Chinn-ito in Town

Yesterday was the most unforgettable and luckiest Friday the 13th I have ever had. Who would've thought right? Well, this lucky lass, just had the chance to meet, in the flesh, the travelling chef of World Cafe Asia, ehem, drum roll please---Mr. Bobby Chinn! Mahgoodness, it was just last year that I started visualizing meeting and shaking-hands with him, but yesterday, not only did I get to shake hands with and meet him--get this, I got the friggin chance to hug him. Coolness.

How in the world did that happen? Why was he here?

Well, thanks to Facebook, I can now follow my fave celeb chefs. A week ago, I saw his post that he was gonna come over to the Philippines, and just last Thursday, the day before the event, he was at The Farm, San Benito, Batangas. Pinoy fans messaged him and he arranged a meet-up the next day. Next thing I know, I was at Cafe Ysabel with my sister and a friend, waiting for his arrival. I was, as always, filled with anticipation. Needless to say I was giddy and excited. Hahaha!! The event was gonna take place at a basement area that was converted into a cabin-like kitchen of the rustic resto. The waitress advised us that he was already down there so we left our food right away and rushed downstairs. 

And then, bygolly--I saw him there wearing his signature fedora hat. Oh dear. It was surreal. And to make things even more special, there was just a small crowd--it was very intimate. What else could I ask for? 

So I came up to him, introduced myself and asked if I could hug him. He was tall and fit. With arms wide open, he gave me a warm hug. He was the sweetest guy at that very minute. Gee. I was inexplicably happy. I never cared if the moment was very avid-fanny hahaha. What the heck I am a fan after all. My sister too was soo happy. We both were close to shrieking out of excitement. We were literally holding our "shrieks" in. Hahahaha. Bobby was just super nice. So while we were at it, we took the opportunity as well to have a photo with Cafe Ysabel owner and seasoned Chef Gene Gonzalez. The old guy was just as cool as Bobby Chinn. 

From the way Bobby and Gene interacted, they seemed like they were long-time friends. As a matter of fact, Bobby actually has a dish on the Cafe Ysabel menu. 

The night was a complete offering for a cook like me, food enthusiast, culinary student or a TLC viewer [lol] because he had a cooking demo. He made some Seafood Ceviche and Tuna Tartare.

Watching him was more than being entertained. He was just as how I see him on TV--full of antics, animated, very frank, and cool. I had the chance to sample his tuna tartare too. And boy oh boy, it was real good. :)

While Bobby was babbling the night away, I realized that most travelling chefs are great story tellers as well. They get insipiration from people, culture, mundane events of their lives and whatnot. He's got this sense of youthful exuberance when he told his stories as he went on chopping and mixing ingredients. Not bad for a 50-year old man. Made me want to be just like him. But then... of course cheffing is not a walk in the park. That said, he left his eager audience with this--

"A good kitchen is a clean kitchen. It has to be organized. A good kitchen has no waste, the chef is always right and nothing comes to a boil." 

The fan that I am... I just had to let him do that too. Good Bobby. :)