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These 13 celebrities developed their cooking skills by taking up formal culinary classes

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Mary Ann Bardinas

<p>We already know how truly dedicated they are in their respective crafts, but there are celebrities who have also found their passion in other things outside the limelight. While some have been inclined in sports and arts, others have been zealous in cooking.</p><p>Even though this skill is something that can be easily learned at home, there are some who decided to enroll themselves in culinary schools in order for them to further improve their kitchen skills and acquire greater knowledge, just like the thirteen celebrities we listed in this Kapamilya Snaps feature!</p><div><strong>Jodi Sta. Maria</strong></div><p>Even though juggling her showbiz commitments and her mommy duties are already tough, Jodi didn’t let those hinder her from pursuing her personal pursuits, which includes going back to school! After fulfilling her lifelong dream of graduating from college in 2021 as she finished her Psychology degree with flying colors as a dean’s lister, Jodi went back to school early this year to take up Certificate Program in Cooking and Baking Skills at Center for Asian Culinary Studies (CACS).</p><p>And last July, her <em>unico hijo</em> Thirdy became one of her classmates as he and his friends also enrolled to the program. She shared that awesome milestone on Instagram and captioned it, “<em>Dati pinag-uusapan lang natin na sana maging magka-klase tayo </em>and today that happened.”</p><div><strong>Joshua Garcia</strong></div><p>This year, Joshua has probably surprised his followers when he began sharing on IG Stories his videos and snaps of him cooking. Thus, for those who want to follow his food adventures, including his journey at the same culinary school that his <strong><u>“<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-news/jodi-richard-gabbi-and-joshua-share-memorable-moments-ahead-of-unbreak-my-hearts-gripping-finale-20839">Unbreak My Heart</a>”</u></strong> co-star Jodi is also enrolled, he created a separate IG account, which he named “Josh Wanna Cook”.</p><div><strong>Sofia Andres</strong></div><p>Aside from being an actress, it has always been Sofia’s dream to become a chef. And earlier this year, she took a step closer in fulfilling that ambition by enrolling at the Center for Culinary Arts Manila alongside her partner Daniel Miranda.</p><p>The <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/theironheart">“<strong><u>The Iron Heart”</u></strong></a> actress shared a bunch of snaps from their first day on IG last March and wrote in one of her posts, “First day of school today and we definitely enjoyed the whole process of cooking and learning something new.” Apparently, the couple has been enjoying every moment of them together in the kitchen as seen in a photo she posted last September.</p><div><strong>Sarah Lahbati</strong></div><p>Same with her friend Sofia, Sarah has also begun turning her dream of becoming a chef into reality by also enrolling at CCA-Manila last June.</p><p>Being a hands-on homemaker that she is, she shared the experience with her kids Zion and Kai, who enthusiastically helped her in preparing the ingredients, cooking, and plating. She gave us a glimpse of their exclusive training through an IG reel and promised her hubby Richard Gutierrez, “We can’t wait to cook for you.”</p><div><strong>Dimples Romana </strong></div><p>In 2016, Dimples posted a collage of two throwback photos taken when she was still a culinary student at Enderun Colleges circa 2007.</p><p>At present, the “<strong><u><a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/theironheart">The Iron Heart</a>”</u></strong> actress runs the series called “DimpsKitchen” through her eponymous YouTube channel, where she generously shares her tips and tricks to make tasty dishes.</p><div><strong>Julia Montes</strong></div><p>Aside from her endorsements, projects, and other off-cam moments, Julia has also been delighting and making us drool with photos of the dishes that she cooked that she shares on IG. She wrote in the caption of one of her posts, she divulged, “my love language is SERVICE … that’s why cooking for friends, co-workers and family is my happiness.”</p><p>This is possibly one of the reasons why Julia took up culinary and graduated from the Center of Culinary Arts Manila in June 2015</p><div><strong>Ivana Alawi</strong></div><p>Those who have been religiously watching her vlogs are certainly aware that Ivana is also a kitchen whiz. While she loves to eat, she also knows how to cook, which she’s able to develop by taking up Culinary Arts many years ago.