Description
Step lnto Our Kitchens
Theresian Recipes and Tales
Edited by CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD
Compiled and edited by the award—winning author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Step Into Our Kitchens: Theresian Recipes and Tales pays homage to the time-honored recipes that students (now alumni) cherished in their beloved alma mater, St. Theresa's College (STC) —be it in Quezon City, Manila, Baguio, or Cebu—and at their respective homes. From the classic adobo, pancit molo, beef tapa, paella, lechon, and okoy to the lovely durian cheesecake, broas, leche flan, and many more delectable viands, this cookbook offers a collection of beloved recipes that STC alumni cooked and shared with their family members and friends.
However, Step Into Our Kitchens: Theresian Recipes and Tales is not just your ordinary cookbook It is also a food book that tells a story through short anecdotes and essays that tell something about how each food contributor fell in love with his or her favorite dish. Indeed, most of the recipes in this book are infused with memory, tradition, culture, and history. In reading this book, Manguerra Brainard invites readers to “try the recipes with a spirit of adventure and joy, but keep in mind that the stories behind the recipes are what make this book special. Enjoy Step Into Our Kitchens: Theresian Recipes and Tales—this book is our gift to you and future generations.”
REVIEWS:
“Step Into Our Kitchens: Theresian Recipes and Tales is not just a cookbook; it’s a time capsule of cherished family recipes and stories passed down through generations. As you explore these pages, you’ll discover more than just ingredients and cooking method—you'lI uncover the love, laughter, and traditions that have shaped a Theresian family’s culinary heritage. For those with a Theresian grandmother, mother, aunt, wife, or sister, let these recipes serve as a bridge to the past, a connection to your roots, and a reminder to savor the flavors of your family history for many years to come. This is a true culinary masterpiece that captures the heart and soul of Theresian values”
— lge Ramos, Independent Food Scholl, Ugnayan Center for Filipino Gastronomy; Author of Dila at Bandila: The Search for the Filipino Palate
“Step Into Our Kitchens: Theresian Recipes and Tales invite the alumnae of St. Theresa's College. And what a kitchen! From pan de sal and bibingka for breakfast . . . and for other meals bam-i, beef tapa, and humba the book’s personal recipes satisfy hungers for the familiar and cravings for the comforting. The culinary collection is endearment just waiting to be cooked and shared by others. Whether when mixing Mommy Consuelo’s chiffon cake or caramelizing syrup for leche flan the contributors honor the girly giggles, the morning Gregorian chants, and even the strict Belgian discipline instilled by school nuns with wimples recalling Batman. It's a delectable feast of teenage recollection, and nurtured joy.”
— Felice Prudence Sta. Maria, Philippine Food Historian
Publisher: Vibal Foundation, Inc
Imprint: Gastronomia Filipina
Editor-at-Large: Guillermo “Ige” Ramos
Size:7 x 10 inches
Number of pages: 192
Available: Softbound
About the Editor
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is an award-winning author and editor of over 22 books. She has written three novels. When the Rainbow Goddess Wept (1999, 2019), Magdalena (2011, 2016), and The Newspaper Widow (2017, 2021). Her Selected Short Stories (2021) won the 40th National Book Award and the Cirilo Bautista Prize for Best Book of Short Fiction in English, and Growing Up Filipino 3: New Stories for Young Adults (2022) was a finalist for Best Anthology in English at the 41st National Book Award. Her work has been translated into several languages, including Turkish, Finnish, Greek, and Japanese.
She has received an Outstanding Individual Award from Cebu, Philippines—her birthplace—a California Arts Council Fellowship, a Brody Arts Fund grant, and several travel grants from the US Embassy, among others.
She has taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), California State Summer School for the Arts, and the Writers' Program at UCLA Extension. She has served as an executive board member and officer of Poets, Essayists, and Novelists (PENI), Pacific Asian American Women Writers West (PAAWWW), Arts and Letters at California State University, Los Angeles, and Philippine American Women Writers and Artists (PAWWA).
She also runs a small press, Philippine American Literary
House (PALH), which publishes select Filipino and Filipino American books.
Her official website is https.//ceciliabrainard.com.