Imagine Donita Rose, the butcher

Those who have seen Donita Rose dabbling in cooking demos should know she isn’t just dabbling. Truth be told, the actress-host—who by the way is officially the Philippines’ first-ever MTV VJ out of the Singapore headquarters—is a proud holder of a culinary arts diploma, with the kind of work experience any restaurant chef would love on their resume.

Rose studied at the Academy for International Culinary Arts in Pasig City, and from there pursued her internship with the Red Crab Group of restaurants. She then lived and worked in the kitchens of Crown Plaza Manila Galleria for her externship, finally deciding to try her luck in the United States in the early 2010s. There, she braved the tough competition in Las Vegas, and was hired by renowned chef Akira Back for the latter’s four-star Japanese restaurant, Kumi in Mandalay Bay.