Senator Imee Marcos on Saturday rolled out her cookbook titled “PinakBest! Recipes from the Marcos Kitchen & More” saying it could help make Filipino cuisines globally popular.
The book launching was held at the Pandesal Forum of the 83-year-old Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City.
The culinary book was completed in collaboration with award-winning chef Reggie Aspiras, daughter of former Tourism Minister Jose Aspiras under the watch of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Among the prominent personalities present at the event were Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Dept. of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Representative Roman Romulo, Cultural Center of the Philippines chairman and Philtrust Bank vice-chairman Dr. Jaime Laya, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) president Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong, FFCCCII honorary president and Bank of Commerce chairman Ambassador Francis Chua, FFCCCII vice-president and LT Group, Inc. president Michael Tan, FFCCCII vice-president Joey Go, FFCCCII public information committee chairman and Pandesal Forum moderator Wilson Lee Flores.
The senator revealed that her parents late President Marcos and former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos loved foods, but they had contrasting preferences and tastes.
Imee said her father preferred Ilocano, healthy and predominantly vegetable dishes, while her Visayan and Waray mother loves richer or “Imeldific” foods like her Chicken Relleno recipe (which Imee described as “the centerpiece of Imeldific Christmases”!), as well as hams and chorizos.
Imee also said she loves to cook, but that she is “a gangster chef” with simpler and impatient ways.
She disclosed that the “best, more talented and sophisticated cook” in the Marcos family is her younger brother President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.
Her book “Pinakbest”contains recipes from family members, plus old family photos and stories.
Mayor Belmonte said she’s half Ilocano, and admires the Marcos recipes in the “Pinakbest” book, that she will ask her cook to prepare foods using the book’s recipes.
Belmonte also said it was an honor for for Quezon City that Senator Marcos to held her book launching at the city’s pioneering Kamuning Bakery Cafe.
Pascual said the DTI was inspired by Imee’s cookbook in their goal to promote Filipino foods globally, while Roman Romulo said appreciation of Filipino foods and local ingredients can be part of education of the youth.
Readers could learn recipes that are not only rich in taste but also filled with heartwarming narratives as Senator Imee Marcos shares her first-ever cookbook: “PinakBest! Recipes from the Marcos Kitchen and More”. The recipe book pays homage to the Marcos family’s favorite dishes.
The book features traditional food that is innovated by adding ingredients according to personal taste, as well as all-time favorite comfort foods. Senator Imee Marcos said her favorite dish is dinengdeng, with a recipe she inherited from her late father President Ferdinand Marcos which is different because it doesn’t use “bagoong” but clams for salty flavoring.
In this cookbook, Sen. Imee Marcos shares a detailed and step-by-step procedure for creating some of their family’s favorite dishes like Okoy, Dinengdeng, and Ginataang Kinilaw, which are from her parents President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos’ respective home provinces of Ilocos Norte and Leyte.
Aside from learning how to cook different recipes, PinakBest also has stories, shared by Sen. Marcos herself, on how each dish gave a piece of a happy memory — from Pres. Ferdinand Marcos frying Okoy for his friends, First Lady Imelda Marcos waiting along the shores of Leyte for a fresh catch of fish, and Sen. Imee Marcos’ sons enjoying oysters while on their vacation in France.
With a foreword and additional cooking tips from the Marcoses’ long-time friend and fellow Ilocano, chef Reggie Aspiras, PinakBest is more than just a book of recipes but a memoir by Sen. Imee Marcos that honors their family’s history, tradition, close relationship, and of course, their love for food.