JIGS ARQUIZA interviews a young lady who crossed paths with her husband on the day she was born.

“It is written,” as the line from a popular movie goes. It started twenty-nine years ago, in 1981. The two were born on the same day, in the same hospital. It so happened they also lived not five minutes away from each other, but they were not to meet until much later, when they were already adults.

According to Trina Ang, she first met Steve Kokseng around six years ago, the two of them having the same circle of friends.

She confesses though, that “I thought Steve was a snob at first. Over time, I got to know him and found out that he was a nice guy. I love his laugh and his sense of humor.”

Of course, the two had to get to know each other better, and upon finding out that they shared the same birthday, Trina thought that “maybe it explained why we are alike in so many ways,” the two of them being certified foodies. Trina explains “We love to eat and try out new dishes together.” Their professions even complement each other’s: Trina is a pastry chef while Steve is in charge of marketing for a well-known restaurant chain.

Before pursuing her culinary dreams, Trina studied Accounting and received her degree from the University of San Carlos, but having inherited a love of cooking from her mother, she decided to go to culinary school. Trina relates “I took up a 1-year culinary course at the Center for Asian Culinary studies in Manila. Then I enrolled at the Wilton School for Cake decorating in Chicago, Illinois. After that, I apprenticed under Colette Peters in her shop at Greenwich Village in New York.”

She adds “Ever since I was in college, I would bake and cook for family and friends. It was only after I completed my formal training, I had the confidence to go into baking full time.

The first wedding cake I ever made was for my sister in 2007.

Needless to say, it was a nerve-wracking experience.”

Wracked nerves notwithstanding, Trina has not let the jitters affect her plans for 2010: “I have a plan in the works for a display area. Hopefully it will materialize before the year ends. In the mean time, having a website (www.cakecouturebytrina.com) and all these social networking sites make it easy to connect with potential clients.”

Still, she says “It’s a bit stressful at times when a lot of orders come in at the same time, but I love the challenge when I have to come up with a new design for a cake.

All the hard work is worth it when I see the end product and how it makes an occasion more memorable.”

The ultimate challenge for Trina came when it was time to bake her own wedding cake. Trina explains “Usually, coming up with a design for a wedding is the easy part, but for our cake I went through many alternatives. Probably because I felt expectations were very high. In the end, I came up with a design that was simple and classic.”

There is, of course, a happily ever after to her story. On the twenty-sixth day of September, 2009, Trina became Mrs. Trina Ang-Kokseng. It was written. It was preordained. It was destiny.