Breaking Out

Being in show business for 20 years, it was inevitable that Judy Ann reach a point where she would start feeling tired and burned out. That feeling led her down a different path and helped her discover her other passion: her passion for cooking.

The first person she told about it was her fiance, Ryan Agoncillo. They were in Davao, and Judy Ann was sitting at a table, drinking by herself and waiting for Ryan to wrap up his duties as host of Philippine Idol, which was having its regional auditions. Suddenly, Judy Ann started talking about wanting to break out of the rut she was in. Acting had become routine. On most days, she felt like she was coasting along, going from one project to another. She needed a fresh burst of inspiration. "[Sabi ko], 'I want to study, I want to do something aside from acting. I want to divert my attention to something else."

Cooking was something she had always loved. She would often invite friends over to sample her cooking. When she was a child, one of her favorite pastimes was bahay-bahayan; Judy Ann would set up bottles and cans and pretend to cook in a little spot she had chosen for herself beside a warehouse on their property in Antipolo. Those were some of the most blissful days of her childhood. "May lugar ako dun sa tabi ng bodega namin sa bahay. Meron akong arina, may patis, may toyo--may set-up lang ako doon, may little hideout ako, tapos magluluto-luto ako ng dahon."

Cooking school was the answer. But aside from wanting to break out of a rut, she went into cooking to prove a point. Judy Ann never finished college, and that is still one of her biggest frustrations in life. But it wasn't because she didn't want to. At the time, Judy Ann was still not sure about what she wanted to take up in college--Hotel and Restaurant Management, Tourism or Early Childhood Education. "Naisip ko na parang kung pinush ko ang sarili ko na mag-college na hindi ko alam yung course na gusto kong kunin, nagsasayang lang ako ng pera," she offers. "Ako naman kasi ang nagpapaaral sa sarili ko. I cannot afford to go to college, and then find out one day na hindi ko pala gusto yung course ko, sayang naman ang pera, di ba?"

Enrolling in cooking school was her way of squaring the equation. It was also something she was sure she wanted to do; in fact, at that point, she needed to do it. It wasn't a four-year college degree, but at least she would have something to show for herself and prove that showbiz people could do other things besides act. "Gusto ko talaga maging chef. Na-realize ko na marami pa pala akong kayang gawin. Gusto ko lang patunayan sa mga tao na ang mga artista, hindi naman talaga pag-arte lang ang kayang gawin. Ayoko namang nakatunganga sa bahay kasi pag-aartista lang 'yung alam ko, eh wala naman akong natapos."

Once she was set, she started to look for culinary schools. She told her manager Alfie Lorenzo about her plans and asked for permission to lie low on her showbiz commitments. "I had to make a decision. I had to stop working for a while and do this culinary thing para ma-inspire ako ulit at ma-miss ko ang trabaho, na ginawa ko naman. Nagpaalam ako ng three months kay Tito Alfie. Naintindihan naman niya. May konting talak, pero naintindihan niya."

Judy Ann also had to convince herself that the expense would be worth it. "Matagal ko na gustong mag-culinary, hindi ko lang magawa kasi ang mahal. Nag-research ako ng school, eh parang nasasayangan ako sa pera. Sabi nga ni Ryan, bakit ako masasayangan sa pera, eh kung dun naman ako masaya. 'Mababawi mo rin 'yan in the long run kapag naka-graduate ka na.'"

She enrolled at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies and took a Basic and Advanced Cooking Skills course under Chef Gene Gonzales for four months. She received medals for both courses; a silver for the Basic course, and a gold for the Advanced. Now she is saving up to train abroad so she can be certified as a professional chef. Although she closed down her Café Kilimanjaro and Café Karabana, she will still be doing a lot of cooking in their brand-new kitchen once she and Ryan get married.

Taken from Starstudio magazine: Judy Ann Santos special issue