DANA COSIO- MERCADO was born and raised in Manila but considers her growing up years to have begun only when she left Manila at 30. Following a series of her husband's job assignments, she and her family came back to Manila in 2016. Two years later she made a go of living in Baguio and it has been wonderful for her and her son's mental health. All of her opportunities to travel include trying out the local food. Much of her kitchen experiments result from never having all the ingredients she needs to replicate her favorites in any one place.