities. “I was the designated taga-saing in the family. My parents would encourage us to dabble in the kitchen,” he shares.
Growing up, Marvin recalls living in a small house with his parents and two sisters.
“Anywhere you go, you could see the kitchen. We could see how the food was prepared and could smell what our parents were cooking. Those were my early exposure in the kitchen.”
Though he’s been very successful in his showbiz career, Marvin still found time to pursue his dream of being a chef and restaurateur. He took up culinary courses at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCHAM) with chef Norbert Grandler, even when he was already opening various restaurants around the city.
“Food is really my passion,” shares Marvin. “I didn’t only open restaurants, I also studied culinary arts to professionalize my craft. With the help of my partner-friends, I started putting up more restos in the metro.”
To date, Marvin has 22 restaurants, including Sumo Sam, John and Yoko, Mr. Kurosawa, Johnny Chow, Marciano’s, Robotosan, Komrad, and Oyster Boy. He plans to open eight more before the year ends.
Marvin idolizes celebrity chefs Bobby Flay (because he loves steaks) and Jamie Oliver. He says he’s in that level where he can already replicate whatever food is served him. Right now, he’s focused on keeping tabs on the consistency of the food served in all his restaurants.
“Making sure that the food quality is consistent is the hardest part of running a restaurant,” says Marvin, a doting father to his twin daughters. “Thank goodness, we are managing well.”
When asked if he’s confident being called a chef, Marvin hastily replies: “Confident, yes. I think I am. I cook professionally now. In fact, some of the dishes we serve in the resto are my original concoctions.