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In her own words, the beauty editor-turned-chef of Reyna Paris tells us how she got there, why she stayed, and her thoughts on Filipino food
After living in Paris for six years, Erica Paredes truly is so far removed from The Philippines and the scene in which she used to be very much immersed. We talk about the recently concluded national elections and she exclaims, “I really should not care about this anymore!” However, she does still, and so deeply as we discuss the results. Distance has not stripped her of being a Filipino, after all, and judging by the “evolving Filipino” menu she created for her newly-opened restaurant at rue de Montreuil, she still has a soft spot.
Likewise, us back home continue to root for her. “I am so grateful for the support,” Paredes shares when I was able to catch her on her day off. “I cannot believe that people still care about what I’m doing.” What she is doing, after all, is living the dream. But not without willingly having to go through the torturous rigours of Parisian kitchens, from the pressures of a Michelin-starred restaurant to the old school, brigade-style hierarchy of a bistro. “I wanted to test myself in the hardest kitchens because after that I want to be able to know how to run my own kitchen,” Paredes admits.
See also: A Taste of Home: Parisian Chef Erica Paredes on Her Favourite Manila Restaurants
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From her long run as a writer and beauty editor to owning and leading a 30-seater restaurant with just two assisting her in the kitchen and another two in the dining room, it is a far cry from the life she willingly left in Manila. Here she shares how good things come to those who refuse to simply wait.
I always knew you as a beauty editor and writer. But on the side I knew you loved to cook, you even had a cooking blog. What made you decide to take cooking more seriously?
Becoming a professional cook was a super slow burn for me. I was always dipping my toes into cooking and selling the food that I cooked because people really liked it. As early as my early 20s—I was almost done with college—I was asked “hey, do you want to go to Le Cordon Bleu?” because I really liked to cook. But back then I wanted to become a writer and cooking for me was…I didn’t want it to become a job because I really love it. I was a writer and editor for a long time until I finally left (for Paris) in January 2016.
See also: Career Change: How Two Renowned Chefs Left Banking For Culinary Adventures
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So, what changed?
I think in the three years before I decided to take the plunge, I was cooking more and more. I would adjust my work schedule so every day I could be home to cook dinner for my daughter (Ananda, now 18). During shoots or events, I would already be on auto-pilot while I obsess over ingredients, and I’m thinking of what I can do with them that night. I felt that I already checked out by then at my old job and I was already bored with it. I could not really imagine myself doing it for many more years.
I also went through a really bad depression in my early 30s. Like really, really bad. I took a leave from work and attended a wedding in Bordeaux, then stayed another two weeks, and it was very much like an “Eat, Pray, Love” kind of trip. By the end of it, I had already decided I really wanted to stay in France, go to culinary school, and really learn how to cook. I knew I needed a big change and I did not want to be in my old job anymore, I didn’t want to be in Manila. I needed to get out.
Were you hesitant at all?
I was warned by my friends who are chefs that it is so hard. It is different from cooking at home, of course, cooking for strangers wherein you have to make money. At the same time, I was older when I decided to do it, so I was not naively thinking, 'Oh, I’m going to be the next Gordon Ramsay'. I know I have a good palate, and I know I can cook, but if I want to do this seriously then I need to know the techniques. I need to know how to manage my time properly. All the “not sexy” things about cooking. Things that I needed to master first to become a professional cook.
See also: 7 Must-Watch Gordon Ramsay TV Shows: Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, And More
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That’s true! It really is such a volatile environment and while it does test you and it prepares you for the realities of a busy kitchen—is it worth it?
Exactly! But then again, working in places like that helped me to come up with the way I wanted to be a chef. There’s no need to make people feel bad about themselves or to make them feel stupid. If it’s an honest mistake, you teach them. You’re supposed to be a teacher. That’s the advantage of having my job before at (beauty website) Calyxta I was managing people. In a restaurant, I feel it is ten per cent about the food and ninety per cent about managing people and the situation.
