- Oh, [ _ ]! Why is it smoking?

- Huh?

Oh my god!

(screams)

- In this episode,
we are doing things

a little differently.

We will be cooking
a beautiful dinner

for all our hard working
producers here

at The Fat Kid Inside Studios
and FEATR Media

and hopefully inspire you all
in the type of dishes and food

that you can cook
for your family and friends

during this holidays.

So from us to you—

- [Everyone] Happy Holidays!

- So it's been
a logistical nightmare, apparently,

all these tired,
beautiful, happy faces.

We did a lot of the preps,
you guys did the preps yesterday.

- Yes.

- So they prepped
in the studio yesterday.

I was coming from a shoot
so I had to prep at home

last night.

This is the first time
we're actually properly cooking

for each other.

I feel like we cook
in a studio format

so when we do taste our foods
and each other's foods

is really kind
of just like standing,

you know, two bites,
and then kind of go

to the next thing,
there's always something happening.

So this is the first time
we're actually

all sitting down together
as a big dysfunctional family

and feeding each other.

So I'm personally very excited
to try Trish's food tonight.

I've heard magnificent things.

Trish, how are you feeling?

- I'm feeling good. Thanks.

Thank you for asking.

- Seth is our showboater
so I feel like

he's been really excited
to kind of showcase, like,

his true talent
and kind of break out.

- There he is!

- Yeah?

(laughs)

- Break free, baby!
That's what I'm going to...

- Nica, what are you making,
dessert?

- I'm making a cake.

- Okay.

Ynna, Sam,
how are you guys feeling?

- I'm excited.

- And then, Martin,
feeling like death as usual?

- Yeah.

(laughs)

- All right. So we're going
to be doing

last minute preps here,
getting the food ready

for everyone,
and then you're going

to basically come
with each pair,

except I'm the solo one,
and we're going to explain

kind of the food that we did,
the preps that we did,

and eventually
have everyone taste it

and be really honest
about each other's food.

- Hi! I'm Sam and I'm 
a food content creator

for TFKI.

- Hi! I'm Ynna
and a junior food editor.

We are in charge
of the appetizers.

- Yeah.

- And what we will be
making today?

- Deviled eggs.

So normally when we talk
about deviled eggs,

it's just simple—
egg yolks mixed

with mayonnaise
with the egg white on top.

But today, I'm going
to be making it something special.

How about you,
what are you going to be making?

- Okay. So for appetizer,
I will be making

a tropical crunch ceviche,
because first thing,

when you eat, you need
to open up the palate

so I opt to making
something fresh,

something light.

So I really love ceviche,
I love kinilaw,

and that's what I thought
of making.

So I'm using pomelo
for my ceviche

because personally,
I love all the tropical fruits.

- Okay. So while Ynna
is doing that,

I'm actually making
my egg yolk cream mixture.

So I'm just using Hellman's
Real Mayonnaise,

cream cheese,

mustard,

and then we're going
to put some spices over here.

And then, while this is going,
I'm going to check

on my roasted bell peppers
that I roasted off-cam.

I'm going to return these back
'cause what we're looking for

is this black coloring.

When you achieve this,
it's easier to peel.

Around 15 minutes,
and then we're going

to be mixing it.

We are going to put
the egg yolks here,

and then egg whites,
we're going to separate them.

We're going to fry them 
à la minute,

which means 
we'll do it on-site.

So we're just dunking
the eggs in ice cold water

to shock the eggs,
to stop the cooking process

and for you to be able
to crack it without getting burned.

So with the whites,
I am just going to make a brine.

Brining is actually for extra flavor, 
but not only that,

it also acts as a preservative.

- I'm getting frustrated
with this pomelo.

- You want to switch preps?

- Really, you want to?

- Yes.

- What do you want me to do?

- I'm already done.

- Huh?

- You'll be left here.
- No!

- Okay. So we're going
to cut the eggs now.

Separate.

The yolks are going to go here.

Just be careful on dunking them
'cause sometimes

the egg whites break.

I started cooking
when I was a first year college,

that was 10 years ago.

