EP89: Part I Chef Maricel Gentil:Celebrating Filipino Heritage from Food Channel to PBS

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Welcome to Voice4Chefs.

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Today's guest is Chef Maricel Gentile, a celebrated chef educator, and ambassador of Philippine cuisine.

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Her journey began in her Lola's kitchen in Manila, and led to top restaurants in New York before funding Maricel's Kitchen in New Jersey.

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Featured on Hulu, PBS and the Food Network, Maricel brings the stories and bold flavors of the Philippines to life.

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She also founded a Philippine.

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Cooking school, inspiring a new generation to embrace their roots through food.

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Let's welcome Chef Maricel to the show.

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Hello.

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Hi.

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Thanks for being with us.

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Thanks for taking the time.

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Thank you so much.

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Excited that you're here.

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We should get into it really quick.

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How we, connected is through my friend and your friend chef Mimi Lan.

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She's a Michelin trained chef out of Florida and she came and did a cooking class at your cooking school, which I thought was phenomenal.

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I kept telling her, I wanna meet her, I wanna meet her.

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I want to talk to Maricel.

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And we had about you.

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Months before and part.

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Oh yeah.

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And part of that is because of the conference in Las Vegas.

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Yes.

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Mapp?

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Mapp and, the women in hospitality.

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And to me that was the most amazing experience that I've ever been involved in with my podcast and almost with my life.

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Just meeting all these incredible people and through Mapp I'm a Mapp member and you're a Mapp member.

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And I am a Mapp

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I love Joanna James and what she's

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Yeah.

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for women in hospitality.

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Amazing lady.

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And the mom.

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And a mom Yeah.

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is amazing.

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Oh, Val.

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Val.

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Yeah.

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Val's incredible.

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A shout out to Mimi, Joanna, and Val before we get started too deeply.

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But what, has been if you look back at your life growing up.

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What I really wanna know is when you think about your journey starting in your grandmother's kitchen or your Lola in Manila, what

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Yeah,

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from that still influence your cooking today

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I,

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teaching?

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I think it's about the authenticity of the food, she's a wonderful cook.

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Never went to a culinary school, but she has such flavors and the techniques.

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I don't know where she got all the techniques.

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How did she do that?

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And watching her inspired me it's because wow, this lady is amazing and every time she creates something it, it's just so flavorful.

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And also the way I learned from her is simplicity.

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Getting fresh seafood, getting fresh vegetables creates an amazing food.

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When you, you cook it with care, with love, it is it just, that is the most inspiring thing that I've seen is like how she dealt with food and how she cooked it, how she actually developed these recipes and techniques.

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That was amazing.

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She didn't have all the gadgets, I should say.

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So the gadget that I always remember, and to this day it's actually, I have a picture of that in my kitchen.

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My studio

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mm-hmm.

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is the stone grinder.

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Oh yeah, I remember you talking about that.

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It's two stones.

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There's a hole in the middle of that stone, and there's a wood that would turn the stone.

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So in the middle you drop rice, let's say rice,

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Okay.

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it, and then you turn the stone, it grinds it and it becomes rice flour

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Wow.

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in the middle.

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You put peanuts, you grind it to becomes peanut butter.

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Oh Roasted peanuts, right?

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Roasted,

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Roasted the flavors.

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All right.

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No processed food involved.

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Right.

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why it tastes so good.

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It's so authentic, I would

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Oh my gosh.

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And I think you, I remember reading something about traveling into different markets

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Yes.

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With your

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Lola.

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Can you talk about that?

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What does it look like

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Ah,

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in a market?

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okay.

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I have to say I'm old already, so this is.

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Me too.

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This is, I would say 60 years ago, right?

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Or, 55 years ago.

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So by then we go to Manila Bay.

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All right?

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So we are right in the center of Manila.

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We have a compound there.

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So we go to Manila Bay and all the boats coming in early in the morning.

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They bring all the freshest catch shrimp, different kinds of fish.

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And you know what?

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They're all still jumping inside.

