MANILA, Philippines — Isabelle Daza is firing up her kitchen!
The actress, television host, model and granddaughter of Filipino culinary legend Nora Daza follows in her grandma’s footsteps, and enlists Maya’s help to navigate the kitchen with ease and confidence, and inspire a new breed of home cooks just like her.
"Cooking with my Lola" is Isabelle’s four-part online video series that kick starts her cooking adventures – and what better way to do so than to recreate recipes from seminal cookbook "Let’s Cook with Nora."
“Cooking has always been a huge part of my family, and now that I have my own, I want to bring the same joy and wonderful memories that I’ve associated with cooking into my home,” Isabelle shares.
“I also think that the art of Filipino home cooking that my lola has carefully and lovingly documented in her book is a bit lost to the younger generation. I want to help change that, and get more people to love home cooking again. I thought since I’m a beginner cook, sharing my experiences would encourage others to learn with me!”
Isabelle has also gotten help from a very familiar quarter. The Maya Kitchen has close ties with her grandmother, hosting the pioneering cooking competition The Great Maya Cookfest, which ran from 1976 to 1990 and helped launch the careers of a new generation of chefs and cooks, together.
Nora Daza and the brand's connection also goes beyond the cookfest, with the Philippines’ first culinary ambassador actively promoting the brand, formerly known as Maya Bakeshop, and its products by holding cooking demos all over the country. Some of the episodes of her show, "Cooking It Up with Nora," were also shot at the kitchen.
The first episode of "Cooking with my Lola" also features another of Isabelle’s family, her tita – cook, writer and editor Nina Daza-Puyat. Nina recently updated her mom’s cookbook "Let’s Cook with Nora," re-testing recipes and offering ingredient alternatives and modern variations that fit today’s home cooks.
Catch the first part of "Cooking with my Lola" as Isabelle tackles beef stroganoff with her tita Nina now live on her official Youtube channel.