Wherever they are in the world, Filipinos are known to be exceptionally great in the kitchen as preparing rich kinds of food is engraved in the Pinoy culture. Aside from that, Filipinos can easily find their way to success and showcase the greatness of Pinoy Pride.
Meet Chef Valerie Castillo-Archer, the Filipina who proudly embraced her Pinay identity and remarkably showcased how a woman can be strong and be significant in a male-dominated field as she became the first Filipina Executive Chef in Yamashiro Hollywood.
She was born in her grandfather Ramiro Bayangos’ bakery in San Nicholas, Philippines. Ever since her childhood, she has developed a passion for being in the kitchen and learned the craft of baking the best bread and pastries in their town.
But before she even made her name in the kitchen, Valerie first embraced her role as a mother. In an interview with Jannelle So, a Filipino-American and Los Angeles-based journalist, for her woman’s month special in SoJanelleTV, her YouTube Channel, she shared her struggle of choosing between work and taking care of her family. She shared that her daughter experienced bullying in school, so she happily stayed by her side and gave her comfort as a mother.
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When her children are finally at the age they can already take care of themselves, Valerie decides to go back to work. She was always drawn to the kitchen, which eventually led her to land a job of being the pastry chef in Yamashiro Hollywood, a fine dining restaurant in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Little did she know that it would pave the way for her remarkable success in the kitchen and the whole Filipino community.
In the interview, she told that her journey on how she became an executive chef in Yamashiro from being their pastry chef started at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses were heavily affected by the pandemic, so they were all starting to close down, and Yamashiro was also on the verge of closing.
In the meanwhile, the management had asked Valerie to help out in managing the restaurant in which she came up with ideas on how the restaurant will cope with the pandemic and still serve the people quality food. Months later, the management gave her the role of the executive chef.
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It was something that Valerie wasn’t even expecting in her life. “I didn’t think at 50, I would have a career,” she said in the interview. “I would have a job, but I didn’t imagine that this career or this job that I thought would be a job would end up to be like this, to be here every day, to be the Executive Chef at Yamashiro.”
Of course, her life is not always a walk in the park. Valerie shared that just like her daughter, people bashed her and doubted her capabilities since she had no experience working in the restaurant industry as she was a stay-at-home mother way back then.
She also thought that being a woman was also a factor in doubts about what she could do. “As a woman in this industry, it’s very difficult. They don’t look at me as a chef. They look at me as a female. They look at me as an Asian. They look at me as Filipino,” she said.
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She admitted that it was difficult, and it hurt her. However, this did not stop her from doing her passion in serving and preparing food in the kitchen. She desires to give their customers the best and warm experience in food, which showcases the hospitable characteristic and culture of the Filipino community.
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Despite everything, Valerie is standing strong and glad to do her work as the first Filipina Executive Chef in Yamashiro. She confidently embraces her role as a mother, Filipina, as an Executive Chef who is constantly making her way to success in the kitchen, and as a strong woman.
“Being an empowered woman means being strong enough to stand up for yourself and going for what you want to go for because that’s what makes you strong,” she said.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/chefvallerie/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Juiq6gdAi0, https://chefvallerie.com/
Photo Credit: https://chefvallerie.com/about-2/
