Food content creator Jujumao cheerfully presents his recipe of calamares. Photo by Ched Gatchalian, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — If there’s anything that keeps viral content creator Jujumao’s fire alive, it’s the undying creativity in the kitchen.

Juju Imao, or better known online as Jujumao who has become a global food sensation, is the grandson of National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao. Though he could have followed the legendary artist’s footsteps, he chose to create his own mark with plates and pans as his canvass, and his passion just keeps heating up.

His family exposed him to various international cuisines, but his admiration for Philippine and Asian food culture in general has always been a standout. With all the recent famous recipes online especially from popular countries like Korea, there’s one thing that he wants himself and his followers to keep doing.

 “I wanna inspire everyone to be creative at the kitchen and to explore things that they’ve never experienced before… I want to inspire more people to be a bit more adventurous. Try to ride the belief that Filipinos will eventually be accepting to different flavors,” Imao said.

Refusing to call himself an actual chef to pay homage to those who devoted their lives in the kitchen, he identifies himself as a simple “home cook”. But despite the fame that he in enjoying right now, he also went through rough times before unleashing his culinary expertise.

Challenges grilled the cook

On Thursday, Imao told the press during his cooking session at The Cooking Place in Taguig his humble beginning. After college, he had to work far away from his home and friends, resulting in loneliness that somehow overwhelmed him.

Facebook/Jujumao

Through a friendly recommendation, he transitioned to working in a hotel which gave him an opportunity to also receive culinary training. He became a line cook and experienced the competitive scene in the kitchen — which like the other industries — has a “ladder” to climb on.

However, a decision to shift to sales put a halt on his cooking journey, which he eventually missed as well.

“I found myself missing the kitchen more and more,” he recalled.

He tried to get into culinary-related jobs yet he never got a call back. But life indeed has a way of achieving the same goal even through different ingredients or processes.

“I was inspired by the food content of creators I idolized,” Imao shared, detailing how the #FoodTok trend pushed him to start making content. “I had nothing to lose.”

Jujumao is known for bite-sized videos showing his recipes and cooking process. But little do everyone know, the seconds-long clips actually took him hours to make.

Jujumao's calamares recipe.

After putting his heart into this endeavor, he now has 2 million followers in TikTok. He also has numerous viral videos on his feed, including his calamares recipe which the media experienced cooking through the session.

Marinate oneself in community

Imao emphasized that among the best part of content creation is having a community to learn with. He fondly remembered his collaborations with known food creators like Bayashi, Kenty, Chef Hiro, and Omuraisupuro, as well as his friendship with social media personalities like “Lumpia Queen” Abi Marquez.

“You need more like-minded people with you,” the internet personality stated. 

“At one point, ‘yung content naming lahat nagiging similar na e. ‘Yung format, everything, ‘yung mga transition ko napi-pick up din ni Abi… ‘Yung parang philosophy namin as a group is always to hold a door for us na walang maiiwan. We want to keep bringing each other up and other food content creators,” he added.

But with all these influences, how does he maintain his own unique flavor in his craft?

“May pinaggagalingan naman lahat, what makes it different is your personal touch with it,” Imao stressed. “I always pride myself with my eye on plating, on creative recipes. Although may similarities with other food content creators, ‘yung mga recipes namin magkakaiba.”

Letting dreams simmer

The viral food creator has a lot of plans in the future, but he keeps most of them for now to prevent “jinxing” them.

“I want to put a small restaurant somewhere. Right now kasi I’ve holding a small pop-up in my house, so purely by invite lang. We only done two sessions, hindi pa siya open for public. But it’s a start if I want to pursue a franchise or a restaurant, or even an izakaya – parang small servings bar food,” he shared.

“For cuisines, I want to explore (more) what Southeast Asia has to offer. Ang daming mga dishes na undiscovered pa,” Imao added.