Priscilla Teodoro

She was the last to arrive on that very first meeting, but she was the first resume I got in my personal email box.

Never seen an artist's resume before and I can't be convinced on how to summarize it.

Do a search on Priscilla Teodoro. This is what I got....read about her :)

Step One

Thank you to the internet. It is so hard for a group of nine (9), from diverse worlds, to meet weekly at a designated time...so far we are still ok with our Friday meetings, but the internet has kept us in touch rest of the days.

Last meeting it was agreed that the presentation has to be done for marketing to sponsors and partners. Myke sent an email to all of us and attached a power point that was prepared. Feedback had been dribbling and looks like the marketing team will be having it ready.

Meantime, Mkye and I had been sounding off to our prospective and perceived niche that we want to tap.

They love it!

The Sumptuous Beginning Of an Organic Cook Fest

By Priscilla Teodoro

We were polite. the eight of us, lining up for the gourmet food that creative Chef Tatung (Myke Sarthou) had prepared for us. But just watching him slice the “Slow Roast Pork with Honey Mustard Soy Glace” already sent my saliva to gather like a small lake in my mouth. I had to discipline myself and act severely patient. This slice of pork was to be wrapped in lettuce with a mango pineapple salsa.

The next dish was a Thai Noodle dish with mushrooms & bean sprouts. This has always been my favorite dish. Chef Tatung had cooked it as a cross between the Pilipino and Thai palate. I usually just put a small portion of any dish in buffets as I do not relish the feeling of a full stomach; but I just had to take a little more than my usual portion; anticipating the flavor it would spread through my taste buds.

The next dish was a green curry with eggplants, tofu and potatoes. It too looked different yet familiar.

As I sat on at the table, I got to meet the other guests- Tony and Beth de Castro ( who are into vermiculture and organic vegetable growing), Desiree and Joy (who are into malungay leaves for cosmetic, food and condiment use), Sandra Celi (who is into organic free range chickens), Divine Enya Mesina(food writer who also develops recipes for yummy magazine). Yam Lacaba (an indie film production manager and free-lance writer) who was busy shooting with a camera and Chef Tatung I already knew. I, Priscilla Teodoro, am an agriculturist, Zen teacher and artist into alternative health practices like cooking raw food.

The conversation focused on organic farming produce and the resultant food masterpieces that could be made from them. Chef Tatung emphasized that there must be close coordination between organic farmers and creative chefs. The resultant creative organic dishes could then be made into a cook fest. Other chefs could also be invited!

I tasted the Slow Roast Pork as it disappeared into my mouth. It melted in my mouth, the meat with its juiciness. I closed my eyes in the moment of tasting and chewing. It was a moment… delicate, tender, juicy, and crunchy.

“The organic farmers must anticipate the chefs’ needs; as many chefs just buy from the market and have no idea how the food is grown. This way, the farmer has a sure market for his products and the chef is assured of quality and quantity,” Chef Tatung further remarked. All readily nodded in the affirmative as we sunk into the aroma and taste of the gourmet food. The Thai Noodle was delicious with its tender slivers of chinese mushrooms amidst bean sprouts and noodles.

I kept loyal to tasting and savoring one food at a time in a Zen like fashion. I savored the taste slowly, bit by bit, till no food was left…a moment stretched into time. Ah! The green curry with eggplants, tofu and potatoes was the first of its kind that I had tasted. It blended well together and the green curry more soothing than the usual yellow curry.

The couple across me, Teddy and Beth de Castro, spoke about the wonders of vermiculture. “ I hope you don’t mind my talking about vermiculture while we are eating; but their casings make such healthy and nourishing vegetables,” said Teddy. He spoke how he made black top soil with the help of earthworms, organic matter waste and charcoal ashes. He just loved organic farming. We discussed how earthworms are a natural source of the antibiotic streptomycin and that it was good for healing burns of the skin. I countered that it could be eaten by chickens for their protein and antibiotic needs.

Yam Lacaba kept shooting away with the camera with an effusive smile on her face.

Desiree and Joy were into malungay leaves, powdered and dried. They used this as a healthy cosmetic as well as putting it into food like chocolate cake. Malungay is very healthy as it is high in iron and calcium content.

This luncheon was the birth of the Organic Food Fest, in its warm sincere beginnings, in Chef Tatung’s house, 17 Matipid St., Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. He envisioned cuisine lovers to gather in his garden café while he dishes out organic dishes. His telephone is (02)433-2467.

It was June 18, 2010, lunchtime, and we had met in an interesting corner of the Philippines, of organic farming and creative organic cooking, overlooking an organic garden with its vegetable plots, smiling at the sunshine.