But started
cooking professionally

in 2019 when I was in Australia
for a fine dining restaurant

which was specializing
in Filipino food still.

It was there that I actually
had a passion for Filipino food,

is because of that restaurant.

Fast forward 2020,
I came back to the Philippines

because of the pandemic,
then I put up my restaurant

in Dumaguete.

Then, my restaurant failed 
because I was so clueless.

(chuckles)

- What happened?

- Then, I did content creation, 
and Papa E (Erwan) was hiring.

I don't know, 
I brought some food here,

and maybe that's 
why they hired me.

- Yes, the food 
he brought were amazing.

- I'd rather have it thick
than loose

because if it's too loose,
then I'm going to need

more yolks.

- Oh, guys. I'm done
with my pomelo.

First prep done.
Let's go with mangoes.

Oh my god, there's so much!

I'm just going to get
all of the cheeks out.

So I started cooking
when I was grade 2 or 3.

I was just watching my mom.

It looked like she was 
having so much fun,

and I wanted to do it too.

And then, my interest in cooking 
developed further

when I started watching 
cooking shows—

like MasterChef, Food Network, 
Asian Food Channel.

Those were my 
go-to channels growing up.

- All right. So this is our
Nuoc Cham buffalo glaze.

It looks runny now
but when it thickens

due to the sugar content...

When it's heating up,
it's going to be really,

really tasty.

We're going to put
a lot of cayenne

'cause I want the guest
to actually enjoy the spice,

to the point where it tingles
in your mouth.

When it comes to the main course,
you'll eat a lot.

- Oh my god, guys.
I'm done with the mangoes.

I have here mango
that I cut into like

really small cubes.

Now, I'll just do juicing
of the lemons first.

- Again, still prepping
egg whites.

God. Why did I pick this recipe?

(grunts)

- Is this right? Or like this?

- Okay. Let's trade.

The eggs should be smooth.

- You really need muscles for this.

What am I going to do?

- Just deshell everything.

This is almost everything
that we can do here.

We want to keep it fresh
on-site also.

So we will see you guys there.

And for the meantime,
the main course

will be prepped here.

- Yup. Let's go.

- What is up, guys?
My name is Seth.

- And I'm Trish.

- And we are food
content creators of—

- FEATR Media.

- And The Fat Kid Inside Studios.

And today, we are assigned with—

- The main dish!

- All right. Let's get on with it.

For me, I'm making
a Thai-flavored,

inspired-ish pork belly.

So it's going to be crispy skin,
roasted, enough to feed

the whole family.

And you?

- Yes. So we took inspiration
from Thai flavors,

so he's making the pork belly
and I'm going to be working

on the salad and the rice pilaf.

The rice pilaf is going
to be Mojo Verde.

Oh, fancy, right? Fabulous.

- Fabulous.

With that, we wanted
to go something different,

we want to be
a little more fun with it.

So we're going to go ahead
and start.

As you can see,
I have two pieces of pork belly.

Oh, shocks.

And if you can see,
these have dimples,

it's because
I already punctured it

with my knife.

So I wanted to make holes in it
and I wanted to help

that dry as much as possible.

- I just want to say
this is so exciting

because Seth and I
have known each other

for quite some time now
but it's our first time

to work together on a dish.

- So what I'm going
to be doing is I'm going

to be cutting
this pork belly in half.

I do want it to have more
or less an even cooking time

and I want also to have it
more surface for it to dry.

I'm just going to do
a light score at the bottom

to make sure that the flavors
go in later.

So we're just going to do
something really, really shallow

just to ensure that a lot
of flavor gets into our pork.

How about you,
how's your salad going along?

- It's still mango.

(chuckles)

So I'm still prepping
the mangoes.

I'm just going to blend this
and make a simple

mango vinaigrette.

- So first, we want
to make sure that we make

our marinade for the pork.

The faster we marinade,
the longer time it has

to actually have
the ingredients come in.

- I'll help you with that.

- So I'm just going
to do a rough chop on these.

