The Sweet Side of Heritage | Chef Danielle Comerford’s Taste of Home in Netflix’s 1 in 7641

Written by Jennifer Redondo

Chef Danielle Comerford, a Filipino American, explores the rich culinary heritage of the Philippines in Episode #3: Kain Tayo (Let’s Eat!) of the Netflix docuseries 1 in 7641. The episode follows Comerford as she journeys through Bacolod, Pampanga, and Ilo Ilo, sampling diverse local dishes. 

We recently sat down with Danielle to discuss her experiences filming in the Philippines, her background, and what and where she’s cooking next. 

1. Tell us about yourself. 

Danielle Comerford: My name is Danielle Comerford. I am 24 years old, and I recently graduated from Johnson and Wales University summa cum laude with my Bachelor of Science in Baking & Pastry Arts. I specialize in pastry arts, but I love cooking savory as well. 

I grew up in Maryland and the greater Washington D.C. area. Both my parents are professional chefs. My mom is Cristeta Comerford, the former executive chef of the White House, where she served for nearly three decades. She served five presidents throughout her tenure, starting with the Clinton administration. She retired last year, and now resides with my dad in West Palm Beach, Florida with our two dogs.   

I was a very active kid. I was a competitive gymnast my entire life – it’s my sport from elementary school and I competed all the way through college. I am the co-founder of the club gymnastics team at Johnson and Wales University. I served as the co-president throughout my four years in college. I am semi-retired from the sport, but I want to try to get back into it. I'm still active in the gym, but that was a huge part of my life outside of school throughout my entire childhood. 

2. Were your parents an inspiration for you to pursue a career in the culinary arts?

Danielle Comerford: My parents knew before I knew it, but they weren't surprised when I decided to go to culinary school. They were very supportive. Growing up, they volunteered and catered lunches and dinners for school auctions and for church. Professionally, my parents cook more on the savory side. They met when they were working at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. They were hotel chefs, and worked at the restaurants throughout the hotel.

It wasn't my original plan to go into the culinary industry though. After high school, I knew I did not want to pursue a traditional major that was solely academic based, but I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to follow in my parents footsteps either. My parents always told me to “Be whatever you want to be when you grow up. You don’t have to be a chef.” They always warned me that chefs have long hours, the pay is not great, and it can be a very difficult industry and job both mentally and physically. 

Being their only child, I gained a lot of their mannerisms. I felt comfortable being in the kitchen. In middle school, I started to bake as a hobby. Then in high school I would bake cakes and cupcakes for friends and family for special events. This was my little side hustle when I wasn’t in school or at gymnastics practice. I would make two-tiered fondant cakes, buttercream cakes, and other small pastries for birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations. 

I’m more of an arts person – I love visual arts: painting, ceramics, sculpting, really anything creative. Specialty cakes and pastries allow me to express my creativity as I am able to create gumpaste flowers, airbrush edible colors, and basically whatever I want! 

For college, I took a leap and went to pastry school. I applied to Johnson and Wales University (JWU) because I was intrigued by their College of Food Innovation and Technology, especially the pastry arts program. I also liked the fact that it’s a midsize school: they offer other colleges with a diverse range of majors, so I was able to be surrounded by many different types of people. I ultimately chose JWU not only for their renowned culinary program, but because I also wanted to have the full college experience as well: campus life, dorm life, club life, and community life.  

3. What led you to specialize in pastries?

Danielle Comerford: I have always had a love for art ever since I was a little girl. Arts and athletics were my favorite part of the day in school. In elementary and middle school was when I began to play around making cupcakes and small pastries.

Whenever there was an occasion, I liked making cupcakes, be it pastel Easter themed with colorful egg sprinkles, piping puppies with buttercream, or even just playing around with food dye and making rainbow cupcakes. It was something that I really enjoyed. 

When I got to college, I loved it! I was initially scared, as home baking and working in an industry kitchen are two completely different realms. Being able to bake in a professional kitchen, everything is big, new and shiny. You are exposed to all different types of equipment, have so much space, and there are almost no limitations to the things you can create because in school we were equipped with so much! I fell in love with pastry because it's so precise, it highlights artistry and creativity, and it's also science. 

