Kyle Imao: So young, so focused

A SKETCH he made for art class. PHOTOS BY ALANAH TORRALBA

When he’s not helping his daddy, Kim, whip up sumptuous dishes in the kitchen, the 11-year-old sketches and paints. The grandson of National Artist for sculpture Abdulmari Asia Imao and art gallery curator Grace de Leon-Imao has his own nook on the second floor of their home in Marikina City, where he has mounted his own exhibit of sorts.

Kyle also assembles model kits and toy robots. “I save a portion of my lunch allowance so I can buy the toys I like. I avoid buying fakes—unlike original pieces, they break easily,” he told Living Stars. “Some collectors prefer to keep their toys untouched and in mint condition, but I’d rather play with them. Toys for me are made to have fun with and to share with friends. I can’t do that if I stored them in boxes.”

Toys

“I assemble things made mostly from wood. I’ve already made a Japanese house, a dinosaur, a phoenix and the Eiffel Tower,” he said. “I have other collections, too. This is the latest model of Optimus Prime, a character in the movie ‘Transformers.’ One of my supporters from the United States sent me this. My dad and I are big fans of ‘Transformers,’ especially after we saw the movie. That’s when I became really fascinated with robots.”

“My oldest toy is this Gundam robot, which I’ve had since I was 3. The ‘Gundam’ animated series has been around for 13 years. I also watched the movie with my dad and really liked it.

THE KELTY backpack his mom bought in San Francisco.

He got this for me on my birthday.”

Books

“This book, ‘Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad,’ has been passed on from my lola to my dad and now to me. See how it’s already torn in different places,” he showed us. “Sobrang luma na. It has recipes for desserts such as bibingka and known Filipino dishes such as sinigang. My favorite is the recipe for the lumpia wrapper—it teaches you how to make it from scratch.”

Kyle also owns a small journal where he puts down ideas for new dishes. “When he has a particular plating in mind, he draws it here,” said Kyle’s mom, Mylene. “This shows how he conceptualizes.”

The book “Molecular Gastronomy,” by Hervé This, was a gift from Abulmari Jr., or Kyle’s Uncle Toym. “It examines the science of cooking. It tells you the reason things happen, how salt affects taste, for example,” Kyle explained. “It talks about and attempts to debunk culinary myths. This has helped me a lot, especially when I had to stabilize the foam of the dish I made during the show’s finale.” Kyle won P1 million in cash and a culinary scholarship worth P1.5 million.

Footwear

“It was my mom who gave me this pair of Nikes. They’re for running. They’re my everyday, all-around pair, and very comfortable. When my first pair wore out, I bought myself an exact copy,” Kyle said. “These white trainers are what I wore on the show. All Top 4 contestants had identical shoes.”

“This was given to me by my lola two years ago,” said Kyle of a pair of black leather Valentino loafers. “I wear them to school.”

Memorabilia

ALL-AROUND Nike rubber shoes

Kyle recalled the Christmas present he received from PJMC host Judy Ann Santos in 2011. “All the boys received this environment-friendly watch called Sprout. The girls got something else,” he recounted. “The watch’s band is made from cotton and corn fiber, the base, from corn resin. It comes with a bag of seeds that you’re supposed to plant to help save Mother Earth. The packaging is made from recycled paper. It’s supposed to have environment-friendly batteries.”

“I got this wooden rosary bracelet from Iain Johnston’s sister. She said it was for good luck in the competition,” Kyle pointed out. “I received another bracelet from Miko Manzano. He gave one to each of us after he was eliminated. He said it was to remind us to cook well.”

“These are letters from my old friends in school,” said the student of Our Lady of Perpetual Succor College in Marikina. “They handed these to me during the grand finale. The funniest ones wish I would win $1 million, and ask me to say hello to Juday for them.”

Kyle brought out his sketch pad from art class. “We were told to make something that showed balance, so I drew a dinosaur with a round head, long tail and feet. My favorite was when we made use of art paper to make the famous pastillas wrapper of Bulacan. I had a hard time cutting.”

“I received this professional knife series from Scanpan as a prize when I made it to the Top 6,” Kyle said. “When I was included in the Top 4, I got a microwave.”

Bag

“This is my favorite because my mom went through a traumatic experience trying to get me this,” said Kyle, holding up an orange backpack from Kelty. “She wasn’t familiar with the area in San Francisco. She went to the store and passed another way going back. People tried to snatch the bag, so she ran. Thankfully, a friend found her and showed her the safe way home.”

Clothes

This was the shirt I wore when I got picked for the Top 30,” said Kyle, showing us a blue shirt by Polo. “It’s my lucky shirt. I wore it twice in elimination rounds and twice got picked.”

“My mom got me this pair of jeans from Jag, which I used during the first team challenge. We had to cook kakanin and I accidentally spilled flour over them,” he recalled.

“I prefer comfortable clothes over fashionable ones,” he said. “My favorite colors are green, blue, red and yellow.”

Gadgets

HE claims he’s not a techie, but he has an Asus laptop, a Samsung tablet and a mobile phone.

Kyle’s parents got him an Asus EPC laptop, “which I use mainly for research on recipes. I also access the Internet for cooking techniques.

“I got this Samsung Galaxy tablet when I won. I haven’t used it yet. I’m not much of a techie. I’m happy with my cell phone, a Samsung Champ that I’ve had for two years.

“I research on the Net before buying gadgets,” Kyle said. “I prefer items that are sturdy, shock-proof and easy to use.”