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No coolers.

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It's just the fish is still jumping, and amazing.

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And we would just buy.

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And then in our fresh markets of fresh produce, these are people that just came early in the morning, traveled from the provinces, came down to Manila and sell their goods.

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That's how fresh it is.

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And you see all those ports hanging, just got butchered early that morning.

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Mm-hmm.

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The flavor.

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I tell you, it's so different, and we also have a rest house.

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We have a house in the province where in, she has all different, she has rice, she had, we grow rice, we have different fruits.

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My gosh.

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She really pick it up and then we just eat it like amazing the flavors I tell you.

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And you know what, to this day I could still taste it.

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Yeah.

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It, you don't forget those flavors.

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So it's in me.

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It doesn't go away.

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Oh, sure.

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Did she have a farm or something?

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Did I read that

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We have, a rest house in the province and it's a big lot.

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So

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Okay.

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she tries to plant different things, but we don't stay there.

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We go there on weekends or

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Oh, okay.

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And she has a caretaker.

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So we go there and then it's.

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The Philippines are on my list.

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I have another friend.

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Yeah.

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because

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I interviewed another chef who's a friend of mine.

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She's coming that I mentioned to in Seattle.

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She's coming in September and I'm so excited.

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that's isi laureano, and I think she lives, I'm pretty sure she lives in Manila.

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Oh

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But oh, she described a lot of things about the Philippines and

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yeah,

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and we travel all over the world.

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So I think that's gonna be on our list pretty soon.

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Yeah, and if you need recommendations,

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Okay, I will reach out.

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for sure.

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I'll definitely tell you all the places

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Yeah.

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As, we talk and follow your journey was there any defining moment that made you wanna become a chef or wanna teach cooking or

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Uhhuh, you know when I came here, I went to New York Restaurant School.

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All right.

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And the goal there is after graduation, I go back to Manila.

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I go to a hotel and work there.

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I wanna be in the hotel business, but of course I met my husband so that there goes going back to the Philippines.

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But my goal really is to share Filipino food.

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Okay.

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It's always been in me that.

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I always think like when people wanna go out for dinner, 1990, lemme talk about 1990, right?

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They never mentioned Filipino food.

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If, you were gonna go to a restaurant, what would you like to eat?

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Oh, let's go for Italian, let's go for Chinese.

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But never mentioned Filipino food.

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I'm so proud of my Filipino cuisine, my Filipino culture, our tradition.

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So of course I work my way up to the corporate world until inside me I can't stop, but not think about just do what I like to share Filipino cuisine to all people that I would be able to reach out

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Okay.

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because I'm proud of it.

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It's becoming to be a reality through my cooking studio now.

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I just had a cooking class the other day.

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Yesterday, I should say.

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And these people have never, ever tasted Filipino food.

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And then we made four dishes the first thing that they like, wow.

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That's all they said.

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They says, wow.

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And at that point.

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I figured I did my job.

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Yeah.

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I reached my goal

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Wow.

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sending, making other non Filipinos taste our food.

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And I said to them, I am not into fusion food.

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Nothing against it.

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But for you to understand a cuisine, you really have to learn the basic.

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Yep.

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How do they eat this?

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And I even tell them when we eat spring rolls, we don't do sweet and sour sauce.

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Okay.

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We use vinegar, garlic, fresh garlic, and that's what you put on your, and they did it.

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I said, I even told them how to eat it.

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You have one bite.

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said,

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that.

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get a bite on top and then you pour the sugar, the garlic, and then they taste it like they says, wow.

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Love it.

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that's how we eat it.

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That's basically the most simplest egg roll you're gonna get, be eating.

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But that's Filipino

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And then to top it all at the end of our class, because I do Chefs Table, I do Filipino Chefs Table.

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Let's explain what Chef's Table is for people listening around the world because

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oh yeah.

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So it's a tasting menu,

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Mm-hmm.

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plated menu.

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So for us, we do 11 dishes.

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Wow.

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And in fact, my tasting, I say it's not tasting because I give big portions.

