User talk:Henrypacheco

'''It was the late 60's in the Philippines when the US military base provided a supple source of income to a lot of Filipinos who are trying to find a better life while working for the military troops and their family stationed in the different military bases. People from all over the Philippines have decided to move and settle by the US bases in their search for greener pastures.

It was there at Subic Naval Base where Tony and Linda met. Tony worked as a tricycle driver and Linda serviced people at home for manicures and pedicures. Both have high hopes for their future, working long and hard in the hopes that someday they would have a better life. Eventually, Tony and Linda fell in love but it was not an easy journey. It was a May-December love affair. Linda was 10 years older and Tony was only 18. It was hard for Tony's family to accept that he was in love with a woman who's alot older than him. But Tony was in love and bound to prove that Linda and him would make it somehow. Tony and Linda decided to move in with each other and start a family.

It was that faithful day of March 14 when Tony and Linda were blessed with their first child. A bouncing baby boy they named Henry. But just like any family starting anew, Tony and Linda found out that it's not always a bed of roses. Life was hard and they've realized that staying with each other would just make their lives miserable. Henry was just a 3 month old baby when Tony and Linda decided to part ways and live separate lives, and the battle for Henry's custody begun.

Tony took baby Henry to his home town of Sapang Bato, Angeles, Pampanga. Linda did not want Tony to have Henry but Tony would not let Linda have Henry either. The harder Linda tried to steal Henry away from Tony, the more Tony keep Henry away. Tony entrusted Henry's care to his family to ensure that Linda does not steal him away. It was a long court battle where the judge,eventually,summoned little Henry to the stand and choose between his mom and dad. Little Henry, who never had a chance to know his mom, eventually, chose his dad. Tony and Linda, eventually, pursued their own happiness and settled down with other people. Henry, on the other hand, was left in the loving care of his grandparents,aunts and uncles.

Henry grew up with his aunts and uncles, a family that put alot of love and pride in cooking their food. Henry saw how the day begins and ends in the kitchen. Everybody cooks and have their own specialties. Holidays are always extra special. Henry still remembers the rice cakes, all the good food and how the family catered for other people. The Pachecos took Henry in the midst and showered him with all the love that a little boy needs. Growing up in this environment paved way for Henry's love for cooking to blossom, which would be a significant influence in Henry's quest for his destiny.

Henry did not have an easy life growing up. He grew up in a loving environment and yet something was missing, he felt incomplete. He still vividly remembers how he yearns to have a complete family. He still remembers when he was 7 years old.He saw one of his friends walking, holding hands with her sister, mom and dad walking side by side with them. He remembers his tear falling and asking himself, "How can other kids have a complete family and I don't?" He was well taken care of by his dad's family...But they are not Henry's own. Henry felt lost.

Children can be harsh to other children at times and yet we grown ups never realized that. Henry learned how to be strong and tough at a young age because he felt the need to watch his back at all times. Growing up and going to school at Sapang Bato Elementary school proved to be a battle for Henry. He was not your average Filipino boy...He was different. Henry was the typical "tisoy", a mestiso.The word mestiso is originally used to describe a mixture of Filipino and another nationality. Later on, Filipinos have accustomed the slang "tisoy" to describe Filipinos with lighter skin. Henry was teased relentlessly about being tisoy. Kids do not understand how a light skinned Henry can possibly be a Filipino when he does not look anything like them. Henry was deeply hurt by the teasings but none hurt him the most than being called "adopted". Henry would always get into fights trying to stand up for himself and prove that he was not a weakling. It was a difficult battle but Henry's heart won't let him give up on life and his dreams.

For 17 years, Henry did not had a chance to know his mom. They've maintained very limited correspondents with each other. Linda kept in touch through brief phone calls but was never really involved in raising Henry. Henry knew she was his biological mother who lives in the US...The mother that he never had.

But life in the Philippines was not getting easier. Henry was well-loved by his aunts and uncles but the decision has been made. Henry had to go to the US and live with his mom. It was not an easy decision to be made. His family loved Henry and they only want what was best for him. They believed that by sending Henry to live with his mom that his future would be guaranteed. After all, America is the Land of Milk and Honey. Little do they know that this decision would turn Henry's life around into things he never dreamed of happening to him.

PART2 In the year 1986, at the tender age of 17, Henry flew to Norfolk,Virginia to live with his mom. All those years of being apart, Henry never hoped for anything than to be accepted and loved by his parents. He yearned to belong to a family. He wanted to know how it feels like to actually have a mother...His mother. Living with somebody who is practically a stranger proved futile for Henry. His mom did not understand the hurt that Henry is going through, and Henry simply did not know his mom. They argue daily, each longing to understand what the other is going through. Linda longed to be Henry's mother. Henry longed to be Linda's son. Both tried to please the other, but after 3 months of living with Linda, Henry decided it's time to move on.

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===================================== PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER From Chicago Street Gangs to Celebrity Chef

INQUIRER.net Last updated 04:14pm (Mla time) 06/18/2007

CHICAGO, IL - Chef Henry Pacheco was in the Chicagoland area on a cross-country tour to gather materials for an upcoming book when it suddenly came together: an impromptu Father’s Day cooking fellowship with members of the Lord's Servant Church in the Morton Grove home of Art Bunag. Chef Pacheco had humble beginnings in the town of Sapang Bato, Angeles, Pampanga, like the Black Eyed Pea Allan Pineda Lindo a.k.a. Apl de Ap.

As a young immigrant, he got involved with gangs in Chicago. Discovery of cooking saved Pacheco from the streets. Today he has worked with the celebrity chef Rick Bayless.

Henry Pacheco's satisfied clients include the Seattle Seahawks and Nora Aunor. Check out his official website Henry Pacheco Dispatch by Armand B. Frasco WebSite