MANILA, Philippines — White House top chef Cristeta Pasia-Comerford has cooked meals of three United States presidents, numerous heads of state and an esteemed array of visiting dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II.

And with it, Comerford was awarded on Monday an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of the Philippines.

She talked about presidential kitchens, gleaming utensils and all that glitter in the dining room and most of all the place it all started.

She came from a small village of Maasim in San Rafael, Bulacan.

“My mother thought it would be a great idea to drop off my siblings and I at my grandparents’ home during the summer break,” she said.

“I always feel like bursting into the ‘Bahay Kubo’ song when I think about it,” she said.

“This is where I began to understand the values of work ethics, perseverance, and community. This is where my earliest and fondest memories ignited my passion and interest in my profession.”

UP President Danilo Concepcion and Commission on Higher Education Chair Prospero de Vera III awarded the honorary degree (honoris causa in Latin) to Comerford at the university where she affectionately calls as her “UP naming mahal.” (Cate Pallarco/IAMIGO/CNS)