"My grandmother, a housewife, basically ignited my passion in cooking. And that's how my relationship with the kitchen all began."

Hailing from Pampanga, the culinary capital of the Philippines, such inclinations were of no big deal. "Honestly, it all started as a chore back when I was still a kid. Funnily enough, she forced me to crack and separate egg yolks for her leche flan," DC Marcelo admitted.

"When I finally noticed through the years my family and friends enjoyed the dishes I made, I felt satisfied! So, I decided to pursue a career in the culinary industry," he continued.

The entire family are foodies. The matriarch, a consultant to top domestic companies, has the innate cooking skills of a Kapampangan. While the sister may be a lawyer, whenever they reunite, food brings them together. They likewise travel and try out the culinary delights of destinations, both local and foreign.

Equipped with a Culinary Arts degree from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, he firmly grasped the essential know-how required in the field.

"The responsibility of a chef is to take care of and properly use ingredients to avoid any wastage. Let us not wait for the time when we cannot get fresh produce from our markets and groceries," he stated as one of his core learnings at the college.