In the kitchen, recipes are passed to the next generation. The heir is always that wide-eyed kid
watching in awe of how fast mom can whip up a family favorite, a recipe she inherited herself
from grandma.

There are secrets mom will pass on to the heir— a secret ingredient, an unknown process and
the most basic rule: a well-organized kitchen. Everything should be in its place and within easy
reach, it speeds up the preparation.

As secrets are passed on from one generation to the next, the kitchen keeps evolving. Today,
the busiest room in the home is filled with gadgets that make the task of cooking easier and
more convenient for the user: digital appliances, multi-function machines, and space saving
storage system, in which the golden rule of “everything should be in its place” can be kept as
sacred as the well-guarded recipes.

“Kitchen cabinets today are highly-efficient. A drawer or a cabinet door can be opened with little
to no effort at all. It can be designed to accommodate what the user requires, and with the right
accessories, multiply the storage space. There are no deep crevices and hard to reach corners
anymore. Every inch of precious space can be utilized and accessed with ease,” shared
Honeylet Lim, manager of Merlgen Euro Designs, a homegrown company specializing in
customized modular cabinets.

Although Merlgen can suggest a tried-and-tested kitchen design, the chef is king (most often it’s
mom). Space assignment and organization will adjust to how the user can perform tasks
efficiently. Merlgen will create the mom-chef’s comfort zone.

Mom Letlet Salvador nurtured her food businesses, Leandro’s Catering and Happy Home, to
success. A weighty volume of tried-and-tested home cooking-style recipes —with no scrimping
on quality ingredients— is the source of the menus.

Her kitchen at home should be able to whip up dishes for the big family with varied cuisine
request. As she can pull recipes easily form her book, so should be with the ingredients.

“I have no secret. Organization and easy access are important to anyone who cooks. I prefer
wide drawers and cabinets. The most used cooking implements are the closest to the prep table
and cooking area. These occupies the top drawers with the lesser used cookware on the lower
cabinets. These are segregated according to use and material, like wood, metal and silicon. ”

Since she has to be ready to cook according to request, she must be ready with her ingredients.

“I have separate cabinets for ingredients, one for wet and one for dry. In each cabinet, I
compartmentalize ingredients according to cuisine- Japanese, Spanish, etc. The Filipino has the
largest compartment and the most accessible because these are used most.”

Baker-turned-office mom Booboo Maramba say’s keeping her kitchen area organized means
she maximizes her now-limited time at home. Efficiency is key.

“I gave up baking as a business for office work, but I do bake for the family. I still manage my
home kitchen the same way I know best. Organization, accessibility and proximity are
necessary. I like the kitchen clear of everything that’s why I have lots of cabinets to store the
gadgets, dinnerware and utensils. I take it out whenever I need it. The most essential stuff are
within reach and these are in the top drawer, perishables are in one cabinet, another for big
containers, which are stored in big, low cabinets.”

Working mom Jessa Sisi says,”I have a small kitchen but I make it work for me.”

The cabinets were designed to maximize the small kitchen space. In it she was able to assign
spaces for cookware, utensils and an area where she can prepare a meal for four. Practicality is
what makes her kitchen sleek, neat and manageable.

“Through the years, I have managed to create a workable and efficient kitchen, small it may be.
Everything in it is constantly used. I see no need to buy extra pots and pans just because I like
them, I only keep what I need. It’s like mastering minimalism— having what is useful and
maximizing its use.”

Having built several successful food businesses, Lena Benedicto of the Golden Brown chain of
Restaurants, have suggestions on kitchen design for a smooth work flow. But at home her

design rules. She has a specific way to arrange her kitchen with maximized space for storage
space.

“I want everything in its place and must be accessible. Prep area has overhead cabinets to store
dry and bottled seasoning and canned goods separately. All appliances are in one big cabinet.”

Cooking is on an island counter with cabinets under the range to hold all sorts of pots and pans.

To each her own and whatever the style is, moms always make kitchen tasks quick and easy.
On how to organize and run a kitchen, truly they know best. Let Merlgen Euro Designs be a part
of mom’s kitchen legacy.

What’s cooking in mom’s kitchen?

When Merlgen requested moms Letlet Salvador, Lena Benedicto, Booboo Maramba and Jessa
Sisi to share one of their favorite recipes, they quickly pulled one from their recipe box. Try to
whip these dishes in your kitchen.

Letlet Salvador’s Shrimp Gambas

1 kg Large shrimps, peeled, deveined, tail on (20-24 g per pc)
20 grams minced garlic
1 tsp spanish paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Shrimp fat from the shrimp heads
Collect shrimp fats by cooking peeled shrimp heads in olive oil and passing on a sieve and set
aside
Optional
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp tabasco

Instructions

1. In a pan, put olive oil and butter and then add garlic. Cook until fragrant
2. Add the paprika
3. Add the peeled shrimps and shrimp fat.
4. Season with salt and lemon juice. You may also spice it up with Worcestershire sauce and
   tabasco
5. Garnish with red pepper flakes

Booboo Maramba’s Heirloom Date Bars

Make filling first.
Pour 1 cup of water in a saucepan.
Add in 300grams chopped, pitted dates.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer while stirring until the mixture becomes pasty.
Cool to room temperature.
Grease of a 13”x9”x 2” or a 10”x 10”x 2” pan. Set aside.
Then make the crust:
Melt 160grams salted butter. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine the following ingredients:
150grams of quick-cooking or half rolled oats
180grams sifted all-purpose flour
100grams brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix well. Then slowly pour in the melted butter & mix thoroughly.
Put 1/2 to 2/3 of the crust mixture onto the bottom of lined pan.
Pat down with the back of a spoon.
Pour the cooled filling over the prepared crust, spread evenly.
Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the filling.
Bake in the 35oF preheated oven for 30-35minutes.

Lena Benedicto’s Crispy Fish Roll

1 kilo fish deboned and shredded
1 onion chopped minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 pc carrot diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup green peas
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

3 tbsp chopped celery
2 tbsp chopped singkamas
1 tbsp sesame oil
40 pcs lumpia wrapper
Procedure:
Saute in oil the onion & garlic. Add all remaining ingredients.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain juice.
Spoon 2 tbsp. of filling in each lumpia wrapper.
Fry wrapped lumpia until golden brown.
Serve with sweet chile sauce or with crushed garlic and vinegar.

Jessa Sisi’s Penne Pasta with Sarangani Milk Fish in Oil

250 g cooked penne
1 bottled Sarangani Milk Fish in oil, removed bones
3 tbsp. Olive oil
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves or 1 tbsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil, saute garlic, sardines and tomatoes.
Toss in pasta and stir gently until well heated thru
Add chopped basil and turn off heat,
Serve with grated parmesan cheese.