The grander the cake, the greater the celebration, right?
With the maiden episode of the Mayordoma podcast finally here, the sweetest celebration is in order: a chat with our country’s cake queen, Heny Sison.
Long before my sisters put up their own restaurants, they kicked their culinary careers off studying cake decoration under Heny Sison. Back in the ‘90s, getting Heny to teach you seemed like a rite of passage for anyone serious about baking.
Unlike my sisters, I never did go to Heny’s school.
But recently, Chef Heny welcomed me like a long-lost daughter to her new casa aka Deo Gracias, the modern Spanish restaurant she opened in QC early this month.
With a bodega selling gourmet goods and a terrace perfect for sipping a sunset sangria, Deo Gracias is the divine intervention the QC food scene needs. Callos and other abuela-approved Spanish standbys are worth the trip. Not to mention a mussel and uni-topped fideuà cleverly adapted for Manileños by Chef Alex del Hoyo Gómez.
But it’s the sweet stuff that makes me thank the heavens for giving us Heny. The muy moist Tarta de Santiago is an easy holiday craving. What deserves its own place of worship, though, is the Manchego cheesecake—a Daenerys-led dragon burn to all the basic Basque cheesecakes out there.
I was about ready for a siesta by the time I finished lunch. But the real meal was about to be served: a delicious conversation with Heny herself.
Among its tasty tidbits, Heny shares how her mom taught her to listen to her food—one way to bring the best out of it.
I believe the same goes for this podcast. Give it a listen and don’t be surprised if it adds a little more flavor to your day—or the traffic you’re stuck in, at least.
P.S: Mr. Mafalda wanted me to name this episode “A Heny for all Seasons.” He’s the one you can occasionally hear giggling in the background, go figure.
Share this post