In honor of the century old anniversary of the National Park Service today, I am reposting our photos of chasing firefall at the Yosemite National Park, one of our favorite parks! Thank you America for preserving this acreage for generations to come! – Prosy Delacruz
It is God’s grace when you see the convergence of snow on the glaciers, cloudless sunset and warm weather melting the snow into waterfalls. Thank you for this magical experience. My gratitude to Enrique de la Cruz who took us here. On the way back, we got to Fish Camp where a man made lake was frozen.
To cook for oneself is always boring in the end; to cook for others, or better still for the one other, that is certainly an act of faith and love. Believe me, there is no cuisine without love.
M. Oliver, La Cuisine, 1969
A group of us was filled with anticipation for Cubiertos, a pop-up restaurant for one evening at Unit #120 in Chinatown, an incubator of gastronomic adventures of new Filipino-American chefs in Los Angeles. I had invited Hydee Ursolino, a photographer who hails from Lucena, Quezon. I have since interviewed four province mates, each with their own personal brand of artistry in photography, music, painting, and now, culinary arts.
Lord Maynard Llera closes out for this year, Unit #120’s series of chefs experimenting new dishes, a wild journey of culinary experimentations.
Chefs who have participated included Chase and Chad Valencia (Unit #120’s permanent resident on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays), Carlo Lamagna (executive chef of Clyde Common in Portland), A’postrophe by Charles Olalia (former executive chef of Patina who opened Rice Bar lunch counter in Downtown Los Angeles) and Ria and Matt Wilson (introduced Wild, a lunch program at Canelé in Atwater Village.
Three months before Unit #120 was formally opened, Cubiertos, a brainchild of Maynard Llera, was planned, according to Alvin Cailan, the charismatic owner of Unit #120, Eggslut, Amboy, and Champ Ramen (has since been sold to a new owner).
Cubiertos planned service for 60, but oversold to 80 after selling prepaid prix fixe dinner of 5 courses, at $68.
His last seating of 30 customers at 845pm enthusiastically came and were eager to have their photos taken with him, after dinner.
It was close to midnight when Maynard Llera joined us for an interview.
Love, deconstructed
When you say humba is served on the menu, immediately, one remembers a certain taste of pig knuckles or trotters, or even pork belly marinating it overnight in bay leaves, salted bean curd known as tajure, bay leaves, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peanuts and black beans.
With Maynard’s innovation, he combined shiitake mushrooms with oyster sauce and paired them with Chinese long beans artfully twirled and twisted like pasta on top of humba meat, which was sugar braised lamb ribs.
To Mediterranean and Italian eaters, his humba of lamb ribs would be top notch as the flavors of shiitake mushrooms and Chinese long beans all harmonized.
But, as one chews the meat, expecting a pork shank, the gamey taste of lamb became a big obstruction to our Filipino-trained palates and we simply could not put that aside.
One suggested if the lamb was braised first in wine and garlic, it might not have the gamey flavor. Would that work or would trimming the fat some more where most of the gamey odor and flavor reside?
As if the chef was prescient, he had done exactly that, days before, cold-smoking the lamb to remove the fat, and braising it in port wine, garlic and spices.
Two of our group members had tasted grass-fed lamb, supplied by Heritage Foods, USA in the East Coast, and there was not a hint of gamey taste.
So, for the next pop-up of Cubiertos, may we look forward to this humba again, and perhaps consider how to minimize the gamey flavor or change suppliers? This is quite a creative dish that we want this to be fully enjoyed, as Christine did.
Love is in the details
Maynard graciously joined his guests at each table after. With selfies taken, each table shared their feedback with the servers and the chef. Maynard had originally planned to serve 60, but by the time the tickets were sold out, 80 would be served.
Like a well-oiled machine, his team of Bestia staffers, with full support of his employer, Ori Menashe, Maynard was grateful as to the full support he got from them, “We work together 12 hours a day. We see more of each other than our own families. So, we really are close!”
Some wore a Bestia t-shirt, proudly displaying their place of work, but mostly their teamwork in how they enjoy themselves in the kitchen, preparing food but also in the dining room, “They went all out to help me.”
“I have been sharing with Ori my dream of having my own restaurant. He has supported me in trying new dishes. He is the one who pushed me to be more inventive, to take risks. For three years, I have been telling Ori about these dishes and he simply says, “Make it for me.”
