Chynna: The cooking-show co-host who doesn’t cook

Do you know anybody who co-hosts a cooking show but doesn’t know how to cook?

I know somebody and her name is Chynna Ortaleza who has just been tapped as Chef Boy Logro’s co-host on Idol sa Kusina (Sunday nights on GMA).

“I think they chose me because they wanted a fresh perspective for the show with a co-host who doesn’t know how to cook,” admitted Chynna whose culinary background is a big zero. “When management told me that I was going to announce my assignment, I said I would announce that I am a new mom who has never found her way to the kitchen. And, yes, I have the phone numbers of all the food-delivery services in town.”

Chynna is married to Kean Cipriano by whom she has a daughter, Stellar, who turned one year old last April.

“When Kean would tell me, ‘Chynna, magluto ka naman ng adobo,’ I would frantically call either his mom or my mom to ask how to cut the meat, what ingredients to include, step by step talaga,” laughed Chynna. “Kean’s favorite comfort food is his mom’s tapa with gravy and when he asks for it, hayun, call na naman ako for help.” 

Believe it or not but Chynna doesn’t even know how to fry an egg, neither scrambled or sunny-side up.

“But after I taped three episodes with Chef Boy,” Chynna proudly announced, “I learned how to crack an egg with just one hand, but not before I had broken more than seven eggs and practicing again and again at home. I am happy to tell you that I have learned how to cook sinigang although not yet perfectly.”

Didn’t she show any inclination toward cooking when she was small?

Surprisingly, when Chynna was 11 years old, she passed an audition to be host of Kid Power, a segment in the GMA show of Five & Up.

“They took me in not because I knew how to cook but because I was bibo,” shared Chynna. “Hindi ako ‘yung master-chef material. Nagluluto-luto ako dun and that stopped there.”

Describing herself as the type of woman who focused more on her career than on developing her domestic skills, Chynna said that she knew several new wives in the same predicament.

“They would say, ‘Paano ba ito; anong iluluto ko for my husband?’ Same with me. But from watching the show, they can learn a lot just like what I am doing. I am willing to learn from Chef Boy. I am a student on the show.”

To kick off Chynna’s kitchen lessons, Idol sa Kusina prepared an exciting line-up of delicious fusion dishes for her debut episode. Chef Boy turned Kaldereta into an Italian treat by using it as filling for Kaldereta Ravioli, and Hot Calamari Salad with Miso Vinaigrette.

“Chynna is like my sous chef,” said Chef Boy. “Of course, I have my school; it’s about time na turuan ko siyang maging chef but slowly. I know Chynna can do it, kayang-kaya niya ‘yan. She’s a fast learner.”

Chynna is also in another GMA show, Mulawin vs. Ravena, which she wears a costume that hides a bit of the weight that she has gained from the original 85 lbs. Still, out of the costume that renders her almost incognito, Chynna is relatively slim.

“When I got pregnant, I gained 26 lbs. and after I gave birth, my weight went down to 110. When I started breastfeeding, it went up to 118. I haven’t achieved my ideal weight but the press can’t say na si Chynna malaki ang tiyan,” she said laughing.  

And how soon does she plan to have another baby?

“Not so soon,” said Chynna who took a year off from work to nurse her baby. “We are neither actively controlling nor actively trying to have another baby,” recalling that when she got pregnant, her bosses at GMA were relieved. “O, Chynna, akala namin tibo ka,” because she was incredibly convincing as an LGBT in the soap Rich Man’s Daughter. “After I had a baby, they were rest assured na babaeng-babae pala talaga ako.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)