Kicking It with Chef Val in the Philippines

My name is Chef Vallerie; most of you know by now that I am obsessed with shoes. For those who follow me on Instagram, you have seen my stories of my shoe collection however do not know my story. I was born in Ilocos Norte, Philippines, in San Nicholas. Believe it or not, I was born in my grandfather's bakery. Crazy, isn't it, how my career was chosen for me the day I was born into this world. I am sure you have read my story, upbringing, and how my parents moved to America to give my sister and me a brighter future. Both sets of grandparents raised us, and yes, we were poor, we lived off the land, didn't have running water or electricity, and as a child, we had little to no toys at all; it was whatever my grandparents could afford with the money my parents sent home. I remember my grandparents gave me a new pair of shoes. My parents must have sent it because I remember my grandmother tracing my right foot and cutting it (this is how we used to send our shoe size to people who lived abroad, so they get the right fit). The pair of shoes was so beautiful; I didn't want to wear them; I was used to wearing worn-out slippers or going barefoot when I went out to play; for us kids that lived in the province, that was normal. My grandparents would scold me whenever I came home, and my feet would be covered in mud.

It was typhoon season, and on this particular day, it had stopped raining. I wanted to go out and fly the kite that I had made. My grandfather had yelled out, reminding me to wear my new pair of shoes, so I don't get my feet all muddy. As I pulled the shoes out of the box, I thought I could not wear them because I didn't want to get them dirty and that they should stay in the box. I ran out of the house barefooted with my kite. I played for hours, and as I was heading back to our house, I stepped on some debris, wood chips to be exact; it got stuck to my heel like glue. I ran home to wash my feet and tried to remove the splinters without my grandparents noticing because I knew I would get in trouble.I couldn't get the splinter out and be afraid to tell my grandfather. For two days, I tried walking as if the pain didn't bother me, and as soon as my grandparents would not look, I would limp to get to where I needed to go. The rain had picked up, so luckily for me, I had to stay home. Finally, the pain was too much for me, and I could not hold back the tears. I told my grandfather what had happened and how I got the splinter; he thought I broke my shoe. I told my grandfather that I didn't wear them. I wanted to save them and keep them in the box because I didn't know if I would ever own another pair of shoes. My grandfather, of course, was mad at me. My grandmother came to me and told me, "This is not the last pair of shoes you will own. You will grow up. You will have many shoes in many colors so that you don't have to worry about going outside barefooted and never have to feel the pain in your foot if you ever step on anything sharp." Despite the lack of things that my sister and I had, we had a happy childhood because of my grandparents' love. I guess you can say this was the beginning obsession or my passion for shoes; it's the memory I have with my grandparents.

It has been 30 years since I returned to my country, the Philippines. It's been too long, and I am excited, at the same time, scared. I know that this trip will be emotional for me, going back home, visiting my grandparent's final resting place but most of all, reminiscing wonderful memories,

I am raising funds to be able to purchase shoes in the Philippines instead of sending them. I want to see the smile and the look on each kid's face and hug every one of them. I wish I could do more on this trip, but this is a start.

Follow me on our journey as we kick it together with me, Chef Vallerie, in the Philippines.

#kickingitwithchefvallerie