Muses of Cookery: Poch and Namee Jorolan

Growing up just above Everybody's Cafe, the Kapampangan siblings got their keen eye for quality from their mentor.

                                                                 "Our mom, Pette Jorolan, is a chef in practice." —Poch and Namee Jorolan                
                                                         of Everybody’s Café and Pinoy Eats World

When Poch Jorolan isn't leading Pampanga food tours and his sister Namee Jorolan (also a chef) isn't cooking dinners for Pinoy Eats World (a group that organizes guerilla dinners and food tours in the country and overseas), you can find both of them helping in their family's catering and restaurant business in Pampanga. And when that family restaurant is the beloved Everybody's Cafe, established back in 1946, then it’s really no surprise that the two found themselves eventually pursuing careers in the culinary field. They have their mom, Pette Jorolan, to thank. Even without heading off to culinary school, Pette showed her children early on to "respect and celebrate food for what it is" by way of all the years she spent in the kitchen. The matriarch also has an excellent grasp of the business side, saying, "You need to cook with passion…[but] to run a restaurant, it's not just about cooking a set menu, kailangan din may system."

Growing up at Everybody’s
"That's where my mom used to live—the house was on the second floor, the mezzanine level was the restaurant and the kitchen, and the basement was the banquet hall. That was our play area. We grew up watching everybody cook—from our lola to our mom. We saw how they seasoned food, even how they picked crickets and cleaned them. When we were in college, it only made sense to take a 'real' course and then get a 'real' job. Pero I really wanted to do [culinary] professionally, so when I was 25, I saved up and sent myself to school," says Namee, who took up culinary arts at Kendall College in Chicago after a stint in the corporate world. Her time in the US also included an internship at the legendary Chez Panisse.

Taking it slow
Her brother Poch, who was also sidetracked with another pursuit (a car accessories business) before taking a professional leap into the kitchen, is greatly inspired by his mom’s devotion to slow cooking. "It's an approach I got from my Lolo Benito and then my mom. For me, that's what gives soul to the food. That's why now, I'm fond of making stews such as adobo, asado, and Lolo’s version of nilaga, especially if they are cooked in a balanga and over wood fire."

A chef in practice
"I remember when I went to culinary school, tsaka ko naramdaman that even if my mom (or my lola) didn’t go to culinary school, she’s a chef in practice!” says Namee. "In the morning, she receives the produce and i-che-check niya lahat. She’s very discriminating in terms of product. 'Pag sub-standard, hindi niya yan tatanggapin. Isasauli niya kahit na-deliver na.” Her mother's strict eye for quality means that even the Jorolan children don’t always get what they want. Namee shares, "When I was in the States I told her, 'Mom, padalhan mo ako ng taba ng talangka.' Sabi niya, 'Ay hindi in season, hindi masarap, matabang.' Others won't even think about that as long as they can buy it in a can anyway."


Photography by At Maculangan | Hair, Makeup, and Grooming by Cherry Pacheco and Benjie Angeles | Specialty Aprons by Kitchen Couture

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