Nora Daza's tips on cooking up a flavorful life

MANILA, Philippines - Before today’s celebrity chefs, there was Nora Daza. Coiffed, bejeweled and efficient, she taught generations of Filipino women how to prepare delicious meals. Her cookbooks remain popular because the recipes within are easy to follow, and she made the chore of cooking seem so elegant in her television shows. She single-handedly convinced Filipinas that women of the world should be well-versed in the cooking arts, during a time when the culinary profession wasn’t as popular as it is today.

Unfrazzled. Elegant. Vastly knowledgeable. The adjectives to describe her are endless. She was the epitome of glamour in the kitchen. As an entrepreneur who was recognized as a bon vivant with impeccable taste, her aptly named fine-dining restaurant Au Bon Vivant opened in 1965 was a favorite haunt of the culturati.

Not content with local success, however, she moved to Paris to open Aux Iles Philippines in 1972. The move to introduce Filipino cuisine in a country identified with gastronomes was a bold move. She served, among other things, kuhol in coconut milk with luyang dilaw and bagoong, and fresh lumpiang ubod. The French were entranced. They so loved the food that even that generation’s top French movie siren Brigitte Bardot repeatedly showed up for lumpia.

“We know how to taste and balance our food,” says Nora Daza confidently. “The only thing we need to learn is to make it more presentable. But flavor-wise? We’ve got it. She proved in the 1970s that Filipino cuisine could merit at least three forks in the French guides Gault-Millau and Guide Michelin, and is certain that highly trained, world-class Filipino chefs today stand among the best.

Pinky Marquez serenades Nora Daza.

As recognition for Nora Daza’s efforts to promote Filipino cuisine, pioneer culinary institution Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) Manila dedicated an Asian Filipino Kitchen Laboratory in her honor early this year. “This is dedicated to the training of young men and women who shall uphold and promote Filipino cuisine to the world,” explained Marinela “Badjie” Guerrero-Trinidad, chief executive officer of The Cravings Group, the company that operates CCA-Manila. “The dedication honors Ms. Nora V. Daza for her advocacy in promoting Filipino cuisine in the international market and serving as a model and inspiration to fellow culinarians.” The speech was at a tribute dinner to honor Daza as a pioneer Philippine cooking icon.

“My heart overflows with happiness and gratitude,” replied the teary-eyed Daza. Addressing Susana “Annie” Guerrero, president and founder of The Cravings Group of Companies, and Badjie Trinidad she continued, “You have pushed the limits of culinary science. I’ve seen what you’ve done and I admire you.” The gathering of Daza family members, friends, colleagues and other well-wishers applauded enthusiastically. 

The honoree graciously agreed to share with us 10 tips on good cooking. It dawned on us that the cooking advice likewise applies towards cooking up a successful and interesting life.

• Best advice for people just starting to cook: “Study the basic things first. Start with what is simple, and don’t be afraid to move on to more complex dishes as you acquire the skills. Remember that recipes are just guides. The final decision — saltiness, sweetness and so on — is yours. It is your individual palate that should guide you.”

 • Best advice to successfully cook a dish you’ve never tried before: “Do your research. Get the recipe and proportions. Exercise moderation if you aren’t sure. In the matter of adding salt, for example, you can add salt but can never subtract it from a dish. If you put it in, it is there and you have to eat it. Like with other things, anything that too much is not good.”

• How to salvage a dish that didn’t turn out quite perfectly:  “Remember that it is okay to make mistakes and anything that is edible, you can eat. As long as you don’t exaggerate. You know, I once made the mistake of adding a whole teaspoon of salt to a chocolate cake when the recipe called for half a teaspoon. It turned out all right.”

 • On how to make an ordinary dish stand out: “The basic ingredients are important. For instance, if you want to have good stock for soup, you have to start with good bones. Then you just add the other ingredients. Starting with the best basic ingredients is important.”

• Best advice to stay on top in a culinary career: “The thing to do is to taste food and find which one you like. Then study it until you get the taste just right. Taste all kinds of food. Widen your palate and continuously learn.”

 • Best attitude that a chef should have to achieve success: “He should not mind staying in the kitchen to do the hard work. But when he is tired, he should sit down and rest.”

• Best advice for those who are jaded and tired of cooking: “When I was like that, I usually would take a trip to Hong Kong and stay for three or four days. No cooking. I would eat and would come back ready for work again.”

• On how chefs can best share what they know: “Someone who is good with a certain kind of dish should specialize in it, define it and promote it.”

• On how to make Filipino cuisine stand out: “Fresh is best. Get your ingredients fresh from the garden and come up with fresh new ideas on how to cook more good food.”

• On how to achieve longevity and staying power in a cooking career: “Moderation. Pace yourself. Rest when you are tired and put it in your mind that you will soon cook something good again.”