So I want you to just
quarter them

'cause we're going to put them
in a food processor later.

Put it on the pork
and before cooking,

we're going to scrape it out.

- Okay. I'm the sous chef
here, guys.

- You can also do
a rough chop on this ginger.

- Okay.

- And I'm going to do
just a little quickie smash

on this garlic.

- Strong.

- If you want to peel
your garlic,

a nice quick little way,

so just put them around,
between your hands

and then just...

And it comes right out.

Okay. So I'm going to teach you
how to devein...

"devein" or destem
the kaffir lime,

'cause we're going to blend this
and I don't want that

tough stem in the center
to ruin it.

So what you want to do
is just pull back.

- Okay. I can do that.

- And then, keep...

- Is this the same one
they use for curries?

- Yeah. This is actually
the same one they use

for curries.

- The quick chop
of the lemongrass

to really give this pork belly
a fragrant aroma.

- You like lemongrass, Seth?

- I love lemongrass.

- Okay. 'Cause I know it's kind
of an acquired taste, right?

Not everyone really likes
lemongrass on their food.

- That's true.

Kaffir lime.

Our lemongrass.

I'm going to add
a little bit of salt to this.

- Okay. So while he's already
working on that,

I'll go back to my dressing,
so all I have to do

is just cut the acid
or the citric fruit.

I'm using lime in this case.

I'm just going
to slice it in half

so later I can easily
juice it out.

- So I'm going to grind
our paste that we're going to...

that we're going to rub later.

Give it a few pulses.

- How about
you plug it in first?

- I knew that. I knew that.

- That’s just how it is 
when you’re flustered.

- Don't show them!

(giggles)

Let me just plug this in
'cause I knew that

it was unplugged.

- Of course, he knew that.

Oh, oh.

Is the extension cord plugged in?

- Yeah.

Here we are.

- All right. Take three.

- Take three.

- Press it!

(screams in shock)

I can already imagine it
with the pork belly.

- I don't want
to beat them up too much.

- It smells so good.

Wait. There's a leaf here.

- Oh, [ _ ]! Why is it smoking?

- Huh?

Oh my god!

(screams)

- Unplug it.

- Why is it smoking?

- 'Cause that's 110V.

- Smelled like fire.

(chuckles)

- It’s hazardous when we’re together.

Okay.

I'm just going to blend
my mangoes.

Put a little bit of some acid.

I'll put a little bit of olive oil

and some honey.

You might be thinking
I'm making a fruit juice, but no,

not even close.

Okay.

- I'm going to start seasoning
my pork belly with some salt

to get it started.

This will help it
have more flavor.

Hey, I want to try.
I want to try.

Put some over here.

- Where?

- Here on my wrist.

- What do you think
does it lack?

- Hey!

- Just kidding. It's delicious.

(chuckles)

- So after I blend this actually,
I might cook it

over low heat just because
we work with pork

right beside it,
just for sanitary

and hygienic purposes.

- So what I'm doing here,
I'm really working

the salt into those scores
that I made.

This will help ensure
a flavorful meat.

And I'm going to rub in
our blended herb vegetable

spice mix.

So come join me, Trish.
We're going to boat this.

- Oh, I thought we were done.

- No, we're going to boat them.

So I'm going to be covering this
with foil at the bottom

but leaving the skin exposed.

I'm just going to set this aside
and we can set up

whatever else you have to do.

- Yeah. I'm just going
to clean up the kitchen counters

so we won't contaminate
any food.

All right. So I realized
that the Mojo Verde is best done

when it's fresh to avoid
the herbs from browning,

so I'll just do that tomorrow.

And then right now,
I'm just going to make

the simmer, and then
you can make your sauce

and we'll call it a day.

- Yeah.

I am making a nice, like,
spicy, garlicky Thai sauce

to top off with our pork later.

So I'm going to be just mincing
some red onions.

- This is actually really,
really simple.

All we have to do is just wait
for it to simmer

just so we can kill
any bacteria or any germs,

and then we can turn off
the fire and let it cool.

It's already simmering,
I'm just going to turn it off

and set this aside to cool down.