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Filipinos are not meant to have small portions.

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We always eat family style loads of food.

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So I tell you on your sixth plate, you're like, okay, let's have a little break because they're getting so full.

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But I like that.

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So that's what we do.

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So once a month or twice a month, we put chef's table in our calendar.

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Then that's one.

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And we also have this kamayan feast.

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It's called Woodle Fight.

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So no exaggerated 16 foot table covered with banana leaves and all the food is all on top of it.

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And we make 21 dishes for you to taste.

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That's incredible.

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That is absolutely incredible.

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Maricel

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it is an experience so it's two things For those people who haven't experienced that and they do experience it, they feel like, wow I'm sure there's other Filipino places that could offer that, but I would say we do a good job in in, in, doing that but the second thing is.

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For those Filipinos who grew up in the Philippines and came here in the States to have that experience brings back so much memories.

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Sometimes they get teary eyed when they, oh, this is how my father made this.

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This is I get teary eyed just listening to their comments, and that's the best connection ever.

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I said, if ever.

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That would be my prize possession.

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Are those comments are, those feelings, are those emotions that gets triggered when they eat?

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My, my food?

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I have to be honest, it's also your personality.

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You, have this incredible, humble giving spirit that is so rare.

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There are a few people that I've interviewed in four years that I will Gunawan, like I said, it's one of them, but, and Chef Kirk Bachman is the president of August Escoffier Institute, in Colorado.

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Incredible human being and was a thrill to interview him, and there's several people like that really affected me.

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And the conversation we had before this interview really affected me because you're so transparent and genuine.

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And watching some of the clips and different videos that I did to prepare for this interview, I just couldn't believe the interactions that you had with people.

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And I can sense that's what keeps you going is that connection.

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There's a great saying by Craig Valentine he is a world champion in public speaking in Toastmasters.

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he says, it's not about perfection, it's about connection.

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And I think that is the biggest lesson we can all learn.

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And, you have that and it's really powerful.

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So I can imagine sitting there at this incredible chef's table.

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I just visualize being there, you know

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I hope you couldn't come.

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Oh,

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that would be amazing.

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I, have friends in New Jersey and I'm gonna reach out to 'em and say, they have to come see you.

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There's three or four already I can think of immediately.

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Oh I, would love to cook for you and I want you to try our, food.

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It's, it gets me so excited when we talk about food.

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of course.

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It's, I know that it's,

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Mm-hmm.

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share, I want you

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Is so rare and so special, and I think that's why.

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They brought you into the food channel and PBS and Hulu because of that piece That is, it's so unique.

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And see, it's part of your culture too, because most of the Filipinos I meet are like that.

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Naturally it's just natural,

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Yeah.

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To work at it.

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And, I've been like that my whole life.

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too.

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I, did I mention to you I like talking to you before it?

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Oh yeah, absolutely.

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I said I connected with you all also when we first

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that comes from my grandmother, my Lola, like she was amazing with people and she taught me that at a very early age.

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I wouldn't say she was the best cook, but I would say that her passion for people and birds, that was the other one, was the birds.

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She loved the Audubon Society and, Birds and.

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taught me a lot about that.

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And she had a cottage in Cape Cod, and as kids we used to go up to the cottage and stay for part of the summer and cook lobster and seafood and things are the memories that rush back to me right now as we're talking because that's where the connection came from for me.

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Exactly.

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And I'm betting it came from your grandmother and your family.

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She, hosts big parties.

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On her birthday in December, lemme tell him like a few days before her birthday,

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Yeah.

00:16:02.075 --> 00:16:06.664
She would get goats, chicken, Turkey, pig.

00:16:07.294 --> 00:16:10.325
And we have a, compound in Manila, right?

00:16:10.355 --> 00:16:14.725
We have a big place where we could store that, those animals.

00:16:15.004 --> 00:16:15.155
Oh my gosh.

00:16:15.784 --> 00:16:17.529
and they, she would feed them the best.

00:16:18.695 --> 00:16:20.254
Grass and stuff like that.

