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| iya villania & drew barrymore with the chefs of HOME FOODIE |
IYA VILLANIA and Drew Arellano are considered to have one of the more stable marriages in local showbiz. “That’s because we’ve been on muna for ten years before we tied the knot in January 2014 in a beach wedding in Nasugbu, Batangas,” says Yia. “By that time, kilala na namin talaga ang isa’t isa and it’s easier to adjust as a married couple. And God has been good to us, binigyan agad kami ng son, si Primo, who’ll be three in August, and a second son, si Leon, who’ll be one year old, also in August.”
Both Iya and Drew are better known as hosts. Iya is seen delivering the “Chika Minute” showbiz news nightly in “24 Oras”, where Drew also does the travel portion showing beautiful spots in our country from his own show, “Biyahe ni Drew”. But together, they have the long-running hit cooking who, “Home Foodie”, now on its 5th season, aired weekdays after “Unang Hirit”.
This is where they teach new #Madalicious and #Affordalicious recipes along with celebrity chefs Llena Tan Arcenas, Martin Narisma, and John Valley of the San Miguel Culinary Center. They now bring the show out of the usual studio and they are seen cooking in one episode with the beautiful Sierra Madre mountain range as their kitchen background.
“We have to think of something different for Season 5,” says Chef Llena. “Yung ambience sa ibang lugar like the mountains in the Tanay area is so refreshing not just for the viewers but for us also in Home Foodie. Iba yung dating niya, sobrang mas ganado rin kami mag-cooking demo .”
Iya adds that the new season show classic dishes but with new twists and innovative ideas to spice up one’s cooking. In turn, Drew goes interactive and interviews viewers in the city about their own ideas and queries on cooking that the show can quickly address.
“It’s really exciting to share our Home Foodie adventures with fellow home foodies as they share their own views about various dishes that are budget friendly, very nutritious and easy to prepare,” adds Drew. “Nakakatuwa nga kasi even our eldest son, Primo, helps us when we cook in our kitchen. He knows what he wants and he just loves crunchy food. He’s even the one who tells us, let’s bake brownies. This early, he loves working in the kitchen.”
Well, this is clear proof that the family that cooks together, stays together. So don’t miss the brand new season of “Home Foodie”, Monday to Friday mornings right after “Unang Hirit”. Is there any other ingredient that contributes to their being a happily married couple?
“More than anything else, I think it’s because we have the same priority,” says Drew. “And that’s happiness, which most people equate with money but for us, it’s having a happy household. One you prioritize that, then the universe will just present itself to you.”
“And we make a decent living doing something that we both enjoy doing,” adds Iya. “Like hosting ‘Home Foodie’ together. We’ve been doing this for five years now and it doesn’t feel like work at all. So we’re just feel very thankful for being so blessed.”