‘Don’t be afraid’: Young Bacolod chef urges fellow dreamers

Every start of the year, people revisit and redraft their new year’s resolutions, eager to fulfill what they have always dreamt of with a renewed optimism to start anew.

Every year, CJ Jimenez is among those who have kept putting off what’s in their bucket lists — because, as he admitted, he was scared. 

Born and raised in Bacolod, CJ took up Hospitality Management (HM) at University of St. La Salle in Bacolod.

“While HM is into hotels, I’m more inclined towards cooking, culinary,” he shared in an exclusive interview with DAILY TRIBUNE.

“As a hobby, I pursued culinary, just cooking at home, cooking for the family.”

Like many home cooks, CJ’s dream was to open his own restaurant. But because he was scared to start — probably of risks, among other things — he was unable to open his own business until November 2019 — just before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I’ve been cooking non-professionally since high school… It just kind of blossomed into a business,” he recalled.

Inspired by the Philippines’ colonizers, Spanish, Americans and Japanese, CJ founded the food kiosk brand Vaca Japonesa, Spanish words that literally mean “Japanese Beef.” The Spanish influence is mirrored by chorizos and tapas in the menu; the Japanese comes in the form of Yakiniku; while the American inspiration shines through the steaks and burgers.

Using Wagyu beef from Mindanao, CJ gives traditional Negrense dishes like Kansi and chorizo a premium restaurant flair.

“Kansi itself is very Negrense because you have the shank with bone and the bone marrow. The Kansi is supposed to be sour and also has the atsuete. It’s what makes it orange and very Negrense,” he explained.

Philippine Wagyu from Mindanao  —  from imported cows cross-bred with local cows — give Vaca Japonesa’s dishes a meaty tendon taste, especially the Kansi. 

According to CJ, if only he had acted on his dream sooner, his business would have been bigger and would have not been affected by the pandemic.

“Because I’ve been afraid that’s why it took a while for me to put up this business. But if I were braver back then, maybe I already have a restaurant, maybe a franchise or a large conglomerate of restaurants,” he fretted.

It’s never too late though for CJ — because his business now has two branches in Bacolod, and from his hometown, his recipes have traveled far and wide and were recently even featured in his very own booth at the recent Negros Fair in SM Aura, Taguig City.