00:16:20.585 --> 00:16:24.664
So that, of course when we slaughter them, it's gonna be is so good.

00:16:25.054 --> 00:16:27.184
It's so good.

00:16:27.784 --> 00:16:31.355
You could hear squealing of the pig and stuff early in the morning.

00:16:32.284 --> 00:16:34.804
I it's all in here and it's all in here.

00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:35.659
Yeah.

00:16:36.304 --> 00:16:37.325
I could smell it.

00:16:38.284 --> 00:16:39.335
I could picture it.

00:16:39.365 --> 00:16:42.034
I could still see it Vivid

00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:43.009
Mm-hmm.

00:16:43.325 --> 00:16:47.495
and I think those are the memories that make me wanna continue.

00:16:48.230 --> 00:16:49.610
On what I wanna do, like

00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:50.110
Yeah.

00:16:50.210 --> 00:16:50.409
Right.

00:16:50.409 --> 00:16:50.649
Like sharing

00:16:50.990 --> 00:16:53.840
the food, the culture, our tradition.

00:16:55.909 --> 00:16:58.820
I say nowadays everything is so technical.

00:16:58.820 --> 00:17:03.860
Everything phone, what I always say everybody should go back to the basic,

00:17:04.055 --> 00:17:04.444
Yeah.

00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:06.319
simple life, simple living.

00:17:08.529 --> 00:17:10.039
If, you'll find peace.

00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:14.569
I think I just say that it's amazing.

00:17:15.605 --> 00:17:16.174
It's, true.

00:17:16.625 --> 00:17:20.589
And your husband, Paul, is into technology, he's the most techie guy ever.

00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:25.089
I don't wanna learn anything because I know my boys will take care of me.

00:17:25.134 --> 00:17:25.484
Uhhuh.

00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:30.579
at work, it says, even my admin would say, oh, chef, you gotta just, what?

00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:31.359
Just do it for me.

00:17:31.390 --> 00:17:31.630
I don't,

00:17:32.140 --> 00:17:32.589
Yeah.

00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:32.960
cook.

00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:33.940
I said I don't need to learn

00:17:33.970 --> 00:17:34.359
Yeah,

00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:35.859
technology.

00:17:36.190 --> 00:17:39.190
I just wanna cook and share my food to everyone else,

00:17:41.109 --> 00:17:45.220
Going along in cooking, is there anyone that mentored you?

00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:51.420
Is there anyone that took you under their wing and said, I'm gonna show you this, like maybe in New York restaurants

00:17:51.660 --> 00:17:52.470
Yeah.

00:17:53.369 --> 00:17:54.930
Working in different restaurants.

00:17:54.930 --> 00:17:55.470
All right.

00:17:56.130 --> 00:18:05.819
When I was at the St. Regis, I, I didn't really cook but I saw Chef Koons manage and teach all these people, and I feel like.

00:18:07.049 --> 00:18:17.579
Like sometimes visual just by looking at things, see if you really have the passion for cooking and stuff, by looking at it, you know how to do it already.

00:18:18.809 --> 00:18:21.150
Just, and that's what I did.

00:18:21.329 --> 00:18:23.160
And you said you travel.

00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:24.599
We travel a lot too.

00:18:25.049 --> 00:18:32.460
So every time I go to a specific place I try to go into cooking class, like in Japan,

00:18:32.954 --> 00:18:34.545
That so cool.

00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:35.759
it's amazing.

00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:41.400
And it was funny, we just came back from our two week cruise the Mediterranean, right?

00:18:42.869 --> 00:18:53.640
In the cruise ship I went for a French cooking class, oh my gosh, and then it's so funny, at the end of the show, I was almost trying to tell them what my, kitchen is all about.

00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:56.970
I brought my book, I gave the chef my book.

00:18:57.529 --> 00:18:58.950
It, went the other way.

00:18:58.950 --> 00:19:05.490
Now they like, they're trying to learn from me what but same thing.