4. Could you tell us more about your experience working at Filipino establishments on the East Coast?

Danielle Comerford: During college, I spent my summer breaks working at a Filipino restaurant formerly known as Kaliwa in Washington D.C. That was my first official pastry cook position. It was my first internship for school, which I completed in the fall/winter of 2020 – timed right after COVID hit during my freshman year. After my internship, I came back to work the next two summers during my semester breaks as their pastry cook and eventually as assistant pastry chef. Throughout my time working there I had become really close with the chefs and the whole team. Many of the people there (including the chefs) were also Filipino, and we were truly one big family. I also worked at a bakery next door to the restaurant called Praline. I was the lead baker, and would open up the shop and fill the pastry display case every morning.

I'm a yapper. I'm a people person. I'm very high energy. Although I enjoyed the peacefulness of working in the bakery alone, I definitely prefer being a part of a team when working in restaurants. The work is very repetitive, and is less stimulating and exciting for me compared to the restaurant scene where there's always something new every service – unpredictable. It definitely keeps me more on my toes. From there, I geared towards working in restaurants. 

After graduating in 2023, I worked at Kayu, a new Filipino restaurant in Washington D.C., opened by Chef Paolo Dungca. At Kayu, I helped create the pastries for both the a la carte menu as well as their chef’s course tasting menu. I previously worked with Chef Julie Cortes and Jaerron Felipe at Kaliwa, and now have built such a strong relationship with them throughout the years. They are not only chefs, but my mentors, the kuyas and ates (older siblings in Tagalog) I never had. They’re truly like my family now. 

Last summer, I took a pause from the restaurant and spent the summer doing a pastry apprenticeship in Nice, France. I worked at Pâtisserie Julien Duguord in Old Nice. Living and working abroad was truly the most incredible and eye-opening experience. It definitely put me out of my comfort zone as I was working in an entirely French-speaking environment, and all of their recipes were written only in French. I learned so much and gained such a valuable experience while living in France. I learned more than just about contemporary pastries – I was truly fully immersed in French culture, and made so many meaningful relationships during my time there. I became very close with the team, and made so many great memories that summer exploring the south of France. It was the most incredible feeling being out of the States. It was my first time living solo internationally. I had my own apartment, and had built up my own little life there for a bit. 

After I returned from France, I came back to work with the team at Kayu part-time. Alongside that, I also worked part-time in the main kitchen at the White House for events like state dinners, receptions, luncheons, and other special occasions. In the main kitchen, I worked with the team to help prep and execute all different types of menus for any hosted events.  

Currently, I have had to put a pause on my career as I just recently had a major knee surgery and have a long road to recovery ahead of me. After I fully recover, I am looking at continuing my career abroad – possibly Spain, but I am still open in my search. I’ve spent most of my life on the East Coast and I’ve traveled to many places, but I would like to continue traveling and eventually see the whole world. Right now, I want to focus on exploring and learning more pastry. I want to gain as much experience as I can.

5. What Filipino-inspired pastry dishes did you create and serve at Kayu?

Danielle Comerford: One of my favorites is their version of a cassava cake. We mold them into little rectangles, and top it with a little bit of special crab XO sauce, then we take lardo and torch it until it's melted, and finally we garnish it with smoked trout roe. It’s a perfect mix of sweet and savory. 

At Kayu, they take on Filipino flavors and make it fun, modern, and playful. The menu is constantly changing based on what is fresh, and whatever we can get our hands on. We have some key staples, but the menu is constantly evolving. It’s a surprise every day you come in! 

Another favorite of mine is our version of inaasal, but we do a full half chicken. In addition to that, we also do a ribeye with served burnt coconut sauce on the bottom. It's very stark and black, and it's really rich and complex in flavor. 

6. Growing up, did your mother prepare Filipino dishes?

Danielle Comerford: Oh, yeah! Most of my diet was Filipino growing up (and still is heavily today too). My mom would always cook Filipino breakfast – the crispy fried egg, garlic rice, and fried bangus (fish) was my favorite. She also makes a lot of classic dishes like kare-kare, kaldereta, nilaga, sotanghon, pansit, lumpia – you name it and she’s made it. One of my favorite weekend treats would be waking up to a nice warm bowl of freshly made champorado – topped with condensed milk of course. 

