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

Rewarding Herself

Judy Ann Santos is something of a perfectionist who is never satisfied with what she does. She remembers feeling this way the first time she saw herself on TV. "Tulala ako. Parang hindi ako bumilib sa ginawa ko. Hanggang ngayon naman, ganoon pa rin ako sa sarili ko. Whatever movies I make, whatever soaps I do, mapanood ko man siya at sabihin ng mga tao, 'Okay, maganda, congratulations, naiyak ako', hindi ko napi-please ang sarili ko. Hindi ako nagagalingan."

For someone who has done top-rating soaps like Sa Puso Ko, Iingatan Ka (with Piolo Pascual) and Basta't Kasama Kita (with Robin Padilla), the idea that she's never satisfied with her work is something that is hard to connect with who Judy Ann is. But this is the same girl who likes to reward herself for her efforts. The concept of rewarding herself is something that goes back to her childhood, when she first discovered she had an entrepreneurial streak. She was about eight or nine years old. Judy Ann would make little sweet treats like pulboron and yema, and sell them to her Mommy Carol's friends. She would also sell little packets of gawgaw (starch) from the family's supermarket stocks for P1 each to her friends. At the end of all that, she'd buy her mother something--usually her favorite cigarettes--but she'd always reserve something for herself. "May reward lang ako na lagi sa akin, every Friday, meron akong Bubblers. Bubblers ang pangalan ng softdrink na cola na may root beer. Uupo ako sa puno--may puno ng bayabas sa tabi [ng bahay] namin na ume-extend sa bubong--tapos dun lang ako, at iinom ako ng Bubblers. Reward ko 'yon kasi nagta-trabaho na ako noon."

When she started working for real, she was able to afford things more expensive than a bottle of cola. But the first real reward that she bought herself was a pair of shoes after she got kicked in the face filming a TV commercial for a certain brand of toothpaste. Her co-stars were Isabel Granada and Chuckie Dreyfus. The idea was that they were playing luksong-tinik; Judy Ann was one of the children who would hold up their hands for Isabel and Chuckie to jump over. Judy Ann laughs as she recalls the moment: "Bilang talent na bata, siyempre bawal gumalaw kasi nag-a-adjust ng camera. Tapos sila (Isabel and Chuckie) practice ng practice, talon ng talon, hanggang sa pag-roll namin, bigla akong natadyakan sa face, at nakuha ng camera. Swak na swak, may tatak ako ng Mighty Kid [sa mukha]!"

When she got paid for the commercial, she handed Ate Binay, her yaya, the money and asked only for one thing: a pair of Mighty Kid shoes. "At least meron akong brand na natadyakan ako sa mukha. Meron akong pag-aari. 'Yun ang unang gift ko sa sarili ko, Mighty Kid."

But it was buying her Road Trek van that gave Judy Ann the ultimate high. It wasn't her first vehicle; her first was a Blue Mazda van that her manager Alfie Lorenzo bought and gave to her. But the Road Trek--which Judy Ann later sold--was her dream car. It was a sign that she had become a success and a confirmation that show business had stopped being a job; it had become her life. To think, says Judy Ann, she once thought that she would quit the business and join her Mommy Carol in Canada when the latter went abroad to work. "Nung bata naman ako, hindi ko naman iniisip na aabot ako ng ganito katagal. Ang iniisip ko kasi, magiging immigrant ako, na kung hindi mag-click ang Mara Clara, pupunta na lang ako sa Canada, samahan ko na lang si Mommy. Eh after ng Mara Clara, dere-derecho na ang trabaho.

"Nalulula ako, na-o-overwhelm," confesses the actress when asked for her take on her stardom. She became famous at age 10 and has carefully nurtured that fame for two decades now. Ironically, Judai does not seem to fully grasp the scope of her accomplishments. "Nung bata ako, gusto ko lang talaga makita 'yung sarili ko sa TV," she shares. "Never naman pumasok sa isip ko na tatagal ako sa business na ito. Alam ko namang hindi college degree ang pag-aartista."

That dream brought her forward, but it is her passion for acting that has sustained her. "At 'yun pa rin siguro ang reason kung bakit nandito pa rin ako hanggang ngayon," she explains.

Taken from Starstudio magazine: Judy Ann Santos special issue