00:19:06.509 --> 00:19:16.140
We, were just in Marseille last two weeks ago, and there's a place there that all the fishermen bring their fresh catch.

00:19:16.710 --> 00:19:22.710
And I said to Paul the next time we come here, I want an Airbnb so that I could cook.

00:19:23.355 --> 00:19:23.704
Uhhuh.

00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:32.309
This thing, and I I've tasted a lot of food and I said, I feel like I wanna do this in Barcelona.

00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:33.029
Those ink.

00:19:33.539 --> 00:19:34.559
Squid ink.

00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:36.299
Oh my God, I love it.

00:19:36.299 --> 00:19:41.490
So I came back, I already ordered my squid ink because I'm making pasta with that.

00:19:41.490 --> 00:19:42.279
I'm making risotto with it.

00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:42.400
it.

00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:48.450
I'm making everything that I've tasted in Corfu or wherever I was.

00:19:49.484 --> 00:19:50.505
I'm imitating it.

00:19:50.744 --> 00:19:52.154
I'm, just gonna try to do it.

00:19:52.454 --> 00:19:57.714
In fact, I did one I, this afternoon I did the Boullibase kind of thing

00:19:58.460 --> 00:19:59.319
I love  Boullibase.

00:19:59.575 --> 00:20:04.134
My chef, I said Audrey taste, her name's artists, eight artists.

00:20:04.134 --> 00:20:06.595
She says, oh my gosh, chef, this is so good.

00:20:06.595 --> 00:20:08.605
I said, and that's the first time this's.

00:20:08.605 --> 00:20:10.015
The first time I made a berries.

00:20:10.750 --> 00:20:16.240
And it was just like, it's because sometimes when you put in, you know how to taste it already.

00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:16.599
So

00:20:17.170 --> 00:20:17.349
Yeah.

00:20:17.380 --> 00:20:17.589
True.

00:20:17.589 --> 00:20:19.240
You know what it's going to taste

00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:21.400
I was reading my book,

00:20:21.490 --> 00:20:21.640
mm-hmm.

00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:31.960
when I was writing my book, I should say I I'm, trying to like, you know how, what to teaspoon of salt tastes like

00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:32.650
Sure.

00:20:32.710 --> 00:20:37.000
It it got, I've been cooking for 50 years.

00:20:37.029 --> 00:20:37.539
Yeah.

00:20:38.454 --> 00:20:38.674
Wow.

00:20:39.009 --> 00:20:39.220
years.

00:20:39.490 --> 00:20:41.440
It's so old like,

00:20:42.009 --> 00:20:46.240
you have a wonderful life and you should just feel good about that, honestly.

00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:48.710
it's very inspiring.

00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:49.380
Maricel.

00:20:49.450 --> 00:20:49.960
Blessed.

00:20:50.289 --> 00:20:51.490
So blessed and thankful.

00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:56.710
But   Boullibase , you got me there because I make it with Dungeness crab here

00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:57.670
my God.

00:20:57.910 --> 00:21:02.079
And shrimp and scallops and halibut Muscles, Yep.

00:21:02.589 --> 00:21:06.700
My dad used to make it and funny thing, he wasn't really that great at cooking.

00:21:07.059 --> 00:21:07.450
He would.

00:21:07.684 --> 00:21:14.464
He would just do one or two things, but literally I try, I tried to teach him after coming out of cookie school.

00:21:14.765 --> 00:21:18.065
Now teaching your parents, that's the reverse, right?

00:21:18.755 --> 00:21:20.914
It's a little challenging, right?

00:21:20.974 --> 00:21:22.519
I taught my mom, and my mom loved it.

00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:26.289
My dad was like, you're not gonna tell me how to cook shrimp.

00:21:26.289 --> 00:21:28.839
I'm like, you don't just boil them.

00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:31.119
It's like you need to simmer

00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:31.809
Yeah.

00:21:31.930 --> 00:21:32.680
delicate.

00:21:33.220 --> 00:21:36.640
And so he would just turn it on, turn the stove on, walk away.