While I was away for college, I really missed eating home cooked meals. I would call my mom to figure out how to make adobo. I would ask her: "Mom, what do you put in your adobo?" And then she responded, "Oh, just a little bit of garlic, a little bit of soy sauce, and some vinegar”. When I asked for measurements, she replied with "Just whatever feels right." Until this day, I still have no idea what feels exactly right because I just don’t have the magic touch that she does. She will pour in things straight from the bottle and know that it’s good, but when I try to copy her, it’s just not the same. I can’t write down the recipe because she never even measures. But somehow, every single time she makes it, it’s exactly the same. I definitely need to learn how to cook like her because I know she's not going to be able to cook for me forever. It’s important that I learn, so I am able to keep my culture alive, and eventually pass it down to my family in the future. 

7. What’s your favorite Filipino food?  

Danielle Comerford: That's a hard question, but I’m a sabaw (soup/broth) girl. I don't want to be basic, but sinigang is probably one of my top favorites. I love anything soupy, warm, and comforting. For me, it has to be pork and shrimp sinigang – that’s also my mom’s favorite as well. Served with steamed white rice, it’s really the perfect comfort food. 

8. What was your experience traveling solo to the Philippines like?

Danielle Comerford: I had been to the Philippines a few times before with my family, but this was my first time traveling there alone. It was my very first solo international travel at 22 years old. I flew out to the Philippines to film for the Netflix docuseries 1 in 7641. I found out about this opportunity through Sonia Delen, one of the producers for this series, and also the talent scout. She is a good friend of my mother, and she asked if I would like to be a part of a docuseries in the Philippines that would air on Netflix. Of course I couldn't say no to this opportunity! She told me about the concept – how they were in search of Filipinos who were born outside of the Philippines to travel back to the country to learn more about their culture and heritage. Each episode has a theme connected to the guest host – and from my culinary background she saw a perfect fit for me to be featured in the food episode (Episode 3: Kain Tayo)! I had a zoom interview with the executive producers – where they introduced me to their film concept and asked me a series of questions getting to know my personality, and if I was what they were looking for in a host. 

Almost a year after the initial zoom meet, I was flown out to the Philippines to finally shoot the episode. Prior to leaving, I had never met any of the production crew that I would be working and traveling around the country with. I was definitely a bit nervous, being that this was my first time ever being in front of the camera, let alone on a professional set. The only real experience I had filming prior was making TikToks for my friends to see. It was also a bit intimidating for me especially because the series wasn’t scripted. As a host, I had to be flexible and vulnerable and carry out natural, raw conversations (behind the camera of course). The directors coached me and reminded me to mention certain topics relating to what we were hoping to display in each location, but other than that, they captured the raw interviews and conversations I had throughout my time exploring the different regions and their cuisine. 

 In the docuseries, you will watch me learning to cook Filipino food, meeting with different chefs and restaurant owners, and doing a whole culinary tour while I learn more about my roots. We traveled to Bacolod, Pampanga, and Ilo Ilo, which are three large culinary capitals in the Philippines. I would say Ilo Ilo was the most surprising to me because I had never been there before, but it’s a big city by the beach. I was eating fresh seafood everyday. All the food I had was wonderful, and I could taste the heart and soul poured in everything I was able to try. After the completion of the filming, it was impossible to choose a favorite region. You really can’t compare them because they’re all different but special in their own way. 

 9. How did your post-graduation plans change after this experience?

Danielle Comerford: It’s always been my dream to travel and live abroad! I lived in France, and also went to the Philippines to film the series 1 in 7641. Now, I have my sights on living abroad again. I’m currently researching living and working in Spain for a few years, then maybe somewhere else, possibly Asia after. I want to see as much of the world as I can while I am still in my twenties, young, single, and with no obligations. I just want to explore! 