Greener on this side

We usually look at the other side of the fence and notice how much greener things are over there. Maybe it might be true, but sometimes we get caught up in a frenzy that we actually don't spend enough time seeing how green it is on our part of the woods.

Perhaps the word green, or berde as we would say is just a metaphor of expressing what a good life is in visual terms, granting of course that the word "green" would actually capture what we intend to talk about. Sometimes of course we think of green in a naughty light or think of green as the green-eyed monster.

Then, what does this "green" actually mean?

For the time being let us just settle with the notion that green is good. Good not because of the green buck, but green for a world that is lush and abundant, where there is a balance of life, where we are able to live symbiotically among other creatures of the earth as we are nature ourselves.

But let us not get ahead of ourselves as yet. Though there is something much deeper that what meets the eye, we would just like to look into this concept of green in more simple terms--Green as a representation of life and green as an aspiration of a life we feel we should live.

Anyway, let us simplify matters a little bit more for now. And this is the fun stuff. For the purpose of this blog and what it tries to talk about is green in relation to good food. Not just fruits and vegetables, but animal products as well that been bred, nurtured and lovingly cared for up to the time it reaches our plates. Food that is not only cooked well and tastes good, but food that also respects that natural dynamic of nature and thus serves a higher purpose as we celebrate life and our humanity. We are the only creatures on earth who manipulates and transforms our food from something that could be so pure and essential to something great and extraordinary, but sometimes(which has become the norm)the food we prepare and eat actually is not only bad for us, but also the earth it comes from.

Now this is just an attempt, an experiment if you may that we embark on. We don't yet have the answers. Can we actually create good food, no I mean great food without altering the very essence of why we eat, have too eat, want to eat, crave to eat, what we eat? I really don't know where this is headed, however I would like to take this journey into looking deeper into the matter of our eating. As they say "we are what we eat", now the question is, do we actually know what we are eating?

As a chef I suspect that this journey may lead to a new culinary milieu wherein we all become more involved with the production of our food and care more where it comes from at its very source, and develop a new dynamic between farmers and livestock growers and chefs like myself to ultimately create a new repertoire of exciting recipes that the public might just catch on to.

Tony and Chef Myke

So join us as we take a gastronomic ride to better living starting at the farms and ending in our plates.

The Text

Tuesday, June 15, I got a text from Chef Myke about lunch on Thursday, June 17. The gist of text was about an event with chefs and local organic farmers. "Would you be interested to be part of this plan"? Can't recall verbatim as I just saved that message for the Chef Myke's address and deleted it after lunch.

Scheduled to leave for Manila on Thursday, but this text got me packing a day ahead. I had been wanting to do something like this, but no one was listening. Not sure who was going to be there, and even if I wasn't a social hen...this got me saying "yes".

Got to the address a few minutes after 12. I thought myself as late. Surely, Myke Sarthou as host was there first. Divine Mesina and I (Sandy), got there at the same time and introduced ourselves at the gate. Yam Lacaba was waiting inside. Tony and Beth de Castro arrived. Joy Dimabuyu and Desiree Segovia followed. Last but perfect timing as lunch was starting, Priscilla Teodoro arrived.

We all admired the vibes and potential of Myke's new house cum office. You feel great energy as you enter the gate. Lunch was so good. Thank you Chef Myke for hosting, tossing and blending.

After lunch the meeting started. As it developed, I thought I can hear myself talking. Those were the same ideas I had been toying with. Verbalizing them to others whom I thought should have the tickle for it, but it fell on deaf ears and hard straight smiles before.

This time it was different. The delay was worth it. Nine people who came from different walks, lifestyles, and lines. Nine people who are passionate and hard working, and who have proven themselves to themselves :) Tony himself commented that he can see the group working together.

Photos were taken by Yam, that is why the photo just shows eight (8). We wanted a video. One of the rare times I didn't have my camera bag in the car.....but we know what we missed to shoot. We can still show them to you. It is in our hearts :)

Left to right: Sandy, Myke, Prissy, Joy, Desiree, Tony, Beth, Divine & Yam (behind camera)

We have the concept: to educate consumers on how to properly make use of ingredients, match chefs and end users with the local farmers, make consumers and chefs aware, that good and healthy is available. It is all about Philippines, Pinoys, fun and food!

Mechanics? Venue? Date? Etc? We have agreed on meeting again next Friday.

We have two writers in the group. After this post, the next entries should be a more entertaining and educating trip to healthy food...by Pinoys and for Pinoys.