Model and television host Isabelle Daza follows in her grandmother’s footsteps, Philippine culinary legend Nora Daza, as she navigates the kitchen as an amateur cook.
“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,” shares the 32-year-old celebrity mom.
Daza, through her four-part online video series “Cooking with my Lola,” aims to inspire a new breed of home cooks with the help of her grandma’s recipes chronicled in the influential cookbook Let’s Cook with Nora.
“I thought since I’m a beginner cook, sharing my experiences would encourage others to learn with me,” she enthuses.
Daza continues, “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.”
In the first episode of “Cooking with my Lola,” Daza enlists the help of another family member, her tita—cook, writer, and editor—Nina Daza-Puyat in making Nora Daza’s Beef Stroganoff.
The second episode features Classic Pancakes and Lumpia.
Daza is also assisted by Maya and culinary school The Maya Kitchen, which both had been part of her grandmother’s illustrious career.
Nora Daza hosted The Great Maya Cookfest which ran from 1976 to 1990 and helped launch the careers of a new generation of chefs.
The Filipino culinary icon was also the first ambassador of The Maya Kitchen (then known as Maya Bakeshop) and Maya products, during which she hosted cooking demos all over the country. Some of the episodes of her show, “Cooking It Up with Nora,” were also shot at The Maya Kitchen.
“I was really happy to have Maya come in and help me learn to cook, especially since they worked so closely with my lola before, and she used the products in her recipes,” says Daza.
The first two episodes of “Cooking with my Lola” series are now live on Isabelle Daza’s YouTube channel.