Filming the documentary certainly put me outside my comfort zone, but everyone I met was wonderful. I built new relationships, and by the end of filming the entire crew became the best of friends, like a tight-knit family. To commemorate our time together, we all got matching tattoos on the last night we were together. We all decided to get Filipino food tattoos dedicated to our episode for the docuseries. I wanted to get something cute and small, and a Filipino dessert because of my love of pastry. So, I got halo-halo tattooed on my arm because it has a lot of color: purple ube, red beans, and the green little jelly. Another got a tuyo (a little fish), one person got sizzling sisig on his arm – there’s a whole collection of Filipino cuisine on each of us. After completing the filming, I didn’t want to leave! Filming this project was truly one of the most amazing experiences I have had in my life. I hope to be able to come back and maybe film a second season in the future! I will be back in the Philippines again for sure!
 

 10. How many tattoos do you have? 

Danielle Comerford: It’s getting harder to keep count but 17 right now! Once I got my first one in college, it became an addiction. I don’t regret any of them. All of them have a story behind them! To me, they’re each a memory from a different point in my life. As I continue to get more, it adds to the collection of stories I hold on my body. My first tattoo I got was three dots, representing me, my mom, and my dad. I then got a whisk, rolling pin, piping bag, for my love of pastry. I also have an apple juice box that is reminiscent of my favorite childhood drink. Of course, I have a few knives on me as well (typical of chefs), but in a style that represents my personality. One of my cousins is also a tattoo artist, and I have a mango and a maitake mushroom tattoo designed by her.

At first my parents were a bit tentative about me getting tattoos, but it has now grown on them to the point where my mom has asked me to pick out a matching tattoo for all three of us (my parents and I) to get. It would definitely be centered around something culinary, perhaps a chef hat with a big, medium, and little chef hat to represent the three of us? My dad's the big one, my mom's the middle, and I'm the little one. Whatever the design, I’m happy that she has come to appreciate my tattoos and so excited for us to eventually get matching ones as a family. 

11. What's one of your ultimate dream goals?

Danielle Comerford: My dream right now is to travel the world. I want to be able to visit as many countries as I can – to fill up my passport until there’s no room for any more stamps. Filming 1 in 7641 gave me this incredible opportunity to go abroad. It was my first time traveling internationally by myself. This project was truly a once in a lifetime experience and really dug so much deeper into the lesser-known regions and cuisines of the Philippines. My ultimate dream before I die would be to be able to visit every continent and try foods from all around the world. 

If I were to have my own business, I would love to open up a cute, girly spot – a cocktail and dessert bar. There are so many bars out there, but not many specialize in pastries as well – savory bites are usually what’s offered. When I’m out with my friends at the bars, I always crave a sweet little treat. I usually end up having to leave the bar to find something sweet like an insomnia cookie or something that’s open late. I want a sweet treat while at the bar. 

12. What does it mean to be Filipino?

Danielle Comerford: One thing I’ve observed that really unites us is our love and pride for our culture, and the importance we put on family. My Filipino side of the family is very close-knit, and often get together. Food is also so important to us – we take pride in our cuisine and the dishes we share. 

I have fond memories visiting my tita and lola’s homes – there was always an abundance of food. There’s always a lot of people. We're always together. We’re at one person’s house for lunch, then we’ll all gather at another person’s house for dinner and to hang out into the night. It’s all about community. Everyone brings something, to the point where we can’t even fit all the food on the table! 

13. What would be your last meal on this earth?

Danielle Comerford: Definitely Asian food! I always eat Asian food and never get tired of it. But, I’m also very indecisive – so it’s almost impossible to pick just one. However, I do love a hot bowl of arroz caldo! I love anything creamy, and rice is just so comforting. 

I’ve watched my mom make it, but I need to start a recipe book and get in the habit of writing everything down that she does. I need to be able to recreate it when she can’t do it anymore. Since I am spending time recuperating here at home, maybe I’ll film her and start a series on TikTok or something of me learning how to cook Filipino food from my mom. 

14. Where can people find you? 

Danielle Comerford: On Instagram. My main account is @daniell.e.c. To follow my pastry endeavors: @bakedbydaniellec 

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Written by Jennifer Redondo

Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose

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