Lifestyle Channel’s ‘Spice to Life’ tells stories of Filipino chefs

REDWOOD CITY, California — Cable channel Lifestyle Network has launched the all-new series “Spice to Life,” mini-documentary-style segments that chronicle the rarely told but extraordinary stories of Filipino American chefs and restaurateurs, whose techniques de cuisine and brilliance have put them on the map.

In this colorful series, now available on the network, chefs and restaurateurs share their passion, not only through food but also through culture, people and their communities, telling tales of how food led them to international fame.

Their distinct palates, dedication to flavor and commitment to philanthropy have allowed them to bring Filipino cuisine into the mainstream.

The series premiere opens with features on Lem Balagot, Rudy Janeo, Jr. and Danny Moran.

“These trailblazers and chefs are doing so much more than bringing our distinct Filipino flavors to the international food scene,” said Olivia de Jesus, managing director for ABS-CBN North America. “They are setting the bar for how to live meaningful lives of service and that is what makes their stories truly remarkable.”

Restaurant-owner Lem Balagot began introducing Filipino food to the sets of movie studios in Hollywood, using a fresh technique of cooking with ingredients that often went from farm to table. Having established the L.A. Rose Café, awarded and recognized as a gem of Los Angeles, he turned to food banks and churches to feed the hungry.

Off the famous Las Vegas strip, Chef Rudy Janeo, Jr. orchestrates the kitchen of the Michelin-rated Ventano Italian Seafood & Grill. The same love and passion he brings behind the stove led him back to his provincial hometown where he rebuilt a school and modernized educational access and equipment for children still living in poverty.

After purchasing a successful small gelato operation begun by Don Bosco priests in Manila, Danny Moran, became an international sensation by creating flavors that invoked adventurous tastes. Following his childhood love for soccer, he created a sports program for street children in Manila to keep them off the streets and embolden them with virtues of hard work, trust and a team spirit.

For more information on Spice to Life and Lifestyle Network’s programming, visit www.lifestylenetwork.tv.