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The dishes I can cook comprise only of simple Filipino fare: tinola, adobo, nilaga, sinigang, pinakbet and kaldereta. Admittedly, I know just enough in the kitchen to get by and pass the “pwede ka nang mag-asawa” test.

Of the limited ingredients I’m familiar with in my mother’s cupboards, the name Mama Sita has always been on the top of the list. In fact, I’ve always known the use of its varied products to equate to good Filipino food. The brand’s mixes and sauces have been my ally in most of my attempts in the kitchen, and I’ve always been grateful to the woman in the picture for making those moments so much easier for me.

Food packets are as much as I know about Mama Sita. Who she is, and how she became a household name was unknown to me until I joined a special media tour to the famed shopping mecca of Divisoria. Apparently, the woman in the picture spent a good part of her life in the ever bustling area of Manila.

The tour recognized Mama Sita as a Filipino, a mother and a “kusinera.” Dubbed “Mama Sita: Ang Diva ng Divi,” the tour happened on December 1 and brought participants to Divisoria where a good part of Mama Sita’s life was spent.

All in the family
Before the Divisoria tour started, participants first met up at the famous Aristocrat restaurant along Roxas Boulevard. Why the meeting place? Because as it turns out, the pioneering restaurateur and founder of Aristorcrat, Engracia “Aling Asiang” Reyes was Mama Sita’s mother! Aling Asiang is considered “Mother of Filipino Cooking.”

Over a very Filipino breakfast, Cecille Nepomuceno, information officer of Mama Sita’s Mixes and Sauces, gave a brief history lecture on the life of Mama Sita.

Teresita “Sita” Reyes was born on May 11, 1917 in Tondo. She is the third of Asiang and Alex Reyes’ 13 children, and was the one who got her mother’s features—a round face, well-defined eyebrows, well-shaped lips, intense but soulful eyes, and a pretty nose.

But what Sita really inherited from Aling Asiang was the love and passion for Filipino food. She grew up watching her mother cook and dutifully became her assistant. It was then that the young Sita began her advocacy for Filipino food.

‘Diva ng Divi’
Nepomuceno related that the young Sita would always go to the Divisoria market as Aling Asiang’s assistant. She watched her mother scour the streets for the freshest ingredients, and witnessed firsthand the ease with which she dealt with the. She therefore learned to haggle fairly and got the best deals without upsetting their “suki” vendors.

As Sita became Mama Sita when she married Fidel Reyes and bore 11 children, she continued to visit Divisoria, which she considered the extension of her kitchen. She bought everything there—from ingredients to her “paninda” like fresh fruits, kakanin, dikiam and turon, which she took to different colleges and universities.

Going to Divi was a joy to the woman. She loved to engage in market banter, trading jokes, stories and tips with vendors and other shoppers. But more importantly, she earned the loyalty and friendship of her trusted suki.

In return, Mama Sita always got the best bargains and went home with “banyeras” and sacks of different products.

Mama Sita became very dear to the vendors and traders so much so that they would shout “Andyan na si Mama Sita!” whenever she arrived.

Retracing Mama Sita’s steps
After the breakfast at the Aristocrat, we finally left for Divisoria. I hadn’t been there for many years so I was surprised to see that apart from the old shops and 168 Mall, more shopping places have mushroomed, namely the 999 Mall, 11/88 Mall and the City Place Square.

But despite these multi-storey buildings, the inner streets of Divisoria remain the same—and that was where the tour led us. We went to the streets of Juan Luna, Ylaya, M. De Santos, Fulgeras and CM Recto where Mama Sita used to shop.

As a challenge, we were asked to find the cheapest deal for fresh fruits and vegetables. I quickly took to the task and met two vendors along Fulgeras Street whose relatives used to be Mama Sita’s very own suki. Of course, because of the association to Mama Sita, I was given a special discount on kilos of garlic and onion. My other purchases included fresh lettuce, seedless grapes, apples and pears. Indeed, the great Mama Sita lives on in Divisoria.

With our bayongs filled, we happily left Divisoria for a well deserved lunch at the Ristorante Delle Mitre in Intramuros, Manila. As a fitting end to the Mama Sita tour, we were served with the “Diva ng Divi’s” newest sauces.

The menu included Sinigang na Ulang (cooked in Mama Sita’s Sinigang sa Sampalok Paste); Chicken Morconitos in Chunky Menudo Sauce (Mama Sita’s Menudo Sauce and Tomato Sauce); Meatball Surprise with Chunky Spaghetti Sauce (Mama Sita’s Kiddie Spaghetti Sauce); and Creamy Vegetable Casserole (Mama Sita’s Calderata Sauce).

The dishes were delicious as expected, but tasting them was made more enjoyable with images of Mama Sita dancing in my mind, shopping in Divisoria to create her signature mixes.