TACOMA, Wash. — She may have been born in the United States, but chef Jean Parker's greatest culinary influences are 10,500 miles away.
“My love for food comes from my parents. My mother is from the Philippines and my father is also from the Philippines,” Parker said. “Everything we do revolves around food. And honestly, it's also a way we show love to each other.”
Today, Parker expresses love and Filipino heritage in the food she prepares through her catering company, Jan Parker Cookery.
“We like to bring Filipino flavors. We also bring American flavors to America,” Parker said.
Her unique flavor has made her a South Sound favorite. However, her talent caught the attention of a national network.
“My first experience with the Food Network was on ‘Chopped,’” Parker said. “Food Network found me on social media and reached out to me through Instagram. I went through a casting process and I think they liked me.”
They liked Parker so much that the network contacted her again to see if she would appear on season 2 of their reality show, Ciao House.
“I got the email invitation and I was so shocked and I thought, 'Is this real?'” Parker said. “Ciao House” [Season] The two are basically located inside a villa in Puglia, Italy. And we're in a beautiful state-of-the-art kitchen. And we all compete to become the head of the family, the Kappa. ”
Parker has been thrown into the reality TV fire before, but filming “Ciao House” required a whole new recipe for success.
“As we're filming, we're also learning about who we're going to play against,” Parker said. “So it's also in the back of my mind, 'Okay, I've got to work a little harder, I've got to perform at the highest level.'” A lot of the chefs and I have specialties, so we definitely use their area of expertise to their advantage, and you can definitely expect a Filipino influence in what I create. ”
You'll have to watch to see how Parker does, but she says the experience of filming “Ciao House” was worth braving the heat.
“Competing was challenging, a little stressful, and required a lot of energy,” she said. “But it was worth it and I would definitely do it again.”
Season 2 of “Ciao House” begins Sunday, May 19 on Food Network.
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