Filipino Chef Gets Oprah's Notice

CHICAGO, Ill. -– “I am not financially well-off, but I am rich in experience. So I want to give something back to our less fortunate countrymen,” Chicago-based Filipino American chef Ron Bilaro says of his trip to the Philippines this November to help raise funds for the Gawad Kalinga (GK) project for the poor.

Bilaro will travel to Manila with his mentor Art Smith, private chef to Oprah Winfrey. Ron also cooks for the entertainment mogul as sous-chef to Smith, who has his own children’s foundation, Common Threads. Smith was inspired to team up with Ron, and visit the Philippines after learning of the latter’s charity work.

After the White House named Filipino American Cristeta Pasia Comerford as its executive chef, a sense of kinship among Pinoy chefs in the U.S. was established. One of those who emerged from anonymity is Bilaro. He invited this reporter to his hip residence near the heart of Wicker Park’s yuppie village. Ron’s digs, which offers a stunning view of the Chicago skyline, is surrounded by upscale restaurants, which he visits often to try out new tastes.

Chicago’s Fil-Am community learned of Bilaro’s high-flying culinary stint after visiting actress Sharon Cuneta introduced him to the audience during her hit concert last May. At his own stage -- the kitchen that is – Bilaro has been earning raves from his well-heeled clients, including an old rich family and an international hotelier. As a personal chef to Chicago's corporate families, he whips up culinary concoctions that are delicious to the taste as they are delightful to the sight.

At the recently concluded Chicago Air Show, Ron was busy cooking for a corporate family whose guests included television producers and reporters.

In one of those private parties, he caught the fancy of author and celebrity chef Art Smith, who happens to be the private chef of Oprah. From there, the two forged a working relationship, such that whenever Art Smith needs assistance, he calls on Bilaro.

During Oprah’s grand 50th birthday celebration, Bilaro flew from Chicago to Montecito, California to join a few more chefs in creating a menu worthy of the grand dame of American entertainment.

Since his fortuitous meeting with Art Smith, Bilaro has had his share of “Oprah moments.” However, he is prudent enough to protect his client’s privacy. He only goes as far as describing her as “a wonderful person and very down-to-earth.” She likes crispy quesadillas, and has not tried bagoong or kare-kare just yet


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CHILDREN’S CHOICE EXPANDS TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND TAPS CHEF TRAVIS JONES TO HEAD UP NEW KITCHEN OPERATIONS

Huntington Beach, CA -- Children's Choice, the privately-held sustainable school lunch company, has appointed Chef Travis Jones to head up the new Southern California operation as demand for the company's program is expanding statewide. The addition of Jones speaks to the company's mission and commitment to provide local, sustainable kid-approved lunches to student customers throughout California and beyond. This summer's expansion into Southern California comes on the heels of the company's 70 percent growth during the past school year, including nearly 30 new schools that have signed on with Children's Choice as their preferred school lunch provider in Southern California alone.

Jones, a native of Southern California and the Chef Founder of Green Kidz--a Southern California school lunch company renowned for its vegetable-purée-rich entrées--knows the area's school lunch market better than most. As a chef and entrepreneur who grew Green Kidz to a 16-school operation with specialties such as his 13-vegetable marinara, Jones knows how tough the school lunch industry can be.

"We made kids and moms really happy. Unfortunately we didn't have the financial means to keep the company going. Joining Children's Choice allows me to keep my dream alive and do so with a family-owned company that is so very committed to this mission of feeding kids well, supporting local farms and growers and exemplifying mindful business practices," Jones says. "A door closed for me, but a wonderful one has opened and I am so very proud to be a part of this terrific team."

Jones, along with Children's Choice founder and CEO Justin Gagnon, and Executive Chef for Northern California Charlie Prosch, also believes in the importance of serving locally "grown" lunches. Sourcing the freshest ingredients and products from green businesses that range within 150 miles of the company's three kitchens, Children's Choice has built a statewide network of preferred providers, called Choice Partners. From Earthbound Farms in Northern California to Heritage Milk in Southern California, the company selectively sources vendors that are in sync with sustainable business practices and offer 'clean label' products.

Jones, with his extensive culinary and restaurant background, is no stranger to the organic food industry. He served as the CEO/partner of an organic restaurant company, Stillwater Restaurants, which features a white tablecloth restaurant and three eclectic cafés, located in Los Angeles and Orange County. Jones's tenure also includes kitchen time as Executive Chef at P.F. Chang's and Executive Sous Chef at the St. Regis Hotel in Monarch Beach. His fast-paced restaurant career demonstrated to Jones the importance of quality ingredients and scratch cooking.

"What I really believe we're doing is bringing it back to the way food used to be made -- real food from real ingredients prepared by chefs in real kitchens. We're making food the way your grandmother would have done 30 years ago," Jones explains. "Cooking from scratch allows us to control exactly what goes into the food. We source sustainable ingredients from local suppliers and all of our ingredients are scrutinized by our Registered Dietician to make sure the label is clean, but that's just the beginning. The real benefit in scratch cooking is in providing a flavor experience that is perfectly tailored to the palates of our children."

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