Away from showbiz controversy and embraced by the security of family life, Danica Sotto-Pingris is carving a name for herself as a celebrity food vlogger.
The daughter of veteran actors Vic Sotto and Dina Bonnevie, and wife of cager Mark Pingris and mother of two has a diploma in Culinary Arts under her belt. And yet she points to her mother as the main reason why she excels in her chosen vocation.
“She’s still my biggest influence,” the actress and TV host said in a media interview while taking a break from a cooking class she conducted in behalf of Smile Train, an organization that provides free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children in developing countries.
Danica recalls watching her mom conquer the kitchen back in the 1980s, when themed parties organized by event planners weren’t a thing yet and parents had to slave away for hours so their children could hold birthday parties in their backyard.
“I’d watch her cook as a young girl, every time there’s a party, merienda. She’d be in charge,” Danica said.
She remains fascinated by the fact that her mom could whip up the most delicious Thai, Indian and Italian dishes despite being a self-taught cook on top of having a lucrative career as a sought-after actress.
She recalls, “Hilig na niya before. And then she had me when she was really, really young. So parang my dad got her a whole set of cookbooks. Every day, tinitignan lang daw niya. Trial and error.”
Danica herself learned valuable lessons from her mom’s experiences and she applies what she learned not just in her culinary adventures, but to her everyday life in general, to this day.
“You learn through making mistakes. Hindi naman yung marunong ka na kaagad,” she shared.
In as much as her mom has inspired Danica in fostering her love for cooking and in being a parent, Dina Bonnevie is much, much more to her daughter.
Danica shares, “My mom is my worst critic but she’s also my biggest fan.”
To this day, Dina never fails to acknowledge and congratulate Danica on her triumphs, from something as simple as a stylish wardrobe choice; or something more meaningful like a new project or an accomplishment of the kids. Cooking wise, Danica admits that her kids and her husband remain her biggest fans.
After teaching members of the press how to cook lasagne rolls, Danica hosted a cooking class and taught participants how to whip up four dishes— mixed greens with candied walnuts, tortilla crisps with avocado mango salsa, chicken parmigiana, and chocolate peppermint panna cotta—that they could easily prepare for holiday gatherings.
Dubbed as “Spread Smiles This Holiday,” the class was conducted to spread awareness on Smile Train’s programs in the Philippines, as well as to raise funds for such programs. The afternoon cooking affair was sponsored by Glad Philippines and held at Back of the House in Quezon City.
As Smile Train’s ambassador, Danica is doing what she can to help patients with cleft lip and cleft palate.
She expounds on her chosen advocacy. “Akala natin na para maganda lang tignan. What we don’t know is that it really affects a lot of things. They can’t eat properly. They can’t socialize because nahihiya sila.
“Akala natin before it’s just that. Na parang, yung panlabas lang na anyo nila. What we don’t know is there are a lot of thing pala that na-aadress if they are given the chance to have it fixed, to undergo surgery.”
