A photographer by profession and a foodie from the culinary capital, Pampanga, John has been passionate and curious with food, watching Youtube videos of world cuisine and travelling to indulge in different cuisines of every country he has been to. His curiosity with smoked meats elevated when he came across Barrel Pro’s Facebook page while looking for a griller in 2017, starting this exciting new world of smoking meat. “Flavor Reference” is probably the main challenge of smoking meats here in the Philippines in the early days. The closest local thing we have for comparison is tinapang isda and etag from the highlands way up north. When the pandemic started, John started his food business, Spice Grill BBQ, hoping to keep faithful to the unique and meticulous methods, perfecting the meat-smoking process. To further enhance his skills, he has reached out and collaborated with fellow pit masters at PCP Pampanga. He has been helping organizing Pitcamps, sharing knowledge and experiences with fellow smoked meat enthusiasts. To John, experience is the best teacher. Perfecting smoked meat is an art form that requires a lot of patience and attention to details. There are no shortcuts in crafting something beautiful and very delicious.
At the present, he is part of the BarbeCrew in Pampanga and serving awesome menus on different BBQ Pop Up locations. More power and Smoke on!
