Following the Will of God in My Life

JESSIE SINCIOCO

I was born and raised in Sulucan, Angat, Bulacan.  My father, Juanito, the 4th son of 9 children, was a farmer. My mother, Carmen Cruz, the eldest daughter of 14 children, was a simple but very enterprising housewife.

I am the eldest of 6 siblings. My childhood ambition was to be a nun.

I was the favorite niece of my aunt Lita, the younger sister of my father. My aunt’s greatest dream was to go to America after she graduated from school. The plan, however, was halted when my aunt accidentally met my uncle, Eddie, on a wrong telephone call, and they ended up getting married. They were blessed with four beautiful daughters.

My aunt promised my parents that she would send me to school when she was financially stable.  While pregnant with her first child, she adopted me literally when I was almost 9 years old and sent me to school.

My aunt was an accountant, and she wanted me to be like her. But what she did not know then was my desire to be a banker so I could work at one of those tall and prominent office buildings along Ayala Avenue, Makati.  I was always impressed by these picturesque edifices when we would drive along Ayala Avenue for our Sunday get-aways on Sundays after Mass.  I often would tell myself:  “Someday, I want to work in one of those banks and dress up like one of those dignified-looking employees!” 

To make a long story short, I finished BSC majoring in Banking and Finance after discovering that I was not cut out for accountancy.  I applied to three big banks along with Ayala, but I was not accepted. 

When my aunt saw my disappointment, she helped me apply at one of the big banks where her best friend’s brother worked as the “ Little President.”  I got an interview, I took the exams, etc., and passed it all!  The bank assigned me to work in the money market division at its principal office.  The only setback was that the office was located in downtown Binondo and not Ayala!  I was not happy.  I had to even wait for a month for the position to become vacant. 

While waiting, my aunt prodded me to join the baking category of the Great Maya Cookfest!  I joined and won the Grand Prize with our entry “My Tita’s Special Treat.”  I was offered three months of training at the Pastry Section of Hotel-Intercontinental Manila, which happened to be at Number 1, Ayala Avenue!  I trained, and the restaurant offered me to work as a regular staff! I worked at Inter-Con for seven years, and I was named the First Filipina Pastry Chef!

After Inter-Con, I joined my bosses at the hotel, Chefs Billy King, Andreas Katzer, and Lester Harvey, who opened “Le Souffle” restaurant. This restaurant became a by-word with the elite as being the only fine dining restaurant outside of a hotel at that time.  We ran and enjoyed “Le Souffle” for 18 years until we parted ways.

This split led me to start my own company together with my dedicated and loyal staff. We operated Top of the Citi, at the building of Citibank, Makati, and some other outlets.

Today, we have our building, which we call Chef Jessie’s Place and we still operate Chef Jessie in Rockwell.

Chef Jessie’s Place houses our commissary, offices, events halls, a roof deck, and our beautiful Holy Trinity Chapel.  I believe it was God’s gift to us after taking care of cooking all the meals of our dearest Holy Father, Pope Francis, during his historic visit to our country in  2015.  This precious privilege is our most significant credential, and we are so grateful for this heavenly opportunity. His Eminence, Cardinal Chito Tagle, blessed the building on December 8, 2018.

At this time of the pandemic where all restaurants are closed and gatherings are not allowed, our only source of income is our Take-out orders, which we can do because of Chef Jessie’s Place. 

We have a live-in team of very dedicated staff who have been residing at the building since the start of the pandemic. The staff has been attending to all our food orders every day.  This operation entails a lot of sacrifice from all of us, but I thank God for blessing us with the proper frame of mind in the company’s management. We guarantee maximum safety measures and assure our very loyal patrons who continuously support us that all the food they order from us is very safe for their consumption.

We have not laid out a single employee, and we make sure that we hear from each other regularly.  We thank God that everyone is safe; almost all are vaccinated, except those far and have been able to go home to their respective provinces to join their families.

In summing up my story, I believe God is setting me up for an even greater mission.  I am still very much alive and well to this day despite the pandemic.  

As his servant, God has endowed me with many gifts and blessings. I try my utmost best to live and fully entrust my life in his mighty hands, guidance, and protection in response to him. 

Finally, I always pray that God would inspire me in everything that comes out of my mind and my heart, every word that I say, and everything I do because, in the end, all honor and glory belong to him.