A family that cooks together: Rachel and Barni Alejandro whip up a double celebration with their chef-mom Myrna

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Singer/actress/entrepreneur Rachel Alejandro and her sister, Chef Barni Alejandro-Rennebeck—the duo behind the premiere healthy diet delivery company The Sexy Chef and its bestselling cookbook series—have revealed the secret to their sweet success! They take after their mom, Chef Myrna Demauro! The three women recently teamed up for a double celebration: the formal unveiling of The Sexy Chef’s Crave Low-Carb Ice Cream and the grand launch of Chef Myrna’s Chef Mom’s D Lite Catering Service and Canteen.

This time, Rachel and Barni were thrilled to give the spotlight to their mother.

The daughters reveal that their mother is their mentor and idol, especially when it comes to cooking. Rachel says, “One of the many ways our mom shows her love is through feeding us the most incredible feasts. She never scrimps on quality and excellent flavor in all her dishes. You could say she is one of the reasons why Barni and I put up our own food business.” Barni agrees, “I inherited from mom an insatiable passion for food. Her love affair with food motivated me to become a chef.”

 Chef Myrna Demauro with her daughters Chef Barni Alejandro-Rennebeck and Rachel Alejandro at the opening of Chef Mom's D Lite Canteen and launch of The Sexy Chef Crave Low-Carb Ice Cream.

While Rachel and Barni started The Sexy Chef in 2004 with the help of their mother, Myrna’s culinary career took off in 2010 when she established Chef Mom’s D Lite Catering. “I’m a late-bloomer,” Myrna remarks. At any rate, she was very prepared for the endeavor. Myrna had taken a four-year course at Baltimore International Culinary College in the US, plus post-graduate studies in Europe and Asia. Myrna’s business objective was to serve the budget-conscious middle market looking for good taste, quality food and great service.

Chef Mom’s D Lite has now grown to be a leading canteen concessionaire and a caterer of choice. The company’s four-story commissary in Quezon City houses a modern kitchen, high-tech storage, employee dorms and executive offices. Its client roster includes shipping companies, BPOs and big corporations, as well private clients for weddings, debuts, baptisms, dedications and corporate events.

Chef Myrna’s most recent endeavor is a homey canteen on the ground floor of her commissary. Even without any promotion, Chef Mom’s D Lite Canteen has been packing in diners, especially at lunchtime. The canteen’s menu includes the same delightful dishes and yummy baked goods that the catering company serves to corporate clients. “Mom’s expertise lies in cooking the most delectable comfort food. Whether she’s preparing food for guests at home or for her customers, our mom definitely doesn’t shy away from using premium ingredients. Her dishes are absolutely divine and mouthwatering,” says Barni.

At the launch, Chef Mom’s D Lite served its specialties, as well as the three variants of The Sexy Chef’s Crave Low-Carb Ice Cream (Bulletproof Coffee, Cookies ‘N Cream, and Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter) that Rachel and Barni willingly brought to support their mom’s venture.

For the Chef Mom, the best is yet to come. Chef Myrna keeps busy as she has found her place in the culinary industry. She says, “Sometimes, I ask myself how and why I got into this. I think it’s really a calling and a privilege to cook for people and feed them well.”

Chef Mom’s D Lite Catering Service and Canteen is located at 83 Roces Avenue, QC; for inquiries, contact tel. no. 373-5629, mobile: 0917-6526746 and email chefmomsdlite@yahoo.com. To order Crave Low-Carb Ice Cream, contact The Sexy Chef at tel. no. 721-8881 and mobile 0917-7992433.