Kitchen has been my playground
since I was in grade school. She was my first teacher then and taught me simple
dishes. Since then, I love watching the elders cook as well as cooking tv
shows. It makes me appreciate the
different culture through food and how the person put effort and so much love
in the dishes. That is the reason why I love cooking for my family and preparing
them meals. It is my way of showing them my love through their stomach. It has
been also our bonding since we eat a lot.
The endurance of ages
Ann Puno raised her children on home cooking. Back then, she
was just a simple housewife with an amazing talent for baked goods, and her
children must have grown up relishing homemade meals, occasionally paired with
her amazing desserts.
However, she wanted to share more with her children than just her care and her
cooking. She wanted to teach them to be independent. And this she did by
example. “I wanted to teach them that they can do anything,” she says. “That
all they needed was [some skill and hard work], and they can earn a living.”
She began selling her cakes to her husband’s co-workers, and as expected, they
were an instant hit. So she sold more. And even more.
Today Ann Puno is the entrepreneurial power behind Ann
Puno’s Kitchen, and amazingly, the oven she used to bake that very first cake
almost 30 years ago is still churning out perfectly cooked meals. It’s no
wonder she swears by the longevity of her La Germania range.
The 30-year old oven, which she got from her mother when she
moved to Manila, is now back in her hometown, after being with her in her own
kitchen. “It was so old that there were knobs and parts that needed to be
replaced, but there’s a service station right near [my mother’s home] and in
the end, it was restored to be almost like new!” Ann beams, full of praises for
the excellent service team, and explaining how it was easier to specify the
required repairs because the team spoke the native dialect.
Partner for life
For some, finding the right partner is tricky. But when you
do find The One, it can be magical.
Some cooking superstars, like caterer and restaurateur Chef
Rolando Laudico, were lucky enough to have started out their love affairs
early. “I have been cooking since I was seven years old and it has been La
Germania all the way,” says Laudico.
This partnership has seen him through the establishment of his catering
service, enduring with him through the long hours of hard work, uncomplaining
despite the heavy demands he had to make of it. “I have used the same oven
since day one of my catering business,” says Laudico, “and it has served me
really well. We use it for several hours a day, every day, and that’s really
heavy use, for several years. That’s value for money.”
So when it came time to choose a personal partner in raising their children in
their own home, the chef and his wife chose a classic, a name they had grown to
love and trust. “I’m sure the oven in my home will last even longer—I might
even get to pass it on to my kids,” he jokes.
Making moments count
Few things can be more hectic than the life of a married pair of doctors
raising two young children. But medical school sweethearts Andrew and Almira Vicencio,
make it look effortless.
Because they’re so busy, both admit that neither one spends
much time in the kitchen, but meal times with the kids have become central to
their schedule. “It’s important to us to eat meals together,” says Dr. Andrew,
“we even try to minimize the use of gadgets at the table. It’s important time
we spend together as a family and we want to give our kids these happy
memories.”
When it came to their first range, they didn’t even consider
anything other than a La Germania, which they had bought to replace the one
that Almira’s mother had first given the newlyweds. It reminded them both of
the happy Sundays where Almira would wake to the smell of the rich bean dish
her mother often made on weekends.
Kitchen stories from
all around
It's not unusual for both hobbyists and masters alike to
love their La Germania ranges and have great memories of working in the kitchen
or feeding their families.
These three homes are only a handful of those who own legacy
La Germania stoves and have heartwarming stories of how their entire family
grew up with them.
In the coming months, La Germania will be re-launching a new
set of Kwentong La Germania,
featuring all new faces and voices, but the same story of trustworthiness and
reliability, of meals and memories made in the kitchen, and a legacy that spans
generations.
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