The popular adage — “Behind every successful man is a woman” — best describes the relationship of an unassuming couple in a town known for its wood carving industry, Paete, in the province of Laguna.

Since getting married more than 40 years ago, Marcela Cecilia, also known as Cely, has always been behind her husband, supporting him in his craft and serving as his constant supporter and at times critic. Her husband is Luisito “Luis” Ac-ac, a master carver known for his Philippine-themed classical sculptures, mostly in wood.

Now with three successful children, Cely and Luis supported their family through wood carving from the start of their union in the late 1970s.

Before a sculpture is sold and later on delivered to their avid customers and collectors, this undergoes scrutiny of Cely, checking the quality. Any imperfections she will relay to Luis.

A critical work, before a wooden sculpture is completed by giving it a coat or coats of varnish, is the process called pag-aas-is or sanding. Ever since, this task is done by Cely, and she does this manually to achieve a controlled, perfect output.

Great cook

While her husband is exceptional in his craft, Nanay Cely is also good in a different craft — the culinary art — minus the flamboyant presentation, the beloved lutong bahay or home cooking. A cook extraordinaire, she can be considered a culture bearer of Paeteño and Lagunense cuisines.

One of her specialties is the quintessential fiesta dish, menudo, which she often serves to their family’s guests. Her mixture of pork, vegetables and other ingredients is delectable, evoking a sense of nostalgia. This menudo is also a perfect filling for pan de sal during breakfast or any time of the day.

Another specialty is the minanok, a Paete dish made from grilled eggplant and coconut milk extracted from grilled coconut shreds. As simple as it may look, this dish is marked by its smokiness and delightful flavor.

It can be consumed as is, without chopped onions, which were later introduced. No one can explain why it was called as such but it is possible that a chicken dish of similar preparation and cooking process existed before.

As the Laguna de Bay teems with freshwater shrimp, Cely also cooks a dish made from this called ginataang hipon. Small freshwater shrimps, called dumalagang hipon, are cooked using coconut milk, ginger and pineapple bits or kamias (bilimbi). A smaller type of shrimp, called yapyap, is also used for this dish.

Another dish using shrimp is the ginisang alamang na gaspang, a viand composed also of sliced eggplant and tomatoes. This is always partnered with any sinigang dish, instead of just using fish sauce, which is something different.

Apart from these, Cely also cooks many other dishes such as the sweet and tangy pininyahang manok, made from chicken, pineapple bits and coconut milk.