HALO-HALO TIME: Banana chips and cheese on a halo-halo? Chef Florabel Co-Yatco says yes

She's the driving force behind a number of successful restaurants in the metro, all with  names that figure in Filipino history or literature: Corazon, Crisostomo, Elias, Felix. Her namesake restaurant, Florabel, serves both Filipino and continental cuisine. So asking her for her special recipe for that quintessential Pinoy treat, halo-halo, was a no-brainer.

Chef Florabel Co-Yatco started young, selling baked goods to family and friends during her teenage years. After finishing her Hotel and Restaurant Management degree from the University of Santo Tomas, Yatco worked for Via Mare and eventually became the executive chef of Le Souffle at 23 years old, until she put up her own restaurants. She opened her first restaurant, Florabel, in 2005.

"Everything in [this] are all my favorite ingredients in a halo-halo," she says about the dessert she's making for GMA News Online's feature. "It's really personal. This is my preference."

What sets it apart: All ingredients in the halo-halo are homemade.