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Neriza Sarmiento Saito / Jeepney Press
On the Road to
Celebrating Busy Bessie’s 20th Anniversary As A Caterer
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- Hippocrates
This year’s Golden Week in May meant 9 straight days of holiday in a package for some, but not for someone like BESSIE VICENTE, Kansai’s Master Chef in her own right. I’ve always wanted to feature her in my column but never got around to doing it because she was always on the go. Aside from working for a food processing company, she accepts catering jobs for parties and events, food festivals or lunch deliveries for companies where many Filipinos work.
When she announced that she would be holding the 20th anniversary celebration of her catering service at the end of May, then I took the chance.
Before doing the interview, I had a relaxing drive to the countryside with my family on Golden Week and as our eyes feasted on the lovely owers and the majestic mountains along the road, I remembered our annual summer vacations in Baguio decades ago. I really love the scent of roses and gladiolas and the fresh fruits and vegetables that we always brought home as souvenirs. My mother’s Kare-Kare and my father’s “Caldereta“ couldn’t have been more savory without those Baguio vegetables! And to complete the exquisite dining experience, there must always be steaming freshly cooked rice (harvested from my aunt’s farm) on our dining table! My sister, Alice usually tells us, “Let food be thy medicine” because she strongly advocates balanced nutrition as the secret of longevity!
The rst time I tasted Bessie’s caldereta and Kare-Kare, I was overwhelmed because it was exactly like how my parents cooked it. Nonchalantly, I asked “Ano’ng sikreto mo?“ She giggled and whispered something!! “Sabi na nga ba, ehh“, I answered back.
Bessie was born in Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur, where the Spaniard Juan de Salcedo landed and planted a big wooden cross in a town that has become famous for Bagnet, Empanada and sukang Iloko and Balatinaw rice.
In this town of hardworking Ilocanos, Bessie spent her younger days with her big family. Her father passed away when she was only a teenager. ”Lumaki akong mahirap, kaya laging ipinaaalala ng mga magulang ko na dapat ay masipag lagi para di magutom.”
Young Bessie helped her mother peddled goods in the market to support their family. From then, she knew many ingredients for cooking. By this time, she was visibly interested in culinary arts, and the rst dish she cooked as a teenager was Pinakbet. The family moved to Sta. Rosa in Laguna where her sister opened a grocery store.
Bessie enrolled at Adamson University and took up Political Science because she wanted to be a lawyer. In school, she used to join oratorical contests. She also took some subjects in social sciences at nearby PNU under Prof. Rene Romero. In 1999, she visited her sister Venus, who is married to a Japanese. She owned a small store selling Philippine products in Osaka.
On Bessie’s second visit, she met a Japanese man who soon became her partner. They opened a restaurant in Osaka but had to close it after 5 years. In reality, it was the catering service that was closest to her heart. As word spread on how delectable Bessie’s dishes are, orders came from all places, from private home parties, to church and community events, to consular gatherings and so on. She was the caterer at the retirement party for Prof. Mamoru Tsuda at the Osaka University Campus in Minoo in 2013.
Bessie has all praises for Labor Attache Elizabeth Marie Raquel Estrada, who is a food connoisseur herself. LabAtt Beth knows exactly what food goes well together. When former Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III came to Osaka, Bessie served her specialty Pinakbet and Bagnet! There was also a time when she went to deliver to as far as Takamatsu City in Shikoku because the customer definitely wanted to try Bessie’s dishes.
What are Bessie’s basic ingredients for the success of her catering service. It’s something inherent to her — faith in God, hard work, humility and a healthy lifestyle. Like what her mother taught her, she uses fresh and natural ingredients and definitely no additives like MSG and knows where to buy good meat for her caldereta! Asked about what she brought home as souvenirs for her family in the Philippines - frying pans, Sea Food Instant Noodles, Mikan oranges and Fuji apples! But most of all, she is quick to say that her children are her fortress and source of inspiration and maybe it’s her youngest son, who is now a student at Nagasaki University taking up law who makes her even happier.
I asked her who she idolizes among the famous chefs in the Philippines. Of course, Glenda Baretto of the world renowned Via Mare Restaurant and hats o to the rst winner of Master Chef Philippines and a fellow Ilocano, JR Royol, who is now the host of GMA 7From Farm to Table.
As the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence approaches, we remember some of our national heroes who also had their favorite Philippine dishes. Jose Rizal (Tinolang Manok and Ginisang Munggo), Bonifacio (Lechon Manok sa Saha ng saging), Pio Valenzuela (Kare Kare), Lapulapu (Sinigang na Isda sa Mangga) and Gabriela Silang (Pinakbet).
And who knows, a hundred years from now, the heroes of the millennium, our OFW’s in Japan would also mention Bessie’s caldereta, Pancit palabok or Kare Kare as their comfort food from the Bagong Bayani ng Bayan- Busy Bessie who delivers delights!!!
Neriza Sarmiento- Saito
Jeepney Press
