Judy Ann Santos finishes culinary course, with honors

After studying for four months under chef Gene Gonzales of Café Ysabel, popular film and television star Judy Ann Santos last week graduated with honors from her course— Basic and Advanced Cooking Skills. A report on the Philippine Entertainment Portal (www.pep.ph) said Judy Ann was awarded a silver medal for Basic Skills in Cooking and a gold medal for Advanced Skills at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies in San Juan, Metro Manila, last Dec. 13. PEP quoted Juday (Judy Ann's nickname) as telling The Buzz program on Sunday: "I really want to experience kung paano mag-OJT (on-the-job training). Kung gaano kahirap at kung gaano kahaba talaga 'yung pasensiya ko pag nag-OJT ako. (I wanted to see how difficult it is, and how far I would persevere, if I would undergo OJT)." Juday shares her feelings about cooking in the kitchen: "Kasi wala kang ibang iisipin kung hindi 'yung ingredients lang. Hindi ka mag-iisip ng problema, hindi mo kailangan i-motivate yung sarili mo—kung kailangan mong maging masaya dito or kailangan mong maging malungkot. 'Pag nagluluto ka, ang kalan at ingredients lang ang iisipin mo." (You don't have to bother with anything else except the ingredients. You keep you mind off your problems, you don't need to motivate yourself, or whether or not you have to be happy here or sad there. In the kitchen, the stove and the ingredients are all that matter.) When asked to confirm reports that boyfriend Ryan Agoncillo has given her a brand-new kitchen as a gift, she reacts with a hearty laugh before saying, "Wala pa! Kina-kantyawan ko pa." She continues: "Pinaghahanap pa ako [ni Ryan] ng brochures na pwede kong ipakita sa kanya sa Pasko. (None yet! I've been nudging him about it. He wants me to show him brochures before Christmas.)" - GMANews.TV, with a report from PEP.ph