- So guys, what I'm putting here,
just garlic, onion,

I'm going to add
some fish sauce, sugar,

lime or lemon to taste,

you can add chilis
if you want it spicy,

but it's also very,
very important

to do this maybe a day before
'cause you want those flavors

to really, you know,
get to know each other.

I think we just got
to keep this in the fridge,

cover it so it doesn't stink up
the whole place

'cause it is fish sauce.

- We just have to clean up
and we're done.

- Get ready for tomorrow, right?

- Let's go.

- I'm going to completely break
the treatment of this video,

and I am so sorry about that.

I had an absolutely crazy day.

I just came from a shoot
with Dahlia

and which I'm super grateful for.

Like, this video is all
about being thankful.

And that was such a great shoot,
and it's just great

at this age—you know,
I've been doing this

for a long time—
to kind of still do these projects.

It's really great.

But now, as you can see,
it is 9:30 p.m.,

I am absolutely exhausted.

And tomorrow is when
we'll be cooking for everyone.

And I feel this dinner
that we're doing is really special,

and that's why I'm putting in
the extra hours

and the extra effort
to serve good food.

By now you know what I'm making,
so I'm going to go ahead

and start the prep.

So really important tonight
is to cook the beef cheeks down

for about 12 hours.

And then after that,
I'm going to start

my lobster stock,
and then figure out

how to bring
those two sauces together.

The dish is really inspired
by a mechado,

very loosely
in terms of flavors,

and just kind of cleaning that up
and thinking of ways

how would I serve it
in a very special

but still kind of very homey way.

And I really hope
that people like it.

It's in my head now.
I haven't executed it.

But hopefully,
it turns out pretty good.

So the idea here is to play
with the classic flavors

of what makes a beef mechado
and kind of like turn it

on top of its head.

And I'm going to be making
the beef cheeks

with your aromatics.

But I'm not going
to be using those aromatics,

I'm going to be discarding
them later.

But I'm going to cook
everything together

for about 12 hours in the oven,
and that's just going

to give it so much great flavor,

and then I'm going to put it
in the fridge

and then I'm going
to sear them again

to retain that sauce,
and then just clean it up,

sieve it, mix that
with the lobster broth

that we're making,
and that's just going

to make a really thick,
kind of like almost

au jus like demi-glace sauce
which will carry all the flavor

from all the elements
that we're adding there.

And then, I have to work
on a few other things.

Like, tomorrow,
I'll be making an onion

and ube soubise,
so it's just kind of like a...

Imagine a mashed potato
blended with caramelized onions.

It's beautiful.
I've done that before.

And I think that's it.

Okay. New day, new apron.

Feeling slightly rested.

Got about five hours of sleep.

Let's check on our prep.

So here is our lobster stock
that's reduced

for about three hours.

This thing was full till here
so we really reduced it down,

and it is so intense
and beautiful.

Yum.

While that's going,
we're basically going

to take our lobster tails
right here

and I'm going to poach that
in some butter,

but I'm going to basically do it
in a water bath

so the temperature
is controlled.

I think I'm going to go
for about 54°C

for about 20 minutes,
so this should get

nice and tender
but not like breakaway tender

and that's just going
to infuse all the butter

into the lobster tails
which would be fantastic.

- We are both assigned 
to the dessert,

so we’re in charge 
of the finale.

We have to finish... 
what exactly?

- I actually am planning
to make a carrot cake,

but then I've watched something
on TikTok, Chef,

wherein he put
the whole cheesecake

in between two layers
of carrot cake.

So I was like, ooh, that's cool.

Okay. Perfect.
I'm going to do that

but I'm going to make it
five layers

so that'd be around
roughly this height,

so it'll really be
the centerpiece.

- So when you see it, 
you won’t know

if there's a wedding 
or a birthday—

no clue at all.

What's the frosting going to be?

- The frosting is going
to be cream cheese as well.

But it's a light
cream cheese frosting,

so not too overwhelm
the cream cheese

and the cheesecake
on the center.

