Heritage and heirlooms in Los Angeles

My heritage has been my grounding, and it has brought me peace. —Maureen O’Hara

Recently I have been interested in collecting various silverware and hollow ware of all shapes and sizes. Believe it or not, this was one of my objectives during my recent trip to Los Angeles, instead of bargain hunting for the latest sale, or looking for fashion finds and trendy things to buy. I was looking forward to participating in an estate sale — it’s like an elegant garage sale where all the pieces once belonged to wealth and prominence. Upon arriving, however, I found that everything was sold out. Not to be discouraged, I scoured the Sta. Monica area until I came across an impressive antique store: the famous Wertz Brothers Furniture and Antique Mart. A family-run antique furniture warehouse located along Sta. Monica Boulevard, I was welcomed with 55,000 square feet of fine antiques, which made me want to buy everything in sight. But I controlled myself and decided on a lovely dome-shaped turkey cover, a Sheffield Silverware original, a lovely heirloom piece that will make Thanksgiving dinner a little more special this year.

Every time I visit Los Angeles, I make sure that I drop by Parrish’s, home of Magic Line Bake Pans and Bakeware. I have always been a fan of their products for the simple reason that they’re so durable; even celebrities such as Martha Stewart and other celebrity chefs purchase much-needed supplies for baking and cake decorating here because their products are of such good quality that my grandchildren will still be able to use the ones that I now use. I have been going to the Parrish store since the ’80s, where I met the parents of the current owner. Now Bob Parrish, a third-generation Parrish, was generous enough to give me a tour of the baking pan production area. He showed me the entire process of how they make their baking pans, which are so famous that they don’t even have time to put all their products on a website. In fact, even in New York, popular chefs in the fanciest restaurants use their baking pans. It was good to see that he maintains their good tradition by continuing to make good quality bakeware. They make sure they continue to establish a reputable family heritage that has become an industry giant through the years.

My visit would not have been complete without catching up with family and friends. Fico Pizzeria came highly recommended by none other than my cousin, Victoria Recaño. Victoria, a host for an entertainment show called The Insider, has Filipino blood in her, as her father was the brother of my grandmother. Her job as a TV host has her reviewing restaurants as well as interviewing famous chefs and Hollywood stars on the red carpet. I was so surprised to find out how another cousin is making waves in Los Angeles: Oliver Tolentino, a fashion designer. Over dinner he broke the news that he made the gown that Jessica Sanchez would wear for that night’s American Idol show. He also makes gowns for other Hollywood celebrities, has slowly been gaining a name of his own and is making the world stand up and take notice of his fashion creations. It was funny how Oliver and Vicky discovered how they were related after Oliver reminded Vicky of a place where they used to play together as children — our house in Bataan. It’s amazing how my cousins have soared to great heights in Tinsel Town and in spite of all they have accomplished, they remain humble and sincere, making the Philippines proud in their own unique way.

We were joined by no less than Richard Hall, producer of The Amazing Race, a friend of Vicky’s whom I met when he was here in the Philippines shooting an indie film he was producing with a Filipino director. And it was then that it hit me: throughout the world, Filipinos are slowly taking their piece of the limelight. There is so much to be proud of in all that Filipinos accomplish all over the world. I feel blessed to be a Filipino in the company of world-class Filipinos. Mabuhay ang mga Pilipino!

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