Chef Jose Sarasola shares holiday meal ideas

MANILA, Philippines — Are you on a tight budget to prepare sumptuous meals for the festive season?

You can expect Jose Sarasola to recreate traditional holiday dishes that anyone can do at home without spending too much. These are meal ideas for family and friends to share and enjoy, especially this yuletide season when they bond over good food while engaging in a seemingly never-ending chit-chat.

The Kapuso actor and chef is sharing various recipes to people through Eat Well, Live Well.  Stay Well, airing Friday mornings on GMA 7. The 10-minute cooking show is a partnership between GMA Network and Ajinomoto Philippines to inform and help Filipino families learn economical yet healthy meal ideas.

“It’s really a blessing to be part of the show, where I (do) not only get to enjoy doing things that I am passionate about but also share tips and healthy recipes,” said Jose on the sidelines of the GMA-NCAA All-Star Game, where he played for Team Saints.

With the Christmas season, Jose said he is focused on whipping up tasty dishes for the Noche Buena. “Ito rin ‘yung mga ulam na sikat ‘pag may okasyon, but what I do is put a twist on each recipe. Let’s say, we have Meatless Lasagna, we also have a different version of pizza and a lot of healthy recipes that are easy to make.”

“Every time I plan on what dish to do, I’ll make sure that it’s something that the whole family can do together kasi masaya talaga ‘pag may family bonding, na magsasama-sama sa kusina,” he added.

Jose smiled when told that having the title “chef” can have its misconceptions. The most common is that chefs only cook with the finest ingredients and therefore, one dish requires a big budget.

With Iya Villania in their GMA show Eat Well, Live Well. Stay Well, now on its fourth season.

Photos from Jose’s Instagram

“No, it’s like any other title to a profession. Chefs are always growing and learning about new dishes and techniques. Like what I’ve said earlier, I can make dishes that are affordable and budget-friendly,” he said.

“I think the goal of our show is to show a different side of cooking na hindi dahil hindi ka chef you can’t make a really nice, good meal and affordable. We’re just giving the viewers a new take on classic Pinoy recipes na may twist at ‘yung mga sobrang daling gawin sa bahay at s’yempre No. 1, budget-friendly kasi it’s been tough two years for everyone and it’s Christmas again, so we want every family to enjoy a really good meal without spending too much,” he furthered.

Perhaps, many people think that it would be ideal to marry a chef like Jose who can cook elaborate and delicious dishes 24/7 at home. Jose laughed and demystified the fantasy. “I guess, in my case, cooking all the time with different brands for a show can be arduous, so when you get home parang gusto mo na lang mag-relax. So, I won’t deny. Guilty as charged (laughs). I will just order food. Sometimes, I just go down because in my area, there are so many restos. But of course, there are times that I cook at home. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal. Usually, I make a salmon or chicken dish.”

He suggested that for this coming Christmas, a pasta dish can be prepared whether one is planning for a grand or a simple celebration at home.

“A pasta dish is very versatile because you can make it with a white or red sauce, and you can also garnish it with oil or chili garlic. I think, in any occasion, any pasta ay panalo na, especially when we add hotdogs, a bit of sugar in the sauce, sobrang gusto ng kids.”

Jose is thankful that GMA is also giving him projects outside of his being a chef.

“I’ve done a few acting gigs like in Imbestigador, Wish Ko Lang and Tadhana although the main goal as part of Sparkle team is to showcase my being a chef because that’s my forte. That’s the good thing with GMA, you can do both things,’ he said. “For me, I can act and cook even if the main focus really is on cooking shows, dagdag na lang ‘yung acting gigs whenever there are fitting roles for me.”

He, too, is happy that his food business is doing great these days. Jose is the owner of Avenue 75 at BF Homes, Parañaque which he put up 12 years ago.

“Most of the food that we offer are my recipes,” said Jose. “It has been open since 2010 and luckily, we survived the pandemic. What we did during the lockdown was open the place for take-outs and deliveries because we have to earn, especially that I have staff to help me in the business.”

For the coming year, Jose hopes it will be filled with exciting and fulfilling opportunities for all.