Author Louella Eslao-Alix pours English tea for us from her Royal Albert tea set, one accented with lustrous gold banding and pink and yellow country roses. As a young writer, I wonder if following in her footsteps began in this tea ceremony. “I always have a corner where I can have my tea,” she shares.
White curtains covering a glass window created a soft filter for the harsh noon light, while bird cages created a shadow play on the different surfaces. We are in Louella’s Presents and Such Tearoom and Cafe, the perfect scene to take Louella’s photo. Of course, the star of the show remains her books—“Can I have all your books displayed A here?” I asked, pointing to one table adorned with fairy lights and other decorative elements.
“Sure!” she quickly responded, immediately bringing out the books she’d published. There were six (for now), all of them in line with what she’s most fond of— heritage and food. When I call her a book keeper, she agrees. “That’s right, I have always been a book keeper. I have always loved books, and I was exposed to it by my parents. One of my earliest memories is of them buying me a book.”
As a kid, she had been an ardent collector of moments, and always had the desire to put things in writing. she would write things for herself—almost like having a conversation of herself by scribbling thoughts down in her diary. Even when she married Rodolfo Alix, had two sons and four grandsons, she still took the time to scribble snippets of her life in a notebook.
That doesn’t mean, though, that she always thought writing was her calling. Louella—or Loy, as her friends fondly call her—had started writing professionally at the age of 59, when Jing Ramos (Zee’s editor emeritus) invited her to write for The Freeman. “What will I write for them?” she remembers asking, but she eventually churned out her first article, and the rest is history.
Transitioning from writing personal narratives to authoring book turned out to come naturally to her. Friend Jobers Bersales, with the University of San Carlos Press, came up with a nice idea of raising funds by publishing a book. This brought on her first title Balaanong Bahandi (loosely translated as Holy Treasures), a chronicle of the Archdiocese’s architectural heritage. It showcased of the Cebu churches, from the earliest mission to contemporary parishes, giving readers a look into the nearly 500 years of Christianity on the island.
Among the books she had written since then are Bantayan, on the history of the small island north of Cebu; and Via Veritates, a biography of late Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, where she was one of three writers.
Another in her bibliography is Mandaue, where she researched and wrote on the bustling city’s history, culture and food. Right after, she followed it up with writing the jubilee book of St. Therese’s Parish— while finishing up this project, she had already been working on her passion project.
Hikay, the Culinary Heritage of Cebu had been something she wanted to work on while doing photoshoots and research for the Mandaue book. It takes readers on a culinary trip around Cebu—from the seaside towns to mountain hamlets, from the modern cities to nearby barangays, it delves into the history and lesser known facts about Cebuano cuisine.
So it seems she’s not just a book keeper. She is a chronicler, filling up the books herself. Her space seems to emanate her, filled with the stories she’s told and is yet to tell—there is a mini library near her dining table, and a pile of books on her window pane, all somehow very connected to her personality.
Feeling like I had asked too many questions already, I was feeling shy about asking a cliched but necessary question to a storyteller: “If there was a book about your life, what would it be about? And what would be its title?”
After thinking quietly and deeply, she replies, “The title would be Food and Love. I love to eat, and I love to talk about it. And love, it covers everything—my love for food, my love for family, for life. My epitaph should be: I live, I laugh, I love.”
It turns out, I had more in common with Louella than just being a writer (me, of course, wishing I could one day have the same kind of portfolio as she does)—we’re both old souls, and Anglophiles. I am hoping to have tea with her again soon, where we can discuss our shared adoration for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who we believe—like Louella—is a book keeper, as well.
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