He is grateful that Ori took time to taste all the dishes, “he has given me advice, go get these from these suppliers, to add one more cook if necessary, everyone in Bestia has helped me.”
“What a great boss you have,“ I told him.
Wearing a checkered black and white bandanna and a koi dragon tattoo on his left arm, and his characteristic smile, Maynard shared his intentions, “My wife wanted me to do the pop-up – to open a restaurant. I don’t cook in the Philippines, and till I went to Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, I discovered I have the passion for cooking. I want to cook for friends and family. I am happy I pulled it [Cubiertos pop-up] through. It is why the plating is generous, I went all out.”
I asked him about the tattoo on his left arm, and interestingly, it describes how his talents have grown: as the koi comes down the waterfalls, it becomes a dragon, an appropriate metaphor for how we would view Cubiertos, from now on.
Maynard took 30 minutes to develop the menu, a mark perhaps of his acquired talents in French, Italian, Asian and Mediterranean cooking styles. “I want to go beyond turo-turo, honed and trained myself with different styles and modern techniques.” For three days, he has had only 4 hours of sleep, planning, executing the menu, and cooking the dishes.
So for Palabok, it had a very unique metallic taste of uni and the characteristic dish has been modified to have dehydrated pork, dried fish, chiles, kumquat, bean sprouts, mint and thai basil. As you wrap the noodles with the herbs and swirled together all the ingredients, it had a refreshing taste when combined with lemon, which we asked for. It became a favorite of one of the pickiest eaters in our group, Dennis.
As to the consensus favorite, the “darling” dish of the night, for Mike, Christine, Hydee, myself, it was Dinuguan Longganiza served with a light, refreshing salad of scarlet frill, pickled fennel, frisee, mint, dill and pine nuts. This dish is seared in my memory and I want an encore. There was not a single pine nut left in our salad plate. And the dressing was done quite well from red wine vinegar and fish sauce, a kitchen staple in Filipino homes, called patis.
Another favorite was Kinilaw made with ono fish, coconut curry, radish, cucumber, sili labuyo, basil, cilantro and served with guacamole, sweet potato and plantain chips. Fish tasted sweet, no hint of fishiness, an indication of freshness and with a bite of spiciness. It felt balanced in eating it with guacamole, sweet potato chips and the ono coconut curry, a heavenly dish to the pickiest eater, Parker, a Thai foodie.
As to how Maynard feels about the pop-up, “Proud. Happy. Every pop-up has a different story; most of those who have done it have been born here or raised here. I came from Lucena, Quezon, the South, and others have come from the North. They have their own flavor profile. What I have done is cook what I like to eat; others recreate their childhood, their own food. For all of us, we do pop-ups to invite others to know about us, to test the waters, for publicity, and also, to invite investors to help in getting my dream of opening up my own restaurant: casual, relaxing, where family, friends are enjoying the food, not too stiff, where everyone is enjoying food, drinks, and company.”
A plug for his place of work, Bestia, three years running now, 500 served daily, 7 days a week. It is considered one of the top restaurants in Los Angeles.
Another consensus favorite in our group is the Pandan Panna Cotta with Mango Puree with peanut-coconut snap, lovingly topped with a spoon, wrapped in green leaf, over the cup of dessert.
What a lovely way of presenting his dessert, mimicking a gift, and we got your message, Maynard, Cubiertos’ pop-up is truly a gift from your heart. We get that totally!
“In hula, the dancers became one with everything in nature. They bent, swayed, and gestured, moving in countless ways to tell stories, most of which had deep meanings. Behind these graceful, expressive, sometimes dignified and sometimes earthy dances lay years of study, meditation and prayer.” —Nona Beamer
Much like the hula dancer swaying her hips as she moves, the fishes on the canvas of Ronald Cortez’s paintings appear to swim and glide. Even if the tomatoes appear ripe, you want to pick them and slice them, but remember it is a canvas. But it looked so real, the salted egg has that characteristic yolk and white and a hint of oil in the yolk. The peso is realistically portrayed. “It is about remembering the Php 10 and Php 20, no longer in circulation, for this, I am remembering something from the past – ano ang pinagmulan mo (what are your roots?)”