What are your days like now?
Well, now I have to run a whole restaurant. When the cooks and front-of-house are annoyed with each other, I have to meditate. It’s just so much work, which I knew was coming, but now I'm like, wow… goodbye to resting. (Laughs) Because I own it, I cannot check out. Like, now I’m talking to you, then I have to run some errands, and then I have to go to Reyna. And I have to go again tomorrow which is still supposed to be my day off. On Wednesday, I have a big reservation for 15 people aside from the other tables, so I have to start prepping Tuesday and not on Wednesday (when they open) because it’s not enough time. And I cannot ask my sous chef to come because it’s her day off. I really don’t mind. My boyfriend thinks I’m super crazy, but I really love it! (Laughs)
I suppose it is also good timing that your daughter is older now and more independent. Still, how do you find time for family?
She’s 18! (Gasps) And yes even before Reyna I was always so busy doing pop-ups. On my days off, which are Mondays and Tuesdays, unfortunately, my boyfriend has work and Ananda has school. I try to do dinner just to make sure there’s family time. Or sometimes when Ananda gets out of school she calls when I’m prepping in the afternoon, “I'm hungry. Can I go there?” We don’t really get to hang out, but at least I get to see her. That is one of my regrets with the path I chose, but then again I decided to do this when she was older already. From birth until thirteen years old I had that time when I was literally her only parent and I was there all the time. But still, it’s a bit difficult. Although she has her own life now.
See also: Kimberly Camara on the Success of Kora NYC, Her Doughnut Shop With a 10,000-Long Waitlist
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Let’s talk about the “new baby,” then. How would you describe the food at Reyna?
I would say evolving Filipino? I don’t know how to say it without sounding “douche-y”. I do take from a lot of Filipino flavours and elements. When you taste it, it still tastes like home. But then again, I live in France and they have such great produce here that’s seasonal and I don’t want to not use it for the sake of being traditional. Some people might be like, “oh you call it Filipino food, but it’s not authentic Filipino.” And to that, I would say, “No, don’t mix up traditional and authentic. Our kind of cooking is very personal.”
So a lot of the way I cook is the way I grew up eating, [inspired by] my travels, and also comfort food that is not necessarily Filipino but I will always add elements to it. That’s another thing that I explain to people. We are a country that is colonised by so many places. Even something like spaghetti or fried chicken is Filipino for me, or even burgers, because we grew up eating all of that. I really do not want to put myself in a box.
The same way that I have to explain to the older crowd that comes in and expect kare-kare to look the way it used to, but my kare-kare will not look like that. First of all, our kare-kare is vegan. Asparagus is in season now, so I’m doing roasted asparagus with a bagoong brown butter and an herby yogurt sauce. I didn’t leave my country and my old job to be doing something I don’t want to do. I’m a creative at heart and I only do things that I like.
Like there would be people who would ask, “can you make paksiw?” Unfortunately, I don’t like paksiw. (Laughs) For arroz caldo, I make my own chilli oil and I put that in there and a lot of the Pinoys are like, “how come I never did that before?” Just little changes and updates based on the experiences we had. Our experiences are very different from those of our parents and grandparents. It’s a reflection of the kind of food that we eat and the food we like to make.
At this point in your life, armed with all your experiences, would you say it’s the perfect time to be opening Reyna?
If I were any younger I probably would have burnt out and would have gotten lost in the industry because it’s a very difficult one, especially here in France. The competition is crazy, plus I am not white and I am not male. And I’m not French. I'm very grateful that there are a lot of people here who embrace the kind of cooking that I do. I feel like the industry is opening up. There is more of a family kind of feel where we are all rooting for each other.
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Jaclyn Clemente Koppe is a food and lifestyle writer, as well as a consultant to some of the country’s beloved food and beverage brands. Her passion for food and drink is only surpassed by her devotion to her family, most especially to her soulmate, Pepa the poodle.
