He’s the closest a Filipino has ever got to Oprah Winfrey, having once been the personal chef of the talk show host, but there’s certainly more to Chicago-based Ron Bilaro than cooking for Hollywood stars and Chicago’s creme de la creme.

Ron Bilaro’s cooking show Life . . . Pinoy Style, shown on The Filipino Channel, is a big hit among Filipino Americans who are rediscovering Pinoy cooking away from home and getting acquainted with their heritage by way of the kwentuhan [conversations] that happen in the kitchen and in the dining room, over steaming hot Pinoy dishes.

Schooled in Manila, Bilaro had a brief stint as flight attendant with United Airlines before he pursued a career in culinary arts. While studying at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, he worked as a personal chef and, after graduating with honors, went on to apprentice under star chef Gene Kato, now with the Japonais Restaurant in New York.

In one interview with a local paper, Bilaro emphasizes how important it is to network, as this is how he came to work for Winfrey. While doing a party, he met award-winning chef and author Arthur Smith, who was working for Winfrey and took him in as sous chef.

The recipient of the 2005 Excellence in Culinary Arts at the Reflections XVII Award Show, which recognizes achievements of individuals or organizations who have contributed to the upliftment of the Asian-American society in the US, Bilaro believes in giving back to his kababayan. He visits the country regularly and has done fund-raisers for the Karangalan Foundation and the White Cross Orphanage in San Juan, among others.

In this interview with PinoyCentric, we get to know the Ron Bilaro behind the camera.

PinoyCentric: Have you always loved to cook? When did this love for cooking start?
Ron Bilaro: Since I realized I can cook rice using my hands as a gauge for the water without a rice cooker. Tagal na noon [That was so long ago]. I was still in grade school.

Among family members, is there anybody whose cooking you miss and look forward to when you come home?
Dishes made by my mother when I was growing up–pork ribs and kaldereta [beef stew], especially.

What Pinoy ingredients or style do you incorporate when you cook for your clients?
Any ingredient that’s easily adaptable to the foreign palate. Ingredients that do not have very strong or distinct taste. No bagoong [fish sauce], of course

What Pinoy ingredient or dish do you find most challenging to cook and why?
Tulingan for fish. Frozen vegetables only from the Philippines or Latin America such as kamias [iba or Averrhoa bilimbi] and malunggay [Moringa oleifera]. Wala kasing fresh na ganyan dito sa States eh [They don't have these fresh in the States], especially sa Midwest.

What is your most favorite Pinoy dish? Have you ever cooked a version of it for any of your US-based clients and what was their reaction?
Beef kaldereta, bistek Tagalog, and kilawin. I’ve cooked them a lot, and I don’t do twists on these dishes. I serve them as they are and my clients love it!

If we take a peek at your home refrigerator, what are we most likely to find?
Assorted cheeses and diet colas.

As a personal chef, what was the weirdest request you’ve ever received?
None so far.

Who’s the most no-fuss client you’ve had?
One of my present clients, a Greek-American bachelor. He is very simple. He likes healthy food.

If you had a personal chef, what would be your requests?
A lot of healthy food: mostly grilled, light clean broth for winter, and lots of light salads in the summer.

What dish comforts you when you are down?
All types of sinigang [sour broth].

Do you also watch other cooking shows? What’s your favorite?
I watch it when time allows. I like the style of Michael Chiarello [host of Easy Entertaining on the Food Network]–it’s simple.

Have you worked with other Filipino chefs? What do you think makes the Pinoy chef stand out in an international staff?
Yes, I have. It is really not because whether you are Pinoy, Latin American, or Italian that will make you stand out. It is because your food tastes great and the people like it.

If you were to whip up a meal to be shared by the presidents of the US and the Philippines, what would you come up with?
Sinigang na salmon in miso for the main dish. I will brush the salmon with a little miso paste then will make a separate sauce or broth with braised tamarind and ginger as the star ingredients and stir in mustard greens at the end for color.

I will make shrimp and laing [spicy, coconut milk-based recipe] risotto for starters and halo-halo crepes for dessert.

What makes a Ron Bilaro feast special and memorable?
I do unexpected combinations of our traditional ingredients, give surprising twists to our dishes, and put a personal touch in every meal.

What do you do when you’re not cooking or working?
I read recipe books. I work out or play volleyball and friendly mahjong (no betting).

How would you like people, especially your kababayan, to remember you?
Not for the people I cook for, but for the food that I cooked.

Do you have any fund-raisers in the Philippines or with the Filipino community for this year?
I have the soup kitchen for Gawad Kalinga donors and volunteers as well as campaign fund-raisers, but I have not made commitments yet.

What is it about the Philippines and being Filipino that you are most proud of?
Pinoys are very welcoming and hospitable, and they always make you feel like you are kapamilya [family].

Visit the Life . . . Pinoy Style official site
Photo credit: Ron’s portrait: Glen Abog , Food:PinoyCentric