Jodi Sta. Maria serves more than Pinoy food in Korea-set ‘Kumusta’
Jodi Sta. Maria is showing viewers a different side of herself — unguarded and unscripted — in the TV5-Viu culinary reality show “Kumusta.”
“’Di ba parang yung mga tao, when they see me, alam nila na yung mga previous shows na ginawa ko, heavy drama, revenge (stories), things like that. So parang ngayon naman, gusto ko lang na maging refreshing for them when they see me (here),” she told The STAR of what to expect from her in the limited series that officially debuted on Sunday night.
“Parang, okay, this is how she is pala in real life, when she’s not acting. So makikita n’yo rin talaga na clumsy ako. I had a lot of bloopers.”
The pilot episode started off with South Korean star Ji Chang Wook entering the pop-up Filipino restaurant “Kumusta” in Gangnam, Seoul. Jodi, along with Francine Diaz, Janella Salvador and Chef JP Anglo, then arrived to the surprise of having Ji as their “part-time” staff worker.
The show then proceeded to chronicle how this concept of introducing Filipino cuisine to Koreans was pitched to these celebrity resto workers, most of them with “zero kitchen skills,” brainstorming as a team, to Chef JP consulting Korean chef Choi Hyun Seok of “Culinary Class Wars” fame on how Filipino dishes could be appealing to the palate of the Korean diners.
During this exclusive interview, Jodi admitted that saying yes to the project came from the same instinct that has guided many of her acting choices, making her one of the country’s top drama stars. It’s the desire to be always challenged and to do something she had never done before.
“Gusto ko, siyempre, No. 1, the challenge is there, the degree of difficulty (is there). And also, I would always want to do something that I have never done before,” she explained to this paper.
“So when they offered ‘Kumusta’ to me, sabi ko, it is something na hindi ko pa nagagawa. And of course, kahit sabihin mo naman na reality, napaka-challenging, ‘di ba?
“Knowing that you will be running a restaurant in a foreign land, ‘di ba, yun pa yung mas nagbibigay ng challenge doon? In a language that isn’t our first language.”
She added that “Kumusta” also appealed to her because it gave her the chance to work again with familiar faces.
“I also wanted to work again with JEA (Janella, her co-star in ‘Be Careful With My Heart’), Francine, ‘di ba? And Chef JP,” she said.
In the show, Jodi takes on the job of the hall manager, which is basically the guest-facing supervisor that mans the front-of-house operations.
“Role ko doon is ikaw yung taga-greet ng mga customers. You lead them to their seats, you entertain them, and then after that, you go to the kitchen. You make sure everyone is doing their job. You follow up orders,” she shared.
“So basically, all-around ako doon sa ginagawa ko sa ‘Kumusta.’ And whatever area I see that needs my help or presence, of course, I’m there.”
She also became, in her own words, the group’s “Mother Goose.”
“And also, ako na rin yung naging cheerleader nila doon,” she continued. “Nakakapagod kasi. I mean, since first time kong gumawa ng reality TV series na tulad ng ‘Kumusta,’ I knew it was going to be challenging.
“But I didn’t expect that it was going to be this hard! You know what I mean? The emotions are high in a restaurant, so I just made sure that the moment I arrived there, I was ready to assist wherever I was needed.”
The actress had some prior exposure to restaurants, having once been an investor in one. But she clarified that it was not the same as actually working inside a kitchen or running restaurant operations.
“I used to be an investor sa isang restaurant before, so pumupunta ako doon just to check on the staff, but I never stayed inside the kitchen,” she said.
She also recalled getting a closer look at a working kitchen when she prepared for her 2023 series “Unbreak My Heart,” for which she studied culinary basics.
“When I did a role back in 2023, in ‘Unbreak My Heart,’ nagkaroon ako ng close encounter sa talagang working kitchen kasi nag-aral ako ng culinary (course) sa CACS kay Chef Gene Gonzalez,” she said.
For “Kumusta,” however, Jodi said she had to ask Chef JP what exactly was required from her so she could properly support the team.
“I had to ask Chef JP about it because that is his forte. I had to ask him kung ano yung kailangan niya from me, ano rin yung ine-expect niya from me so that I could help him, kasi mabigat na yung role niya bilang chef, ‘di ba?” she said.
“Kumbaga, siya yung nagpe-prepare ng food, siya rin yung nagturo sa amin kung ano yung mga iba naming kailangang gawin.”
Even before the actual restaurant service, Jodi said they also had to decide which Filipino dishes would make it to the final menu.
“Ang dami naming lista, ang haba nung list namin. And then we had a shortlist kung ano yung magiging mga food na makakasama doon sa aming final menu,” she said.
She even refreshed her knife skills in case she would be asked to help out in the kitchen.
“Nag-practice muna ulit ako ng hiwa-hiwa just in case kailanganin nila sa kusina. Pero hindi kasi ako talaga pala tambay doon sa kitchen because si JEA (Janella) and si Chef yung may toka doon,” Jodi said.
“But may mga moments na talagang sobrang dami nung mga customers. So kailangan talaga mag-multitask ka. So I thought na it would be nice to refresh yung aking knife skills na natutunan ko rin doon sa time ko sa CACS.”
Interestingly, Jodi said that her almost 30 years as a professional actor helped her approach the hall manager job. It was almost like preparing for a role.
“When we are offered the role, you study the role, you prepare for the role, and then you come to the set and then you’re there to work. You know what to do and what is expected from you,” she said.
“So for me, it’s the same here. In the morning, parang nagme-meditate ako, sinasabi ko sa sarili ko, ‘Today, I am a hall manager.’ Dumarating ka sa restaurant (with the mindset), ‘Ito yung role ko.
“Ito yung role ko for this restaurant. Ito yung role ko for this (‘Kumusta’) series. I’m a hall manager, so kailangan maging magaling akong hall manager. So nakatulong talaga yung pagiging actor namin.”
Asked if she is now open to doing more reality projects, Jodi said she welcomes the idea.
“We welcome yung mga ganung klaseng projects kasi kakaiba siya,” she said. “I mean, for the past 30 years, without including my stint with ‘Star Circle Quest,’ which was a reality talent search program, so ito naman is a reality TV series. For me as an actor, it’s also a refreshing experience.”
The experience also left her grateful for the kind of work she gets to do.
“May mga moments lang where I catch myself na parang, shocks, I’m so thankful that I get to do this for a living, na nakaka-travel ka, na ginagawa mo yung trabaho,” Jodi said.
(Episode 2 of “Kumusta” is available on TV5 every Sunday night at 7. Pilot episode is now streaming on Viu.)
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