And then, I'm planning
to have a sauce

that would go with it.

And then,
maybe like individual...

- Sweet and sour?

(laughs)

- Or barbeque, teriyaki.
- Adobo. Humba.

- A spiced butterscotch sauce.

- My only request
is there'd be no raisins.

- No, it's okay.
I don't like raisins either.

- That's why we're a pair.

So for me...

She's going to be making
the centerpiece—carrot cake.

She's going to make it
beautiful for sure.

For mine...

I don't know if I'm going
to say it right.

I'm sure I'm saying it wrong,
so Erwan can just

correct me tomorrow.

It's called Vacherin Au Citron.

So basically it's a...

- Fancy.

- Fancy.

- Fancy.

- That's why it's very...

It looks complicated
but it's only complicated

because there
are multiple components to it.

So I'm going to be making
lemon sorbet,

lemon curd, meringue,
and some lemon syrup.

So it's all going to go together.

- I love how fresh it is.

- Right?

So some are fresh
and some are not fresh.

(laughs)

- Okay. So the beauty
of this recipe that we'll do

is that you can actually
make this ahead of time.

So this is sour cream,
just for added acidity.

You can use heavy cream
if it's not available.

- How do they add the acidity?

- If you only have cream,
you can actually add, like,

for a cup of cream,
a tablespoon of your acid,

so lemon or vinegar.

And then, I have here
three blocks of cream cheese

and some white sugar.

And then, vanilla,
it depends on what you want,

you can also use lemon extract.

And then, two eggs.

- All right. Cool.

- And then, just cream
everything together,

and then that's it.

- So the first thing I can do
is actually the lemon curd.

It's not the easiest.
The easiest is the lemon syrup.

And so for this one,
I need a lot of sugar.

It would be enough.

And it’s like making 
pastry cream

but with more of that 
sour tingling style.

Plus the lemon juice 
we squeezed earlier.

- So I'm just adding
my sour cream, Chef,

to this one.

And then, we're going
to whip this again

while I prepare the eggs.

- I love it.

So while you're preparing
the eggs...

So this process,
it's called tempering.

It's usually not done
for lemon curd.

Usually, for lemon curd, 
it’s all in one go.

Just one pot, 
mix everything together

until they form the thickness 
or consistency you prefer.

Then, slowly,
so tempering cooks your eggs

without coagulating everything,
making the temperature equal

for both liquids.

And then from there,
put it back.

Right. So the texture
that I want isn't there yet

but at this moment,
I'll add half a cup of butter.

So yeah, lemon curd
is full of sugar and fat,

but you don't eat a lot of it
when it's put

into the pastry.

Usually, just dot it
or a tablespoon.

- So one egg at a time.

Then, I'm going to add
our vanilla flavor.

- So my consistency,
I don't want it to be like

the spread curd.

So I just want it
to be sauce consistency

which is this.

I'll finish it up
with some zest.

All right. So that's it.
This is my first component.

For this one, my batter is done.

- Okay. We'll make
the lemon sorbet.

So equal parts of lemon
and water.

Lemon juice.

So noisy. What is that? 
So annoying.

- So I'm going to do
a bain-marie for my cheesecake.

If there's no bain-marie,
it's going to rise quickly

and that's going to crack,
and then it's going to burn.

- Who is Marie?

So ice cream,
obviously it comes from...

It has to have a base
called crème anglaise.

Crème anglaise is milk-based,
sometimes cream,

and you usually thicken it
with egg yolk

and sweetened with sugar,
flavored with vanilla beans,

or whatever flavor
you might prefer.

Now, sorbet is more
of just the juice.

So let's say lemon sorbet—
lemon juice, water, sugar.

So the thing is,
it doesn't freeze like ice cream.

With sorbet,
it's like you're making ice.

It’s like making ice candy, 
but fancier.

People usually say,
"There's so much sugar."

You're not going to eat
the whole cake, right?

I'm not mad.

Because!

(laughs)

What I like about
this machine thing,

it's really just like
you're making ice candy

and it'll handle it.