</p><p>In a “<strong><u><a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/magandangbuhay">Magandang Buhay</a>”</u></strong> interview in 2020, the “<strong><u><a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/batangquiapo">FPJ’s Batang Quiapo</a>”</u></strong> actress divulged that it was actually her late dad who encouraged her to do so because he wanted her to serve good food to her future husband. She particularly loves to cook Filipino food like <em>adodo</em>, <em>sinigang</em>, or anything with sardines.</p><div><strong>Angelica Panganiban</strong></div><p>Amidst her busy schedule at work then, Angelica still managed to go back to school in 2017 as she enrolled at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM). She was classmates with fellow actress Isabel Oli, who’s now the wife of her best friend, John Prats.</p><p>Nowadays, you might catch the award-winning actress making different meals, such as beef tacos or roasted lemon chicken, on her family’s YouTube channel named “The Homans.” We can’t wait for her and partner Gregg’s <em>unica hija</em> Bean to grow up and watch them cook together at their home kitchen.</p><div><strong>Judy Ann Santos</strong></div><p>Aside from acting, Judy Ann has been so passionate in cooking, too. Thus, in order to improve her kitchen skills, she enrolled herself in several culinary programs here and abroad. She started her formal training by taking a short course in Thailand, and then pursued cookery and graduated at the Center for Asian Culinary Arts Studies in 2006.</p><p>In an interview with DJ Jhai Ho on Jeepney TV’s “Showbiz Pa More” in 2019, she revealed that it was actually her husband Ryan Agoncillo who encouraged her to take up culinary. At the same time, being already a mom then to their <em>panganay</em> Yohan had also inspired her, along with her yearning to learn something new and earn either a certificate or a degree. Thus, she decided to stop working for six months to undergo intensive training that’s supposed to be taken for a year.</p><p>The “Queen of Philippine Soap Operas” has been enthusiastically sharing her recipes in some of her television guestings and in her YouTube channel Judy Ann’s Kitchen in the past years.</p><div><strong>Yam Concepcion</strong></div><p>Did you know that Julia Montes wasn’t the only celebrity who trained at CCA Manila in 2015? Well, it’s because she was classmates with Yam and PJ Endrinal. That year, Yam uploaded a few pics from their school kitchen to give us a glimpse of their experiences as culinary students.</p><p>Yam uploaded a number of cooking videos on her YouTube channel, wherein she’s often seen preparing seafood dishes.</p><div><strong>Sarah Geronimo</strong></div><p>Apart from singing and performing, Sarah is passionate about baking and cooking, too. In 2016, she took up cooking lessons at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies, and six years later, she had her baking skills developed at Heny Sison Culinary School.</p><p>The Popstar Royalty’s beloved and proud husband Matteo Guidicelli shared the milestone on his Instagram by posting a few pictures from her graduation and captioned it, “Super proud of you my love!! Officially graduated from baking school!! CONGRATULATIONS! Yesssss “chef sarah” it is!! We are super proud of you! Your achievements are limitless because you always strive for excellence! I love you!”</p><div><strong>Amy Perez</strong></div><p>Being a mom is what motivated Amy to take a three-month Fundamentals in Culinary course at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM) in 2014, as what she disclosed in a feature she did for “<strong>Umagang Kay Ganda</strong>.”</p><p>The “<strong><u><a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/itshowtime">It’s Showtime</a>”</u></strong> host explained that she wanted to improve her cooking skills to prepare more delicious food for her family. She’s also able to share some of her recipes through her cooking segment in the now-defunct morning program.</p><div><strong>Neri Miranda</strong></div><p>Apparently, Neri is unstoppable when it comes to learning something new. And prior to graduating from college last year, she actually took up different classes at Heny Sison Culinary School in 2018.</p><p>She posted a photo of her with one of her favorite teachers on Facebook, wherein she disclosed her experiences of being one of her students. A few days later, she shared on IG that she also enrolled her three bakers at the same school and were personally trained by Chef Heny Sison herself about basic cakes and icings. She quipped in her post, <em>“Seryosohang pagluluto na talaga, hehe! Di na chef chefan!”</em></p><p>These celebrities are great reminders for us to not easily give up on our longtime dreams, as well as in learning more things in life!</p>

Find out who among our favorite celebrities enrolled to culinary schools to develop and improve their cooking skills!