To Ysabel Grace Simon, a 17yo high school student at La Guardia Arts, shared her feelings about being back in the Philippines: “We took trips to Baguio, and I remember the orange sky and with fishes. The faded look at the edges of the painting and the use of natural light. I was just 7yo when I left the Philippines.”
It seemed so real that it reminded me of the masterful works of Fernando Amorsolo, Ben Cabrera, and Thomas Kinkade.
I once had the privilege to talk with Ben Cabrera at two sites: one at Andrewshire Gallery on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles and another at his BenCab Museum in Baguio, Philippines. I first heard of Ben Cabrera, the National Artist of the Philippines, who has been painting for five decades now, from a bookseller who described how in the morning, she woke up with views of the sea and the mountains from her guest bedroom. A walk outside led her to an organic garden and a fish pond, the museum with various exhibits of contemporary artists, and a café and a museum shop.
I posed questions to BenCab, but his one vivid answer was distilled into its essence: “Learn how to draw and draw well before you paint, “ he said.
I looked at paintings with a discerning eye now for drawings, distinguishing the amateurs from the masters.
I met Ronald Cortez while visiting the Philippine Consulate in Fifth Avenue, New York. Courtesy of a friend’s iPhone, I viewed Ronald Cortez’s paintings. I had an immediate gut reaction: “Oh my, your paintings belong in the category of Fernando Amorsolo and National Artist Ben Cabrera.”
It was an exclamation, for sure, but the truth was confirmed by a photographer with an eye for details, who said, “Look at that painting, do you see how the fish is swimming? Yes, he is in the league of Amorsolo.”
Fernando Amorsolo was a celebrated painter of portraits and rural landscapes, well known for his mastery of light, much like America’s Thomas Kinkade, the Painter of Light.
Self-taught painter
Raised by a single mother, Nanie Ratio Cortez, a dressmaker, now 70yo, Ronald lost his father to an aneurysm when he was two months old.
“Walang laruan, pag may pencil ako, masaya na ako.” (No toys, but with a pencil, I was happy).
He learned not to ask for toys, as monies were just enough for rent, food, and school fees.
His first canvas was the bag used to wrap dresses for his mother’s customers. He drew on those bags. “Natutuwa ang mga customers ng nanay ko. Malikot ako, bibigyan ako ng lapis, mabait na ako.” (My mother’s customers were pleased. Restless, I would be given a pencil. I would behave).
He grew up in Lucban, Quezon. “Baon ko ang bundok. Nasa imahinasyon ko.” (I stored mountains in my imagination).
He went to school in Taytay, Rizal, near his mother’s dress shop. By fourth grade, his care was entrusted to his aunt while his mother worked in Saudi Arabia.
From 4th to 6th grade, he drew portraits, fascinated by facial features. First, he drew the eyes, then the nose and mouth. “Unlike what they teach us in school,” Ysabel Grace Simon, a 17yo student of La Guardia Arts, noted.
Ronald lingered in malls, where he watched others do charcoal drawings. He then saved his allowance and bought his supplies. Friends spurred on his art by asking him to paint their crushes and got more charcoal as in-kind payment.
In high school, a cousin asked him to paint a portrait of his girlfriend, and in return, he got a set of oil paints. It was at this point that he decided he wanted to be a painter.
He went to Southern Luzon Polytechnic College for arts and sciences but had no major. But, his mother encouraged him to be a seaman, following the example of a cousin, Marcelo Raneses, a boat captain. So, he took seaman classes.
Craving Art and the Parable of Talents
While studying in Manila, he craved art and satisfied his hunger by browsing books at the National Bookstore in Avenida Rizal. Here, he met Loreto Racuyan, another artist, who introduced him to the owner of an art supply store. He also told him that he has potential and that he needed to focus on his art. He shared his insights on the Parables of Talents, “Ipagpapalit mo ba ang 4 na taon sa pag-aaral, habang buhay kang hindi masaya?” (Will you exchange four years of going to school and a lifetime of unhappiness?)”
The Parable of Talents taught him first that his artistic talents must be used to glorify God and to be shared with mankind. Second, he would be given what he needs to further his talents and realized that his friends supplied his art materials to improve them. Third, we are endowed with different talents, some with one talent, others with five. He was concerned that he might lose his ability to paint if he did not focus on painting. Fourth, we work for the Master who gave us the talent. Fifth, we will be held accountable for our work.
