Craving Satisfied

These days, comfort food is just as good as a warm embrace

- MARELLA RICKETTS

The days go by, some more confusing than the others. During these frustrating times, sometimes all you need to do to feel a little better is to tiptoe into the kitchen, open your fridge, and pick out whatever calls your name. There is no shame in turning to comfort food from time to time—since the beginning of this pandemic, many of our favorites from the F&B industry have pivoted, catering to this very need. Three professionals—Richie Manapat, Enrique Moreno and Tara Lane—talk to us about how life has been a few months in, and share a little treat to inspire us: their comfort food of choice.

The situation has forced us to see with even clearer eyes what truly matters to us: human connection. And because we are not able to give much hugs these days, we figured that their comforting meals would be a nice replacement.

APPETIZER: SOURDOUGH PIZZA

For many, bread has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Knowing this, Richie Manapat has had one goal in mind since he had entered the industry: to stop bad bread. He elevates the quality of every batch he touches and takes the time to take people under his wing, working with names such as Hapag, Lagrima, Manu Mano, and Masa Bakehouse in La Union.

It comes as no surprise that Manapat’s comfort food, homemade pizza, has dough as its core ingredient. His version, of course, is naturally leavened and uses unbleached flour. “This actually takes two days to make,” he shares. “The first day is to make the sourdough starter and the second is for actually making the pizza.”