Cover this, put it
in the freezer,

and hopefully, it solidifies.

So next, we're going
to make meringue.

- Meringue.

- And I just wanted it
to provide the texture

on our whole dessert.

Just helps stabilize
the egg whites.

Add a pinch of salt
and we'll mix it on medium.

Now that I have microbubbles,
I'll gradually add my sugar.

We don't dump it in
all in one go,

that's because you're going
to destroy all the bubbles

that you've made.

So just do it slowly.

All right. So this is
the right consistency

I'm looking for.

- Wow!
- It's stiff but soft.

- So now, it's time for frosting.

Cream cheese.

I'm going to cream this first.

Oh, shoot. Wait.

I'll check my cake first.

- I'll take care of this.

- I'm back.

- And better than ever.

- Time to add the butter.

This is softened,
so I prefer the butter

to be softened
rather than the cream cheese

because we need the cream cheese
to be more stable

than the butter.

We're just going
to cream both together.

So we're going to add
our vanilla for flavor.

Okay.

This looks better now.

It's now time to assemble
our cake.

So I love to add glucose
at the base

so this acts as a glue
later on to our cake.

So this is now the first layer.

Thank you, Chef.

So just that.

Second layer in.

Then, it's time
for the cheesecake.

See, it's so tall already.

Is this already 
centerpiece-worthy, Chef?

- Attraction.

- One tip that I like
for the top layers to not fall,

especially since
the carrot cake is heavy,

is to use dowels.

So my favorite type of dowel
for this type of cake

is boba straws.

Two dowels.

Push it using the excess dowel.

Another one. Push it.

Then, we're going
to crumb coat our cake

with the rest of our frosting.

Experts, like my mom,
she doesn't do crumb coat,

just that.

- So after this,
just the crumb coat and...

- A light crumb coat,
and then I'm going

to finish everything tomorrow,
and then that's it.

- Close the door, please. 
Is this how you are at home?

- I'm sorry.

(chuckles)

- That should come right off.

Aw!

- You thought I was mad.

(sobs)

- It's delicious.

(laughs)

- Okay. So to start
and to awaken the palate,

I present you
my tropical crunch ceviche.

It features lapu-lapu
and shrimp for seafood

and it's marinated in a mixture
of citrus mix

which is calamansi and lemon.

And it's then tossed
in a vibrant mix of pomelo,

mangoes, cucumbers,
tomatoes, and red onions.

Then for the crunch,
I made some crispy wanton chips.

You can either dip it
or crumble it,

however you like. So, enjoy.

(applauds)

I'm really thankful
for the guidance, support,

and your brilliant creativity.

Being around
such talented people

makes me feel inspired everyday,
and I just can't wait

to learn more from you all.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

(applauds)

- As a fan of retro cooking,
this is a 70s inspired

deviled eggs.

So pan-cooked fried egg whites
at the bottom.

You have a roasted bell pepper
cream mixture on top,

followed by a Nuoc Cham
buffalo glaze that's kind

of like a fusion between Thai
and American cuisine.

Then, it's finished off
with tarragon and chives.

(applauds)

I am really thankful for...

maybe the opportunity
that I am able to work

with a team that is driven
with a vision to promote

Filipino cuisine/heritage
in general.

(applauds)

- Oh my gosh.

- Oh, yeah.

Try my pork belly.
- Yummy?

Not too much?

- It needs the fish sauce.

Juicy, tender?

- That's good.

- Whoa!

- Wow.

- So here I have
a whole roast pork belly

with Thai-inspired flavors.

So I flavored it
with a kaffir lime,

lemongrass, ginger, garlic,
and season it with salt,

dried it for about two days,
and cooked it really nice

and slow.

On the side, you have
Thai fish sauce.

I'm really thankful
for your patience

and your motivation,
and just your spirit of work

really inspired us
to just become better

at our jobs and just try
to deliver what you guys

see in us.

And we believe, and I believe
that you see greatness

in each and every one of us.

So I'm very, very thankful
for that.

- Amen.

