It started with a random scroll on TikTok one evening, an endless loop of dances, memes, and recipe hacks, until one video caught my attention. The quality immediately stood out, creative and polished yet still unmistakably made for TikTok. Despite its clean production, it kept that familiar vertical charm that makes viewers feel connected rather than distant.
The home cook and content creator was mixing Tapuy Sangria using local rice wine. The creator was JM Granado, and from that moment, I knew I had stumbled upon a rising culinary star.
Granado’s latest TikTok miniseries follows a simple but clever idea: take one ingredient and build five holiday dishes around it. His first choice, the everyday Filipino staple rice, turned into a showcase of creativity. Instead of using plain white rice, he explored its local variations such as galapong, balatinaw, and rice wine.
In the same video, he used galapong to make ube cheese tupig rolls, turning familiar flavors into something fresh. In another, leftover rice became crispy rice bites, transformed from kitchen scraps into something crave-worthy.
Then there was the Tapuy Sangria, a cocktail infused with Filipino warmth and a playful twist. Each post felt like a celebration of how far a single ingredient can go in the hands of someone inventive.
Granado’s 138,000 followers eagerly wait for every new upload, drawn to his way of making local ingredients exciting again. His approach is simple yet inspired, taking comfort food and giving it a touch of freshness. And that mix of originality and creativity, I learned, has earned him features on GMA and ABS-CBN, along with collaborations with Knorr, Heinz, Selecta, and Grab.
As the holidays approach, Granado’s TikTok feed has become a source of festive ideas and inspiration, showing that good cooking comes from imagination and heart.
And to think, it all began with one casual scroll on TikTok.
And if his content catches your interest or you’re curious to learn more about his work, you may reach Sphere Celebrity and Influencer Management at 09178017876 or inquiriesphere.ph@gmail.com.
