Gee whiz, it's Chiz the chef!
This early, Senator Chiz Escudero is already on the campaign trail. And listening to him talk in his signature rapid-fire Filipino about the right of every Juan to be given access to safe, delicious, and affordable food made us realize that this cause is indeed the closest to his heart.
“Karapatan ng bawat Pilipino na makakain ng masarap at malinis na pagkain,” the senator reiterates. “Ito ay isa sa mga hamon sa gobyerno na sinusubukang gampanan sa ngayon.”
But let me put this straight, lest he be accused of electioneering. Senator Escudero is dead serious on this campaign, but it’s not politically motivated. It’s a campaign for Frabelle Foods, a Filipino-owned brand that offers the freshest, premium quality, affordable, and value-added meal solutions to help consumers transform ordinary mealtimes into pleasurable dining experiences.
As the brand endorser of Frabelle Foods, Senator Escudero rolled up his sleeves, donned an apron and cooked spaghetti like a pro during the media launch at Chateau 1771 at El Pueblo in Ortigas.
Seeing the senator enjoy his 15 minutes of fame in the kitchen is definitely a surprising treat. And, while waiting for the garlic to turn golden brown, Senator Chiz closely watched his mom, Evelina “Evie” Escudero, talk about his humble beginnings in the kitchen on the TV monitor.
“During summer, I would give my children household tasks (since we didn’t have help) and Chiz would always end up in the kitchen. So he knows how to cook rice, how to de-bone and clean a fish, and how to cut up chicken. He loves to eat so he gets curious as to how his favorite dish was prepared,” recalled Evie, who was a recently appointed member of the University of the Philippines Board of Regents.
“As a young boy, I bonded with her in the kitchen. I guess you could say that her Bicolano roots have crossed over to mine. And yes, I can cook rice without the aid of a rice cooker,” Senator Escudero, the second child of Evie and the late Sorsogon Rep. Salvador “Sonny” Escudero III, enthused.
The Chef Is In
To further his craft, the senator — together with his brother, brother-in-law and a neighbor — took up basic culinary course at the First Gourmet Academy in Quezon City.
“For three months, chef Mats Loo taught us the basics like how to properly sauté a fish,” noted Senator Escudero. He enjoyed his short stint in the kitchen so much that he enrolled under chef Reggie Aspiras.
“I had so much fun that after my three-month course in FGS, I started taking lessons from chef Reggie,” he says. “She taught me how to prepare mostly Pinoy food like adobo, tinola, and some Spanish dishes like cochinillo, which I haven’t perfected yet. My kids love my version of the paella; they call it yellow rice,” he added.
Despite his tight schedule as a public servant, Senator Escudero finds time to personally cook for his twins.
“Naaalarma na rin ako sa mga kinakain ng anak ko, and that’s basically one of the reasons why I studied culinary arts,” Senator Escudero explained. “I’m a Bicolano so I love spicy food. But when I cook for my kids, I remove chili from the recipe. They can’t appreciate spicy food yet.”
His background in the culinary department and his commitment to giving the best to his twins has made the single father more discriminating in terms of food choices.
“I always zero in on what’s good for them,” the solon added.
This year, Frabelle Foods launched its campaign titled “Sadyang Pinasarap,” backed up by its TV commercial featuring Senator Chiz Escudero as brand endorser.
Frabelle Group of Companies president Frannie Tiu Laurel said that they didn’t have a hard time convincing the senator to endorse the brand.
“Chiz and I are good friends. So when I asked him if he could endorse Frabelle’s new products — Honey Ham, Yummy Hotdogs and Cheesedogs, Hickory Smoked Bacon, and Pork Ham Tocino — he said yes right away,” related Laurel, who brought some products over to the senator’s house for him and his kids to try. “Thank goodness he liked our products and even agreed to endorse them.”
What makes Frabelle Foods different from other brands is that it sets the utmost standard of perfection with a zealous commitment to go beyond the status quo in terms of food preparation.
“While the current trend in food processing include cutting corners to save costs, the brand takes pride in adhering to the old-world classic disciplines of food processing such as the natural smoking of meat (we use wood chips) and the blow-torching of sugar in hams, combined with its cutting-edge Fresh-Lock Freezing Technology, from which all of our meat and seafood products are maintained fresh and tasteful,” explained Fay Tiu Laurel-Bernardo, managing director, Frabelle Corp. and Frabelle Market Corp.
Recently, the National Meat Inspection Service granted Frabelle Foods triple-A accreditation based on its plant’s Good Manufacturing Practice certification and all of its products’ Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification, which were obtained in record time.
The TV commercial has equally made news in the metro as it highlights the brand’s edge in terms of product quality.
When asked how much Senator Escudero’s talent fee was, Laurel hastily replied, “He didn’t charge anything.”
“So it’s not included in my SALN,” Senator Escudero fired back.
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The new Frabelle Foods products are now available in leading grocery stores and supermarkets nationwide.