(applauds)

- So I've made a Mojo Verde
rice pilaf,

so it's basically herbs
that were blended together

and we cooked the rice in it.

And then, we also have
a side salad to go with it,

so you have your vegetables
for the day.

And it's topped
with the mango dressing. Yes.

For that Thai-inspired flavor.

So 2024 was
a different year for me,

probably one
of the beat years of my life,

and it started off
very differently,

I didn't think
I would be here today.

And I'm thankful for each
and every one of you—

producers, videographers,
editors, everybody,

including those who work
on and off camera,

I'm so, so, so grateful
because of your patience.

And 2024 is full
of big milestones for me

and you guys are definitely
one for the books.

So thank you and I hope
we continue to work together.

(applauds)

- Oh, wow.

(laughs)

- That's Jennifer Coolidge.

- Only in the bedroom.

That's good.

- Whoo!

(applauds)

- That's the go signal, guys.
Let's eat!

- Yeah. The pork's next level, Seth.

- That is so good.

Wow.

- So my dad knew him.

So we would go on his boat.

- So, guys, what do you think?

- Woah, so confident.

- You were crying.

- Hey!

(laughs)

- You know that rice cake
in front of the...

- So obviously my favorite
is the kinilaw, or ceviche.

I finished one entire bowl.

- Wow.

(laughs)

- But everything's so good.
As in. Seth, the sauce

is super gamechanger.

Super delicious. Promise.
No joke.

I'm thankful for the growth.

I'm just super lucky
to be surrounded by people

who are very passionate
in what they do,

and it's always
another learning experience

everyday with the team.

- Don't hurt yourself.

- So the dish
that we made today,

the idea was
how can you put together

two dishes that I grew up with
that I really

have strong memories with
which is a beef mechado

and the only dish my dad
ever taught me

which was Homard à l'Armoricaine
which is the only dish

he ever taught me how to make
but it's absolutely delicious.

And I found those flavors
to be very kind of synonymous

so that's what I kind
of played with.

So you have veal cheeks,
I added 'Nduja.

And then, Homard à l'Armoricaine
is a tomato-based stew,

a lobster stew
from France as well.

Both of those stocks
came together,

and then cooked down
into really thick,

kind of like fatty sauce.

That's why I didn't put
too much of it

'cause it's quite intense.

And then, I sous vided
and poached...

butter poached the lobsters,
and I really cooked down

the veal very nice and tender.

And that's served
with betel nut.

Betel nut is what they use
when they make nganga

in like Visayas and stuff,
and they chew tobacco.

So that's the leave
I used to kind of deep fry.

So that's another Filipino element
on the plate.

And yeah. So the idea
was to kind of present

those two cultures in one dish.

And then, we have soubise.
Soubise is a French sauce

of caramelized onions
that's kind of blended

at a high speed
with cream and milk

which is really nice.

And then, I added
natural ube to it;

there's no coloring there.

So it's kind of like a mashed...

It looks like ube halaya
but it's not,

it's a savory version.

So it's soubise mixed
with an ube mash.

So those two things
come together nicely.

- So what are you grateful for?

(laughs)

- Whoo!

- In my life, I've never
really believed so much

in something that I was doing,
and that belief

would not be possible
with the team

that we've built over the years.

Yes, that team has grown,
has changed,

the dynamics are always
more complicated

the more the number
of people that you bring

into a team, but I really
do think that

the instinct, the flexibility,
and everything

that we started with
is still very much at the core

of what we do.

I really believe in kind
of all the work

that we're doing.

I think it's fantastic.
I think we're doing something

that's never been done
in the Philippines.

And you know, I've always hated
when people said,

you know, "Ah, it's good enough
for the Philippines."

Like, that was always something
I kind of nod at,

that pissed me off,
and I think we're proving

that quote wrong in general.

And that's something
that wouldn't be possible

with anyone...

everyone at this table
and everyone that's not

on this table,
that couldn't join us today.

So thank you very much
for kind of believing

in this journey with me as well.

I know we operate
at a very high pace

and at a high speed,
but I think it's something

that we can all agree that,
you know, we're very lucky

to be put in this position as well,
to do things

that we're passionate about.

