2015: Year in Review & What’s Ahead for 2016!

Aside from the great recipes above, some pretty amazing experiences and celebrations took place this year too, My favorites include:

My little guy continues to grow and amaze me! I always look forward to celebrating his birthday every year with a fun theme and this one was definitely a great time on the farm,,,

Filipino cuisine continues to make its way into the mainstream and I’m doing my part in Chicago by hosting these special, interactive cultural dinners. They have been so popular and each dinner I’ve hosted have sold out – I look forward to continuing these events into 2016!

This year was especially a momentous time as Patrick and I got married! We couldn’t have asked for anything better because it truly went as we hoped and exceeded our expectations. Everything from the weather, venue, vendors, food & drink, and all our loved ones with us made it absolutely perfect… and marrying my best friend, my rock and my better half made it worth the wait!

After the tropical wedding, we whisked off to the tropical paradise of Cancun for our honeymoon. It was amazing and I’m already longing to go back and enjoy paradise soon! The all-inclusive resort was top notch and I especially loved the food!

All in all, 2015 was an amazing year and I have so much to be thankful for. I hope 2015 was a great year for you too and 2016 proves to be an even better year for everyone!

As for What’s Cookin, Chicago, 2015 was a busy year that took me away to plan a wedding while balancing my full time job at the specialty pharmacy, my part time job teaching culinary classes and still finding quality time with family and friends. However 2016 will be much more focused on recipes and events, with far more time dedicated to the site. You can expect to see more recipes, entertaining ideas and some tasty food adventures shared here so stay tuned!

Culinary classes have expanded far beyond my culinary studio in Chicago! Starting in January, I’ll be teaching a ‘Young Chef’ culinary series of classes through a couple local park districts in the northern suburbs. The best part is Joel will be working along side of me to teach culinary classes to his peers and families in the community.

Culinary classes for adults will continue through my culinary studio in Chicago, but focused more on select popular classes I’ve taught over the years. I’ve also expanded my teaching beyond the culinary realm by helping fellow {food} bloggers collaborate and work on their blogs through hosting monthly blogger workshops. After attending a slew of food blogger conferences, it became apparent to me to connect locally and build a close knit community of bloggers that meet regularly to help us stay accountable and hone our skills.

Filipino Kamayan Dinners will continue quarterly into the new year as well to spread the word and tastes of Filipino cuisine and culture. These dinners allow me to extend and share a part of myself and why food is such an important part of my life.