Ingredients 8 egg yolks 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 cups heavy cream or Nestle cream 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup pureed Philippine mango 1/2 cup diced Philippine mango 1/2 granulated sugar (to caramelize on top) Procedure Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, whisk yolks and sugar until thick and yellow in color. Combine heavy cream and vanilla extract in a saucepan and heat until hot but not boiling. Slowly add the heavy cream into the egg mixture. Whisk until blended. Continue to whisk mixture and add the pureed mango. Spoon diced mango into ramekins and pour the custard mixture over. Place ramekins in a roasting pan and fill the pan with hot water. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the edges are set but loose in the center. Remove ramekins and chill for up to three hours. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and, using a small kitchen blowtorch, heat the sugar until it melts to a dark shade. For a more exotic presentation, scoop out the middle section of a cut mango. Place the crème brulee in the middle and blowtorch to caramelize the top.

Photo and recipe from Filipinas Magazine Online

Imagine a mixture of pureed and diced Philippine mango mixed with heavy cream, vanilla and egg yolks and topped with caramelized sugar. If that does not make your mouth water, nothing will. This type of creativity is what makes Ryan a winner in the culinary circuits. Armed with a lot of Filipino "secret" ingredients to infuse his culinary creations with Filipino flavors -- and flairs, for that matter -- Ryan has been winning a lot of accolades and awards for his wonderful concoctions that are to die for.

But for now, culinary creativity is the least of his problem. Having been chosen as one of the four International Senior Executive Chefs in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he has other big problems to think about aside from coming out with creative menus. Just consider the following: they are responsible for serving 17,000 athletes and 7,000 members of the media and this has to be done as a 24-hour operation for the whole duration of the Olympics. When he arrived in Beijing in June, his production crew was still a work in progress and he was caught off guard. But not to worry; as reliable as he is, his survival instincts surely kicked in and he is more focused than ever. Before the Olympics start in August 8, he has to train his crew as one cohesive working team. That is a tall order, to say the least, considering that the members of his crew represent a kitchen version of the "United Nations."

Chef Ryan (center) with some of his production crew in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

As of June, his translator, who just got married, was off on honeymoon. His Assistant Chefs include an Irish who drinks like a fish, a Chinese who does not speak English, a Muslim Chef who is not allowed to touch or be near pork, a Canadian-Russian who has yet to pass his medical examination, an Australian who has a heavy outback accent. His production crew also includes non-Chinese speaking cooks and culinary students.

Yet, Chef Ryan is unflappable and still having a "good time." With very optimistic demeanor, he says that he is making the most out of this once in a lifetime exciting experience. So it is not surprising that, based on his recent posting, their dry-run in the Olympic Village Catering with the Mayor of Beijing and other government officials went well with flying colors.

He describes that the Dining Hall for the Olympics is as big as a football field with humungous kitchen and with a duck room being built for the "Traditional Peking Duck" with closely guarded recipe and a chef coming from the Imperial restaurant. With his daring sense of taste for culinary discovery, it will not be surprising that Chef Ryan will be able to uncover the "secrets" of this traditional gourmet food and will be able to improve upon with an ever more desirable version.

Daring and brave: Chef Ryan tasting scorpions, one of Chinese exotic delicacies. In Nirvana: Jerry Madriaga (center) and Agnes Perez-Bartolome had the privilege of enjoying Ryan's gourmet cooking in Southern California.

His boldness and bravery to his creations extends beyond the traditional and very much in play with more exotic foods. In fact, he is courageous enough to try some of the Chinese exotic foods sold in the streets of Beijing. Wait and see how it ends up as part of his new culinary experiments.

After the Olympics, he will return to the US, managing the University of California Irvine cafeteria where he is the Executive Chef. His "untraditional" and delicious cafeteria dishes, some with distinct Filipino touches, are loved and enjoyed by the students, not only by Asians.

Ryan graduated from University of the Philippines at Los Baños, where he joined the UP Varrons as part of Batch '84. He immigrated to the US in 1991. He obtained his Diploma in Culinary Arts in California a few years after.

Other articles on Chef Ryan:

• Olympic Lock-in, article by Susan Madela in the Filipino Magazine, which is available online in the ExpatKitchen section.
• UCI Chefs Cook the Comptetion, article by Ali Taylor-Lange at the New University.
• See Ryan's business ad in the Varrons' Marketplace page.
• Pinoy Chef in Beijing Olympics, article in Lifestyle section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.net

Read the "First Person" account of Pastor Bernardo "Bernie" Mendoza (BWNN '74).

Other First Person Accounts:

• Janis Ian Samiano
• Tessie Tumaneng-Diete
• Rhodora Romero-Aldemita

Read other interviews in the following links:

Read the In Focus articles on Asuncion Karganilla-Raymundo, Melin de la Peña-Bandalaria

Read the list of Varrons-related Bibliography.

Go to the Marketplace page: