EXCLUSIVE: Is ‘Lumpia Queen’ Abi Marquez open to joining MasterChef Asia?
From meeting renowned chef Gordon Ramsay last year to becoming a guest judge on MasterChef Asia a few months ago, Filipino food content creator Abi Marquez continues to be grateful for the milestones she has achieved in her career.
In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN during the launch of her Gabbie Jewelry charm collections, Abi expressed her happiness over the blessings that continue to come her way.
“I hope (this) never stops. This week has been really good to us. We just launched the episode where I was a guest judge in. It’s just launched and also ending this week with this event and spending it with foodies. And also, again, pagkain na naman,” Abi happily said.
“This is one of those moments where I say I love my life. I love it. And I know that I feel so lucky that I feel like I’m in the right place and surrounded by the right people,” she added.
Abi also looked back on her experience joining the cooking reality competition, where she had the opportunity to meet and work alongside some of the industry’s most prominent chefs.
Known as the “Lumpia Queen” for her creative food content, Abi admitted that she was unable to bring her signature lumpia to the MasterChef kitchen. Still, she was grateful for the warm welcome she received from fellow guest judges Edward Lee, Pam Soontornyanakij, and Kelvin Cheung.
“Unfortunately, hindi ako nakapagdala ng lumpia sa MasterChef Kitchen. But Chef Edward, Chef Kelvin, and Chef Pam were really nice and kind to me. Honestly, di ko pa na-open up but I felt really shy at first. And I felt really small because these were like giants in the industry. And I cook mainly for videos and for content. But coming in there, they welcomed me,” Abi recalled.
Despite not having the same professional background as the chefs, Abi said she appreciated how they treated her as an equal and valued her opinions during the judging process.
“They treated me as one of them during the judging. And they were also, parang sineseryoso nila yung sinasabi ko. Alam mo yun? I know that’s the bare minimum. But I’m just so happy to be standing next to these prominent chefs. And also representing the Philippines in that platform,” Abi proudly stated.
With her guest judging experience now behind her, would Abi be open to returning to as a contestant in the future?
“I would love to try joining as a contestant. But I don’t think hindi pa all-star kasi wala pa naman akong narating sa MasterChef. But yeah, I love a challenge,” Abi excitedly said.
She went on: “The guest judging was a different kind of challenge because to some people, they might think that it’s just eating and then saying if you like it or not. But it’s actually about knowing how else to improve a dish. What else can be done? What could’ve they improved on this dish? Does it highlight the challenge? It’s quite a lot. But yeah, I’m really proud to be there.”
In a social media post, Abi also reflected on how her journey as a food content creator began with simply experimenting with different dishes in her kitchen. What started as a creative hobby eventually brought her to an opportunity she had only dreamed of.
“I never imagined that messing around in my kitchen four years ago, turning tinola into xiao long bao or sinigang into lumpia, would one day bring me to a kitchen I had dreamed of seeing my entire life,” she remarked.
“Even more surreal, I got to stand on the other side as a judge. It reminded me that the things we begin simply because we enjoy them can sometimes take us further than we ever planned,” she added.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey and celebrated this milestone with me. I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I enjoyed being part of it.”