Bernice Tenorio, 19, initially wanted to take up Accountancy or Engineering in college. But it all changed when she saw her mother up till the wee hours of the morning cooking her baon.
“It started when I saw my mom in the middle of the night, at 3 a.m. and she was still cooking. [I asked her] ‘how can you do that?’ You’re already tired from a whole day of cooking and cleaning the house and you still find time to cook at 3 am, just so I could have packed food for school,” Bernice recalls, as shown in a video on Jolly Eats’s Facebook page.
Her mom, Lalaine, is a former magazine writer and reporter, but decided to take over their home-based kitchenette business in Marilao, Bulacan when her mother passed away in 2012. From then, Bernice knew she needed to help her mother run it, thus she took up Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Sto. Tomas.
Today, Bernice and mommy Lalaine work together finishing bulk food orders or decorating cakes for their customers.
“She’s my first idol and mentor. I learned a lot about cooking from her, I look up to her and I try to mirror her strength: her patience, discipline, resourcefulness, diligence, and how she handles the nitty-gritty aspects of running our small kitchen while looking after the family’s welfare,” Bernice beams with pride.
Hence Bernice decided to honor her mother by creating a recipe for the JOLLY University Year 4 cooking competition. With the help of her coach, she came up with the Chicken and Mushroom Empanadilla dish.
The recipe, which was finalized in two weeks, was simple yet creative; it’s an easy-to-do Jolly-inspired dish with balanced elements that satisfied judges’ expectations.
Bernice says she’s happy that she was given the opportunity to show her best while dedicating a dish made just for her mom, regardless whether she wins or loses.
“I didn’t have a clear sense of winning,” she admits. “The other entries were equally great. It was a tough competition; I just maintained focus and trust in my abilities, and tried my best to apply what I have learned from Mom and from the JU boot camp.”
Bernice’s Jolly Chicken and Mushroom Empanadilla took home the top prize in the competition’s Individual Category. “I’m pleased to have fought and won the title for my Mom,” she enthuses.
Mommy Lalaine is a living portrait of the many mothers who have selflessly supported, endlessly inspired, and rejoiced in their children’s unforgettable milestones. And Bernice couldn’t think of anyone else to dedicate her hard-earned triumphs and delicious dishes other than her mom.
“I find myself in the kitchen, and the main reason of that is her,” says Bernice.
