Make half a pound of friendship, mix it with a pint of thoughtfulness, and add to that a dollop of understanding. Season it with a lot of fun, and just the right amount of romance. What you’ve got there could very well be the recipe for love.

These qualities are what Chef Rolando and Chef Jackie Laudico share. Surprisingly, these two chefs first met during their UP days, when they were both taking Tourism as their major. It was an informal study group which got them talking to each other, and Chef Rolando discovered the vivacious personality behind the pretty eyes, and Chef Jackie realized that Chef Rolando wasn’t as “crazy” as their fellow classmates purported him to be.

Their friendship eventually led to romance, and even if  their Tourism major didn’t quite work out for them, they at least still have their passion for food to keep them going.

It was this mutual love for food which propelled their relationship and eventually, their careers. The couple even relates how they had their first date at Farmer’s Market. Chef Rolando remembers, “We would order one dish lang because that’s all we could afford.” So more often than not, the couple would simply go to the palengke and cook for each other.

Before they officially donned their toques, the couple went from selling baked goodies, working as dishwasher, and opening up their own catering service. Chef Rolando recalls, “I quit college and became a dishwasher just to be in a restaurant because I really wanted to cook. I didn’t care if I had to be a dishwasher; I just wanted to work. And it’s a good thing I started out as a dishwasher because that’s how I learned every aspect of the restaurant. It’s important for a chef to know every single detail of the restaurant.”

And now that the couple has their own restaurant, Bistro Filipino, the couple gets to live up to their culinary dreams. Chef Rolando prepares his signature dishes, while Chef Jackie gives their dessert selection a twirl here and there.

“Most couples would have probably killed each other by this time, because we’ve been pretty much together 24/7 for so many years, and for other couples it would have been impossible,” says Chef Rolando.

But not for them. In fact, they have “agreed to disagree,” and together with their children Orlando and Keona, the two chefs have cooked up the right dish for a happy family.

On First Impressions

He said: The first time I saw her, I already knew she wasn’t from Manila. Number one, she wore a really tight acid-pant short. I found it really attractive and stunning, because it wasn’t the usual conservative Manila girl get-up. She was very fit, and she wasn’t shy showing off her physical attributes which was really cool.

She said: He’s makulit. He’s very active, and he was one of the better looking boys in the college! He had long hair, and he would drive his Pajero with the windows down and loud music blaring.

On Friendship, Courtship, and Dating

He said: We started out as really good friends. We never went to the stage where I was courting her formally. Although I was (in a way), I didn’t make it seem like I was truly courting her. It was more of a natural development. Our relationship had a nice progression because of our friendship.

She said: I found him really funny. He wasn’t what I thought he was. I discovered he’s very loving to his nephew and family. He does the palengke for his house pala. He’s really uncontrollable in some aspects, but he’s responsible din pala.

On Parenting

He said: We’re very hands-on as parents. I bring Orlando to school, and sometimes Jackie does that. As much as possible, whenever we have break time, we spend it with each other. Everything I do revolves around Jackie and the kids.

She said: We make time for our kids on our daily schedule. I always tell my staff not to schedule any meetings around 3 p.m. because that’s the time I pick Orlando up from school.

On Cooking

He said: Everybody wants to be a chef now, but at that time, my friends would laugh when I would tell them I wanted to become a chef. They actually call a chef a “kusinero”. And I would say, “Ano masama doon?” It’s funny now because everybody wants to be a chef. And they have a wrong perception of what chefs are. They think chefs are always on TVs and magazines. But it’s not about that. You don’t reach that stage because you graduated from culinary school. It takes years of sacrifice and hard work to be a chef.

She said:  Nobody understands the love for cooking at that time. It wasn’t as popular as it was now. We’re lucky because we’re in the same profession: I understand why he can’t have holidays or why his work hours are that way.

On Family Bonding

He said: The kids like to help out when Jackie bakes and makes chocolates! It’s funny because when she does the chocolate truffles, they know that when one is damaged, that piece is theirs. So they really wait for it!

She said: When we had the restaurant, it was goodbye, social life! But when we have two to three days off, we would go out of town.