Sandy Daza - Cooking with Sandy Daza

My son, Sandy, is undoubtedly the one who inherited the gastronomic savvy people associate most with the Dazas. He has an uncanny ability of appreciating foods nuances and subtleties. If food were music, he must have perfect pitch. Its talent. Sandy graduated at Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Management. (I remember well his infinite attempts perfecting a Tarte Tatin.) While in Paris in 73, Sandy began his culinary career while working as a waiter and cashier in Aux Iles Philippines, our family restaurant. (I remember well his infinite attempts perfecting a Tarte Tatin.) While in Paris in 73, Sandy began his culinary career while working as a waiter and cashier in Aux Iles Philippines, our family restaurant.

One day, the chef failed to appear and with no one to replace him, the daunting culinary demands were thrust upon him. Relying on memory and instinct, he recreated the chefs menu. To his surprise (and the staffs), the restaurant ran smoothly, leaving the most discriminating diners satisfiedunbeknownst to them that the chef was absent. This was to be Sandys rite of passage into the culinary world. Then there was the time I had to leave Paris for the opening of Au Bon Vivant in Makati, thereby leaving him sole control of the restaurant. Still a bit tentative, he expressed reluctance but I reminded him not to doubt his abilitiesIf it tastes good, then serve it.

He abides by that rule to this day. When Sandy returned to Manila, he opened fast-food outlets he named Sandys Cuisine. Yet again, he took over the management, this time for our Thai restaurant, Mai Thai, when I returned to Paris to open another Aux Iles Philippines, where he joined me for the opening. Through the years, he has mentored chefs and established his own restaurants in Manila and Vancouver. He has hosted numerous cooking shows like Cooking with Nora (Philippines), Cooking with the Dazas (Philippines), Eat Bulagas Del Monte Kitchenomics (Philippines), and Cooking with Sandy (Philippines, Canada, United States). A familiar face in national cooking competitions and Chefs on Parade, it is also not uncommon to see him guest judging community cook-offs.

Sandy is also a food critic for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. But Sandy is happiest around food and people whether he is cooking, cleaning up, or waiting and serving. These passions are essential for anyone serious about embarking on a culinary career. And of course, theres that other thing called talent. Many people tell me they are clueless, not made for the kitchen or cant cook. My philosophy: Kitchen confidence comes with a delicious, simple, and good recipe.

Thats what this book is all about. A book for both novice and experienced cooks. Nora Daza

COOKING WITH SANDY DAZA Copyright to this digital edition 2016 by Alejandro Daza and Anvil Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. 7th Floor, Quad Alpha Centrum 125 Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City 1550 Philippines Trunklines: (+632) 4774755 to 57 Fax: (+632) 7471622 www.anvilpublishing.com Book design by Jordan Santos (cover), Marielle Tayna and Ysa Garcia (interior) Photography and food styling by Crown Dolot Cover images by Crown Dolot ISBN 9786214201303 (e-book)
Version 1.0.1 This cookbook is dedicated to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, my personal Lord and Savior, the Creator of all things, my Friend, my Comforter, my all in all, Jesus Christ. 7th Floor, Quad Alpha Centrum 125 Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City 1550 Philippines Trunklines: (+632) 4774755 to 57 Fax: (+632) 7471622 www.anvilpublishing.com Book design by Jordan Santos (cover), Marielle Tayna and Ysa Garcia (interior) Photography and food styling by Crown Dolot Cover images by Crown Dolot ISBN 9786214201303 (e-book)
Version 1.0.1 This cookbook is dedicated to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, my personal Lord and Savior, the Creator of all things, my Friend, my Comforter, my all in all, Jesus Christ.

He blesses me with my culinary skills, my passion for delicious food, my loving wife Tessa, and children Franco, Alexandra, Arturo and Danielle.

Cooking is one of our most enjoyable daily rituals. We take special care in picking prime ingredients, cutting them up into just about the right size, and preparing and cooking them into delightful meals. For the cook, nothing beats the feeling of seeing our loved ones leaving the dining table full, satisfied, and happy. Such encouragement builds confidence, often inspiring us to do more, maybe learn more recipes or experiment on our own. But then, it is not easy to attain this confidence. I myself had doubts when I first started in the food business.

My mom, Nora Daza, used to prod me, telling me again and again, If it tastes good, serve it. Such confidence in her son! These words were especially helpful when she left our restaurant in Paris to my full control. The assignment jumpstarted my career and gave me the confidence I needed to venture further into the culinary arts. Sometime in 1987, my sister Nina and I were asked to fill in for my mom on her cooking show Cooking It Up with Nora, for two weeks. The pressure for hosting a nationwide television cooking show was tremendous, but in the end we came through! After that experience, I was based in San Francisco for a while and there I really began to explore food and test my kitchen knowledge. I realized that some of the tastiest meals were actually the simple dishes (often taken for granted) made rich with creativity and practice.

Back in the Philippines, I eventually got involved with my mothers cooking show again. I learned more incredible recipes and whats more, I even improved them. Yes, these were delicious meals and it was a challenge to make them simpler, less complicated, and less expensive for my viewers. I considered dietary needs and healthier alternatives to fatty and less nutritious ingredients. Armed with hundreds of cookbooks and with the aide of the world wide web, I was constantly researching and experimenting. I learned so much more.

My mothers cookbook, Lets Cook with Nora, was one of my sources and an inspiration for creating my own recipes. I picked out some of the best of my recipes from the early years of my cooking shows for this book. Some of the recipes were inspired by my travels to different places around Asia and Europe. In creating new recipes for my cooking show, I always operate under the assumption that my viewers have no kitchen experience. I make a real effort to keep things simple. I, myself, am a family cook and I know the rigidity of routine cooking.

This is the age of delicious easy-to-prepare meals that are simple, healthy, and varied. This book is just the first of a series of books that will be a compilation of my favorite recipes, which I have collected from as far back as my student days in Paris and the U.S.A. to my current situation as family, restaurant owner, and television cooking show host. The recipes in this book are simple yet delicious. Throughout the book, instructions are easy to understand and concisejust right for the amateur cook. Like my cooking show Cooking with Sandy, the recipes in this book are meant as a guide to simple, easy-to-prepare delicious meals.

I would like it to encourage you and help build your confidence until you can finally experiment, improve on them and even create your own recipes! Remember, If it tastes good, serve it.

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