So thank you all.

(cheers and applauds)

- Delicious.

- I can eat the ube, like,
by itself.

- So I super love this dish
'cause I can taste the flavors

of Filipino and French.

I can eat it as is.

First, I'm grateful
for the kitchen team

for working so hard
and preparing everything

that's on the table right now.

Everything was so good.

I'm also grateful
for the whole TFKI team

'cause everyone is so passionate
and it's actually

super inspiring,
and it pushes me

to become better each day.

- Yeah!

- I’ve been in the industry 
for over 10 years,

and out of all the shoots 
I’ve been to—

so many shoots—
this is the only production

that I’ve truly 
taken great care of.

(applauds)

(cheers)

So looking forward 
to more years to come.

(cheers and applauds)

- All right. So we are team dessert—
Nica and Marts.

So the first one
in front of you,

it's Vacherin Au Citron.
Is it correct?

- Vacherin.

- Vacherin Au Citron.

Basically, it's like 
an ice cream cake

but with all lemon.

So it's meringue,
it's lemon curd,

lemon sorbet,
and mint and basil syrup.

All house-made,
all sour but sweet.

And whenever I make dishes
for people,

it always comes from...

Sorry, Seth.

It always comes from memory
and experience.

So this was the last recipe
I developed

with a good friend of mine
before he passed away.

And things like that,
I love serving to people

I really like.

So this one's for everyone here.
I hope you guys like it.

- What are you grateful for?

- I am thankful for each
and every one of you here.

You guys are very patient
with each other,

you always listen to,
you know, instructions,

criticisms, or even affirmations
which is great.

- Thank you, Chef!

(applauds)

- The centerpiece.

- Okay. So after 
a refreshing dessert from Chef,

so we want to close
and end this wonderful

Thanksgiving dinner
on a warm and sweet note,

so that's why I chose
a merry cheesecake stuffed

carrot cake.

So in the middle
of our carrot cake,

there's a whole cheesecake.
It's frosted with

a very nice and light
cream cheese frosting.

Just to have it
all come together,

there's a spiced 
butterscotch sauce

that you can drizzle on top.

So I'm very grateful
for the entire team

because you believed in me
even if I had doubts

with myself.

And I'm just very thankful
for each and every one of you.

And hopefully, it's going
to be a fruitful 2025.

(cheers)

- What I'm grateful for...

Someone once asked me, 
“Your family is amazing,”

they said.

My answer to that was, 
it all boils down

to where you came from.

Of course, before you built 
that family, you had work,

and through that work, 
you fought for your family.

That’s what people 
see now, right?

What people see now goes back 
to where I came from,

and I’m grateful for myself.

Like, Hans, 
I’m grateful for myself.

You know why?

Because I arrived 
an hour and a half early

to shoot BTS for Erwan.

That one and a half hours—
when the camera operator

was late, the DOP said to me,

“Monn, can you handle 
this camera?”

And from that day on, 
I’ve been grateful for myself

because that’s the day I met E.

And on that day, he asked 
if I had a passport.

That same day, I locked in 
my flight to Taiwan

for my first job with Erwan.

Because I showed up so early, 
I got that opportunity,

and that’s the reason 
I’m here today.

So the lesson for everyone is, 
whatever opportunity

comes your way, be grateful.

And I’m grateful 
because we’ve grown so much.

When I walk into the office, 
I’m greeted warmly—

everyone is welcoming.

There’s no one in a bad mood, 
no one complaining

about their life, 
because we’re all putting out

the same positive energy 
for each other.

And I’m grateful because 
we all lift each other up—

not drag each other down, 
but help each other rise.

Thank you, Erwan, 
because wherever this attitude

comes from, for sure, 
it’s because of our boss.

If he were a jerk, 
we’d all be jerks, right?

For sure. E, thank you. 
Love you, man. Thank you.

And we’re going to grow 
even more, for sure.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(applauds)

- You gave me the chance 
to fulfill my dreams.

Oh, sorry.

(laughs)