00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:38.440
But it was still delicious, right?

00:21:38.470 --> 00:21:51.694
But I learned to perfect it, and I became like a Cioppino and Boullibase snob, I would say, because it was just about the right texture of that seafood, the right flavor combination.

00:21:51.835 --> 00:21:53.355
the flaking of the fish

00:21:55.325 --> 00:21:57.444
Think about Bouillabaisse here's the funny thing.

00:21:58.795 --> 00:22:00.744
It was, a poor man's fish stew.

00:22:01.109 --> 00:22:01.599
Exactly.

00:22:01.734 --> 00:22:04.585
was created by fishermen on a boat that had

00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:05.329
Exactly.

00:22:05.755 --> 00:22:06.174
Yes.

00:22:06.174 --> 00:22:06.265
Yes.

00:22:06.535 --> 00:22:08.964
now we pay Fortune for that dish.

00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:11.490
it's per plate.

00:22:11.490 --> 00:22:12.930
That's what Tour Guide said.

00:22:13.710 --> 00:22:13.930
Yes.

00:22:14.785 --> 00:22:19.674
And I'm thinking it's crazy, but it's like that signature dish now.

00:22:20.384 --> 00:22:23.605
Exactly that what our tour guide would say.

00:22:24.265 --> 00:22:29.755
If you're paying 20 euros on your Bouillabaisse that means it's frozen fish that they got.

00:22:30.055 --> 00:22:37.525
If you're paying 120 Euros for a plate of you got the real plate and that, this is the word, that's what French people do.

00:22:37.855 --> 00:22:42.204
They save their money for that one best Bouillabaisse that they're gonna eat.

00:22:42.265 --> 00:22:43.164
I went, oh

00:22:43.164 --> 00:22:43.464
Yeah,

00:22:43.704 --> 00:22:44.545
that's amazing.

00:22:44.964 --> 00:22:50.785
it's interesting that you mention that 'cause I am obsessed with seafood and I live in a place where seafood.

00:22:50.785 --> 00:22:54.654
is just everywhere, but the cost has gone skyrocketing.

00:22:54.700 --> 00:22:55.509
just crazy.

00:22:56.275 --> 00:22:59.214
Crab here and they get it from Alaska.

00:22:59.214 --> 00:23:03.894
It's not far away, is like$89 a pound or something crazy like that.

00:23:03.984 --> 00:23:07.134
Dungeon ness is like sometimes 1499 a pound.

00:23:07.704 --> 00:23:09.835
I used to get it for 3 99.

00:23:10.779 --> 00:23:10.984
I don't know.

00:23:11.250 --> 00:23:15.180
It was 2 99 and now it's outta control.

00:23:15.595 --> 00:23:17.154
you, can't get them on sale.

00:23:17.154 --> 00:23:17.275
Now.

00:23:17.454 --> 00:23:21.424
I, used to get it in the store, like Special Lobster 4.99.

00:23:21.444 --> 00:23:23.994
Now you can eat 8 99 is the cheapest that you could get.

00:23:24.595 --> 00:23:26.184
Know, and

00:23:26.349 --> 00:23:34.509
your menu goes up when you serve that seafood and people need to recognize and understand that is that's a part of whats changed.

00:23:34.779 --> 00:23:35.065
Yeah.

00:23:35.329 --> 00:23:35.619
Yeah.

00:23:35.859 --> 00:23:40.500
go, oh, it's too expensive, but they don't understand that there's a lot that's built into the cost.

00:23:40.549 --> 00:23:42.894
It has gone up so much.

00:23:44.134 --> 00:23:46.375
I, was even talking to my sous chef.

00:23:46.375 --> 00:23:53.845
I said my gosh, our half trays price right now, it used to be price of the whole tray.

00:23:53.845 --> 00:23:59.365
Now same price for a whole tray is just the size, the price for the half a tray.

00:24:01.105 --> 00:24:02.575
I was like, oh my gosh.

00:24:04.555 --> 00:24:11.095
And I say people when they really like to eat they would spend the money, I would say.

