Kevin Villarica, co-owner and chef at Hapag Manila, has turned to cooking and exploring new recipes at home as a way to stay productive, meditative, and reflective during this quarantine season.
“I love meditation…I can say that cooking is a form of meditation for me,” he says. As someone who has spells of anxiety and overthinking, cooking serves as a creative form of meditation and self-care to the reflective chef. “It keeps me focused and it helps me forget about our situation right now”, continues Villarica, who everyday makes it a goal to make the best out of his time in lockdown.
As we’ve seen all over Instagram and various social media, many have called on creative outlets to cope with the anxieties that spring from the uncontrollable, unpredictable times we live in. Whether it be cooking, baking, painting, or dancing, people are finding solace in art and creative expression – and Villarica is no exception. There is much to learn from him as we continue to deal with the challenges of watching the world shakily battle the coronavirus pandemic from the confinement and safety of our homes.
Cooking allows chef Villarica to divert his energy away from certain anxieties and more toward his passions. While cooking, he feels “at peace, happy and excited. I forget all my other problems when I am cooking”.
“Food is a necessity”, Villarica says, but being able to “bring soul to a dish” is what he loves most about cooking. In addition to satisfying our hungry bellies and our bodies’ need for food, Villarica believes that cooking has the power to bring joy, soul and the feeling of home. His restaurant, Hapag, is known for its take on modern Filipino cuisine. While this is true, Villarica limits the extent to which he and his colleagues, Kevin Navoa and Thirdy Dolatre, innovate Filipino classics, ensuring that the sense of home, familiarity, and comfort they provide do not get lost.
A quick scroll through his Instagram profile (@kevinvillarica) reveals a gallery of dishes–from roasted Hainanese chicken rice to the more familiar crispy pork sisig–all made from the comfort of his home. He also posts step-by-step videos of his recipes on his Instagram stories, eager to share them with his followers so that everyone can try them out at home.
Villarica describes himself as “happy and proud” of those who have used this time to express themselves creatively. Villarica believes that a lot of unhappiness and dissatisfaction stem from how people seldom go after their true passions. But now, it makes him happy seeing people do what they are passionate about. “Not all of us are fortunate to have work that allows us to do what we love most’”, he says. But seeing people who he didn’t know could paint, cook, sing and dance provides him with a sense of hope. “I hope all of us can still do what we love after this pandemic”.
At the end of the day, Villarica’s true passion and love for what he does is what has motivated him since the start of his culinary journey. “Cook with love”, the chef says. “I believe you can be the best version of yourself if you are doing what you are passionate about”.
Cooking and other art forms are more than just creative ways to pass time, but also reconnect us back to ourselves and our true passions. That exploring new, creative outlets can serve as a form of self-care. Most importantly, we shouldn’t wait for tragedy to strike before we start pursuing our passions and making the most of everyday life.
Villarica’s favourite thing to cook is “any Filipino dish cooked in coconut milk”. His mom makes the best “gata dishes”, and unsurprisingly they become his favourite kind of comfort food. So much in how Villarica approaches food, cooking and life is rooted in what makes him feel happy and loved; what provides him with a sense of hope, purpose and joy. There is much to learn from Chef Kevin Villarica as we collectively navigate these foreign times.
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