Developing Realism in His Paintings
With spiritual direction, “Let the bees, the trees, and the birds teach you to paint.” He painted nature. Every year, he set a goal to learn new materials and techniques. He learned how to paint with a pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, oil pastels, oil, and mixed media.
That experimental period continues to today, “Even today, I am learning as I paint, kasi pag sinabi mong hinog ka na, ang susunod doon, bulok ka na.” (Because when I say I am ripe, the next stage is decay).
So when fine arts majors say, “Why realism, that is obsolete now, why not switch to abstract?” He responds, “that if that is the case, folks are also obsolete now, and they would be abstractions.”
He paints by the series. Just like the rice painting, he had a 3-to-4 series. It allows him to change canvasses, to focus on another view. “I can’t afford to rest, lalong tatagal, kaya lilipat ako sa kabila.” (It prolongs the process, so I just move to another series).
“I respect the time given by God, I respect that time. I also consider the viewer and balance the composition. Nature is truly beautiful – I want to give justice to nature, that is what I want to achieve.”
Master Painter Ronald Cortez has been painting for 18 years now. He is married to Maribel Cortez, and together, they have a 13yo son, Ronel, who lives in New York.
It was the fourth one. It is celebrating journalism excellence in many categories. I was elated to see a good long-time friend, Dr. Jorge Emmanuel win for his frontlines work in Ebola intervention, practically stopping the epidemic by teaching others how to autoclave the medical waste and training technicians on how to operate the autoclave. It was such a breakthrough and such a humanistic gesture to sacrifice in order to save lives. Hooray for him!
I was glad to also see Allyson Escobar score three awards for best youth voice, best food and best news story. It was good to also see Agnes Constante get it for best profile and best feature while Christina Oriel got the Plaridel for best tourism feature.
I was nominated in four categories: best commentary, best personal essay, best in-depth and best profile writing. While disappointing to me personally, I was happy that I lost to great writers. That I was nominated in the same field as great writers, I was validated in a big way. Thank you for this Philippine American Press Club!
I heard the best acceptance speeches from Cecile Ochoa and Christina Oriel. To Cecile, she equated these awards as honoring true journalism of writing original stories that matter, and not the “cut and paste journalism” that we have seen in the community papers in the past.
I also appreciated Christina Oriel’s acceptance speech, delivered in her absence, by AJ’s office manager, and in her speech, she highlighted the best parts of what makes it more fun to be in the Philippines and a challenge for all of us to emphasize those aspects: its people, its beaches, its landscapes, its food.
At the White House covering the visit of Pope Francis in America, Sept. 23, 2015. What a historic occasion and a first for this lola to cover Pope Francis being welcomed by President Obama. Thank you America!
I had a secret wish. I wanted to see Pope Francis in person, but also to see him in the The White House. The Higher Universe heard me, I got cleared to cover Pope Francis. It was an experience full of challenges: a) had to rebook my trip twice, one trip took me to Maryland, instead of D.C. and my name was misspelled in the ticket, which will cause security delays b) my luggage did not arrive until midnight, 7 hours after I arrived c) though I was pre-credentialed, my name was misspelled and shortened and my California DMV had more letters than press identification card d) clearing security for hundreds of media, my estimate is 500+, took 2 hours in windy and cold weather, but through it all, Secret Service are firm, but polite; Press folks are kind; White House staffers are helpful, kind and responsive. My lesson: patience is gold currency when with thousands of people. Kindness is another currency and folks are eager to help and give directions. What a great moral leader Pope Francis is – everyone is so excited to have heard him and in just a year, Pope Francis made being a Catholic so cool! Folks waited in line, some at midnight, I interviewed two who waited since 2am, to get into the South Lawn at 8am. How cool is it that three of my videos at the White House would be used by Washington Post? Read all in my article for Asian Journal.- Prosy Delacruz #pontifex #PopeinDC Pontifex
I was with 500 reporters on the gardens of the White House, led by our beloved President Barack Obama on Sept 26, 2015, when he welcomed our beloved @Pope Francis. Thank you dear President Obama for my press credentials and enabling my representing Asian Journal, with honor and pride.