00:24:11.829 --> 00:24:12.160
True.

00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:15.714
If you're passionate and dedicated I, don't even think twice anymore.

00:24:15.714 --> 00:24:17.994
I'm like, it's about the experience.

00:24:19.224 --> 00:24:20.545
And it's also about honoring the.

00:24:20.545 --> 00:24:22.525
people that create the experience.

00:24:22.644 --> 00:24:23.875
That's why I do the podcast.

00:24:23.875 --> 00:24:27.055
It's about honoring the people that create The experience.

00:24:27.640 --> 00:24:38.140
In my cooking studio, we do a lot of corporate team building and stuff like that, and most of the time I would ask them, what made you come to Maricel's Kitchen?

00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:42.029
They would always say, first of all, you have the best reviews.

00:24:42.029 --> 00:24:42.670
They said,

00:24:43.015 --> 00:24:44.255
Oh you do.!

00:24:44.305 --> 00:24:44.575
They are

00:24:44.575 --> 00:24:47.095
almost all five star and they're honest, and I'm like, that's incredible

00:24:47.170 --> 00:24:52.779
and then, and then the second part is we want experience now.

00:24:53.349 --> 00:24:55.180
We just don't like eating out.

00:24:55.240 --> 00:24:56.710
And after that's gone.

00:24:57.279 --> 00:24:59.980
So what they do is we, have the cooking class.

00:24:59.980 --> 00:25:03.220
I explain them everything, and it's hands on.

00:25:03.250 --> 00:25:04.089
It's really hands on.

00:25:04.089 --> 00:25:05.109
It's not a demo.

00:25:05.589 --> 00:25:15.805
Everybody's doing their mis plus and then go ahead, cook it, and then after that they're so happy with what they made and then they're gonna sit down and eat This is amazing.

00:25:15.835 --> 00:25:18.535
And of course when I cook, I talk with my hands.

00:25:18.835 --> 00:25:19.375
I give them

00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:19.809
Right.

00:25:19.944 --> 00:25:22.345
stories and they get entertained.

00:25:22.825 --> 00:25:27.654
So it's, a show I said Welcome to the show, not a cooking class.

00:25:27.654 --> 00:25:29.365
So that's what it is.

00:25:30.234 --> 00:25:36.085
I think it's amazing to me that you bring this, right?

00:25:36.085 --> 00:25:43.134
And you do, you have five star reviews all the way, and I've, read a few of'em and I'm just like, wow.

00:25:43.704 --> 00:25:48.744
So I'm gonna share one with you and share one with our audience and just take a step back.

00:25:48.744 --> 00:25:51.204
So this is from Lauren.

00:25:52.990 --> 00:25:54.940
I'm picking 'em at random, so here we go.

00:25:55.359 --> 00:25:57.970
This one is from Lauren Kalonovich.

00:25:58.210 --> 00:26:00.220
It says, the class was intimate and fun.

00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:05.890
Maricel and her staff made me feel comfortable in the kitchen and excited to make and eat something new.

00:26:06.099 --> 00:26:07.420
The food was delicious.

00:26:07.509 --> 00:26:11.019
All the recipes we used where authentic.

00:26:12.490 --> 00:26:13.420
She wrote a long one.

00:26:14.289 --> 00:26:17.230
We walked through each step by step with love and care.

00:26:17.230 --> 00:26:22.539
It was the best cooking class experience, and the location was clean, convenient, and beautifully decorated.

00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:32.589
Now you have to understand, I just glanced over and looked at a few of these and picked one at random, so that is pretty impressive to me.

00:26:33.085 --> 00:26:34.434
Oh, thank you.

00:26:34.494 --> 00:26:35.154
Thank you.

00:26:35.970 --> 00:26:37.099
A little bit embarassing for you maybe, but I had to share.

00:26:37.150 --> 00:26:41.224
I know I, try not I, love reading them

00:26:41.684 --> 00:26:41.974
Yeah.

