A Chef's Tale

Chef Rolando "Lau” Laudico, one of the country's most well-loved chefs, has been cooking since he was seven years old. His mom was the first one to teach him the ways of the kitchen.
 
For him, cooking is a form of Art and Science-- two of his favorite subjects in school. This culinary genius believes that he can best express his creativity but through food.

But Chef Lau, as he is commonly called, never realized that one can actually have a career in cooking until he was already in high school. It was when he started reading magazines and books about chefs and their restaurants that he told himself that he wanted to become like the people he read about.

At the age of 24, he started working at La Primavera's kitchen washing dishes and doing prep work. For professional culinary training, he went to the Culinary Institute of America. He then headed to France and started working as an apprentice at L'Essentiel.

In 2006, Chef Lau opened Bistro Filipino which offers traditional and modern Filipino cuisine. To date, he still runs the restaurant alongside his wife Jackie, who is a pastry chef. They've also put up Chef Laudico Culinary Services which provides catering for special events. The culinary couple's newest baby is BFAST in Ayala Triangle Gardens which serves breakfast favorites the whole day.

Chef admits that the passion for food came like second nature, something that was fun for him to do and at the same time very creatively satisfying. But he was faced with a big challenge. Ever since he was young, he had problems with his teeth. It would always feel tooth sensitivity and it made eating and drinking hard at times.

With his tooth sensitivity, he felt like there is a sudden sharp pain that spread like lightning from his teeth to his brain, making it really difficult to do his job as a chef.

As a chef, he tastes a lot of dishes everyday-- from hot soups to sour sauces to cold frozen sorbets to sweet desserts. Having sensitive teeth made tasting food a very painful experience, making his job less enjoyable.

It became such a nagging problem that he went to a dentist and was told to use a toothpaste for his sensitive teeth.

Now, Chef Lau swears by Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief® toothpaste. He says, "It's like the toothpaste the dentist uses on me in the clinic. I like the pleasant taste too. I've been using it for a year or so and my teeth became less sensitive the longer I used it up to the point that I hardly get any painful surprises at all. ”

With Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief®, Chef Lau is more confident in tasting his food without the fear of tooth sensitivity.

A Chef's Celebration

Chef Rolando "Lau” Laudico is among those who found passion in what he does everyday. "I love being a Chef. Thank God I'm doing what I love best and making a living out of it. Life is definitely great right now, won't live it any different.”

But being a chef hasn't always been easy because of his tooth sensitivity. He admits, "Dati madalas akong nangingilo. Just imagine the amount of food and drinks I have to taste on a daily basis and having to suffer pain every time. It's like living in hell basically. ”

But now, this culinary master is back to enjoying life more. Thanks to Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief® toothpaste. He proudly says, "I've been using it for a year or so and my teeth became less sensitive the longer I used it up to the point that I hardly get any pain at all. With Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief®, I am more confident now in tasting my food without the fear of sensitivity.”

He adds, "Knowing that you satisfied a person through your creation and hard work is probably one of the most fulfilling things you can experience as a chef. Feeding people feeds my soul. Now that I'm pain-free, I can enjoy it to the fullest.” To celebrate freedom from tooth sensitivity, Chef prepared a special dinner party featuring some of his favorite hot and cold treats which can now be enjoyed without any worry!

A Chef's Passion

Chef Rolando "Lau” Laudico of Bistro Filipino is a self-confessed foodie. "Food is my life, my love, it's what fuels me and inspires me. I enjoy eating everything and anything! As long as it's cooked well with a lot of love.”

He admits to being a soup guy. "I can eat soup everyday, love sipping herbal teas as well.” But when it comes to cold treats, his favorite is dark chocolate ice cream.

He adds, "Eating for me should always be a pleasurable experience… Aren't we lucky as Filipinos that we eat like 3 to 6 times a day?”

However, Chef Lau, as he is fondly called, had to battle a condition which made it hard for him to fully appreciate food. "Ever since I was young I had problems with my teeth. It was hard at times eating and drinking because of my tooth sensitivity. With my tooth sensitivity, I felt like there is a sudden sharp pain that spreads like lightning from my teeth to my brain. Pag nangingilo, mahirap sa king mag-enjoy ng ice cream, ice water, white wine, beer, sodas, shakes basically all cold beverages. Hot Soups, teas, coffee, biting on freshly cooked meats like chicken, chops, steaks, hot pastas, rice, among others.”

Good thing Chef discovered Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief® toothpaste. "It's like the toothpaste the dentist uses on me in the clinic. I also like the pleasant, fresh taste. I've been using it for a year or so and my teeth became less sensitive the longer I used it up to the point that I hardly get any sensitivity at all.” With Colgate® Sensitive Pro-Relief®, Chef Lau says, "Eating and drinking once again became a happy and pleasurable experience for me. I am a happy Chef!”