An Encounter with the Famous, World-Class and Self-Made Filipino Chef, BOY LOGRO
Posted on Wednesday, 15 March 2017
An Encounter with the Famous, World-Class
and
Self-made Filipino Chef, BOY LOGRO
By Apolinario Villalobos
Foodies who are fond of following the TV
show of Boy Logro, view him as a humorous guy as he concocts dishes on the
spot, handling ingredients with his bare hands. His humor is innate as he could
likewise concoct jokes on the spot to jibe with those coming from his guest.
Although, dialogs are supposed to be scripted as required in such kind of
sitcoms, it is obvious that many of his lines are extemporaneously delivered,
thereby, adding spice to any situation.
As I am a foodie, myself, but with interest
limited only to information due to my curiosity, I would view the shows of Boy
Logro untiringly if I have the chance. But, my greatest chance of viewing this
remarkable personality was when I encountered him at the PAL Mabuhay Lounge of
Davao International Airport when both of us took the same flight to Manila.
When he entered the lounge, he was with an airport security staff, so I
presumed that he could be some kind of an important person, as I did not
recognize him at first due to the baseball cap that he was wearing. I also
thought he had no carry-on luggage, until I heard him tell the security staff
to hand over the small backpack that the latter was carrying.
After doing my uploads, I approached him
and unabashedly introduce myself in the Visayan dialect as I was interested
about what he’s doing, especially, simple Filipino dishes done with readily
available ingredients. When he learned that I plan to write something about him
to inspire Filipinos who aspire to become chef, he gave me his trademark grin,
complete with a twinkle in his eyes.
Boy Logro is a big contrast to other
Filipino chefs with shows on TV who are using imported ingredients and use
foreign names for their dishes to give an impression of being…what else, but
“foreign” which is another offshoot of “stateside” mentality of many Filipinos.
He is very proud about his “rags to riches” story, starting his career as a
simple kitchen helper in a hotel in Manila. His profound interest could have
encouraged his employer to trust him with a la carte dishes. With nothing but
courage and a few pesos in his pocket, he grabbed opportunities that came his
way in other countries where he became famous. A national TV staion is
currently banking on his popularity to keep its viewers’ eyes glued to the
screen every Sunday.
I left him in the lounge when I went to the
pre-departure area to see another friend who was taking another flight out of
Davao, but gave him my facebook name. When I opened my laptop to upload my
blogs and check my facebook, I saw the “add request” of Pablo “Boy Logro” which
I immediately confirmed. I promised him a full-length blog that I am sure can
help serious researchers who access my other sites…those who are interested
about “success” and “humility”.
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