Make your own bottled no-bake chocolate cake

For those who love to cook and bake, chef Jackie Ang Po is a household name. The chef, culinary instructor, entrepreneur and competitor for Pastry Alliance of the Philippines confessed that baking was a hobby of hers in her teens, like many young girls. The first dishes she made were baked spaghetti and a no-bake blueberry cheesecake, both of which, she said with pride, turned out well.

Jackie’s gift is that even as a young girl, she was patient and diligent enough to follow recipes to a T to avoid mistakes, she said. She took up business management at the Ateneo, but remained clueless on what to do after graduating. She worked in a bank for about a year. She opted to change her career path and studied pastry-making in the United States.

Accidental TV personality

Jackie has baked and cooked plenty since, and has also added devoted wife to Mitch Po, mother to Kylie and Joaquin, and accidental TV and social media personality to her slew of roles. She has chef Heny Sison to thank for her celebrity chef status.

In the early 2000s, Jackie worked on the sidelines for “A Taste of Life” with Heny. “I wasn’t hired to be part of the show. I was like a human prompter.” One day, the show’s director, Khryss Adalia, told Jackie to go on cam to ask the questions. She did, and the rest is history.

Jackie has starred in various food shows by GMA, like “True Confections,” “Delicioso,” “Amazing Kids” and “Del Monte Kitchenomics.” She later transitioned to online shows to accommodate the public’s shifting preference for virtual viewing.

Postpandemic, Jackie is busy teaching moms, aficionados, home-based entrepreneurs, small business and restaurant owners how to cook and bake. She also manages her thriving coffee and pastry shop, Fleur de Lys.

Most importantly, she sits tall and mighty as queen of the Po household. Indeed, life has been good to Jackie. For those who want to start a home-based business or simply yearn to present something new at the table, Jackie shared a couple of her most requested recipes.