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Friday, March 29, 2024

Keeping it ‘Simpol’

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I know my mom’s cooking by heart. That is why I was surprised that something was different with her adobo during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown. It was a pleasant twist, to be honest. I soon found out Mama got the new recipe online. She happens to be one of the almost million subscribers of  Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou’s Youtube channel, Simpol.

Years ago, while many people were big on molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine that entails science and many complicated cooking techniques, Chef Tatung went against the tide. He deliberately wanted to deviate from what everyone else was doing and said, “I tried to make things less complicated and more ‘simpol.’” 

The term was an artistic take on the word simple, and Chef Tatung said the name represents how he wanted to return to the fundamentals of cooking.

While his academic background was journalism-related, Chef Tatung became immersed in the kitchen and the culture of hosting feasts while growing up in Cebu. His mom and grandma had a huge influence on the chef. 

“I have an amazing childhood experience in the kitchen, most of my happy memories as a kid were spent with my Lola in the kitchen,” Chef Tatung said.

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Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou’s Youtube channel, Simpol, features easy-to-follow recipes

In 2010, Chef Tatung jumpstarted his cooking career by serving delicious and hearty meals for private dining in Quezon City. Eventually, this led him to open several restaurants featuring Filipino cuisine. Sounds impressive? Chef Tatung’s success expands to being a bestselling author and a popular content creator. His Youtube channel, serving as a repository of easy-to-follow recipes, has almost 85 million views.

“We started doing videos way before the platform became as popular as it is right now in the Philippines. We had so many struggles before we could have the full production team,” recalled the chef-slash-online sensation. 

He added, “When I started my YouTube channel, I had all the nanays and those who love preparing food for the entire family in mind, and I did not think this would be as huge as today.”

What started as an attempt to simplify things so that others could cook warm and hearty meals for their families boomed into something big. “Those platforms gained an enormous number of following from all walks of life – from nanays, millennials, to titas and titos – as a household brand,” Chef Tatung said. “In a sense, this made me like a pseudo-celebrity, and people know me where ever I go, even the OFWs in the countries I visited.”

For Chef Tatung, nothing beats the feeling of seeing people savor and enjoy the meals he prepares. That is what he loves the most about his work. “I really love hosting and serving good food to all the people close to my heart and this extended to all those who wanted to taste the dishes I prepare,” he said. 

On record, Chef Tatung’s most well-known recipes are the Mindanaoan dishes he presented at the Madrid Fusion 2017, held in Madrid, Spain, and attended by leading global culinary experts.

Despite his massive success across different platforms, the well-loved kitchen master emphasized that humility and openness are critical characteristics of a good cook. Chef Tatung said, “One must always be open to criticism when cooking.” 

The good thing is, his cooking and recipes are drowning in positive feedback. Moms and home cooks worldwide have raved about recreating his masterpieces in their kitchens. No less than former Vice President Leni Robredo once shared that she uses Chef Tatung’s channel as a reference when she’s cooking.  

For Chef Tatung, anyone can cook. “All it takes is the courage to make the very first step,” he said. 

Support in different forms is coming aspiring cooks’ way as Chef Tatung is coming up with new titles this coming 2023. A wide reader himself, Chef Tatung loves exploring new things that include dishes and cultures through traveling and reading. 

“Whenever I can’t travel, I read. It takes me to different places I have never been to before and it widens my horizon.”

He wishes others to dive into the same experience. “I established Vertikal Kreatives to make all our multimedia production and part of it is the publishing house,” Chef Tatung happily shared. 

He and his team are currently working on a kid’s book, a practical cooking and kitchen guidebook, and a book featuring a narrative about Filipino cuisine. Some of his previously released books that became bestsellers are Philippine Cookery: From Heart to Platter, Rice to the Occasion, and Dishkarte sa Kusina.

With so many things already happening for the household name, Chef Tatung is still cooking up a lot of plans. He aims to remain focused on what he is good at. 

“I want to continuously deepen my culinary knowledge, open more restaurants that can help people earn a sustainable living, create more meaningful content that can help people enjoy cooking while learning, and write more books worthy of being in everyone’s home,” Chef Tatung shared.

One must have found the right job when it becomes so enjoyable that the person does not feel the need to take a break from it. Chef Tatung is proof of that. When the need to de-stress arises, he still turns to the kitchen and whips up some dishes. 

He quickly explained, “It is because I enjoy cooking.” 

That is pure passion, plain and simple.  

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