00:26:42.634 --> 00:26:44.494
Let's go back to my kids' classes, right?

00:26:44.765 --> 00:26:45.424
Yeah.

00:26:46.009 --> 00:26:54.799
And so one of the kid that came in didn't eat anything Allergic or what they think.

00:26:54.799 --> 00:27:03.349
It's and the parents are very concerned if she would be able to go along with the cooking class.

00:27:03.410 --> 00:27:05.380
'cause everything needs to be tasted and stuff.

00:27:07.089 --> 00:27:11.309
The parents just send us an a wonderful email because.

00:27:12.224 --> 00:27:14.055
Every, everything.

00:27:14.055 --> 00:27:15.375
Now she eats

00:27:15.654 --> 00:27:16.275
Oh my gosh.

00:27:17.265 --> 00:27:20.414
The, thing that she doesn't wanna try.

00:27:20.444 --> 00:27:24.615
Now she tries everything, even in my cooking class, right there and there.

00:27:24.615 --> 00:27:26.775
I said, sweetheart, did you try this?

00:27:26.775 --> 00:27:31.105
And oh, the parents were like, how did you do it?

00:27:31.454 --> 00:27:35.125
Because for the longest time, they're letting this kid try something.

00:27:35.125 --> 00:27:35.934
And she's no.

00:27:38.005 --> 00:27:39.565
Today they can't.

00:27:40.015 --> 00:27:47.244
Thank me enough what has gone from not tasting anything to now taste.

00:27:47.545 --> 00:27:48.684
She tastes everything.

00:27:48.684 --> 00:27:49.914
She eats everything.

00:27:50.755 --> 00:27:55.734
Parents, the first day they brought her lunch, I said, she doesn't eat lunch because we're feeding it.

00:27:56.484 --> 00:27:58.704
No, we don't think that she's gonna eat your food.

00:27:59.095 --> 00:28:00.025
Let me tell you,

00:28:00.470 --> 00:28:00.529
Wow.

00:28:00.529 --> 00:28:00.799
Wow.

00:28:00.829 --> 00:28:01.009
We

00:28:01.009 --> 00:28:02.220
give them a lot of food.

00:28:02.244 --> 00:28:03.924
She finishes everything

00:28:04.345 --> 00:28:05.275
Oh my gosh.

00:28:05.704 --> 00:28:08.315
That's why the parents were like, oh my God, what happened there?

00:28:08.494 --> 00:28:08.884
right.

00:28:10.670 --> 00:28:13.579
And, now she, she booked for six weeks,

00:28:13.890 --> 00:28:14.009
Hmm.

00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:22.759
Six continuous weeks for, this, and she lights up when she comes to the kitchen, her eyes are like, okay, we're starting to cook.

00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:24.200
I love her.

00:28:24.200 --> 00:28:25.130
She's a sweetheart.

00:28:25.384 --> 00:28:26.255
That's amazing.

00:28:26.255 --> 00:28:39.559
So as, we move on, I really want to get to some of these pieces and what, I find interesting is you've been on PBS, you've been on Hulu, and you've been on the Food Channel.00:28:39.890 --> 00:28:40.579


Oh my God.00:28:40.789 --> 00:28:42.289


Can you highlight a couple of these things?00:28:42.289 --> 00:28:45.079


What was it like and how did you connect to PBS?00:28:45.630 --> 00:28:47.670


That was an interesting question.00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:51.869


It's always interesting how I connect with these people, right?00:28:52.410 --> 00:28:59.400


So I was driving and somebody called, of which you could answer your phone and he says.00:29:00.450 --> 00:29:03.720


The way he said it was, would you like to be on PBS?00:29:05.650 --> 00:29:18.074


In part two, we dive into the inspiring journey of Maricel Gentile as she transforms her love for cuisine into a vibrant career, discovering her captivating stories with Hulu.00:29:19.273 --> 00:29:23.503


PBS that unveil the heart and soul behind her culinary passion.00:29:24.403 --> 00:29:26.354


Stay tuned for part two.