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‘Made it on my own’: TikTok star Jujumao Imao on carving own niche outside famous last name

MANILA, Philippines — Jujumao is an intriguing name even for an online content creator, especially for those who are into the arts.

One cannot help but wonder if it is in anyway connected to a prominent artist, and it turns out, Jujumao descended from the line of a national artist and a notable sculptor. 

Philstar.com had the chance to ask the TikTok star about it, and the seemingly shy and reserved content creator eventually admitted that he has. 

“Yeah, konti. I guess, I guess I would say so,” Jujumao replied when he was asked by Philstar.com if it was intentional on his part to not use his full name during a TikTok creative cooking workshop. 

The 27-year-old content creator is born Juri “Jujumao” Imao to Cielo and Juan Sajid Imao - yes, the very artist who counts the brass sundial in Bonifacio Global City and the brass Jose Rizal statue in Fort Santiago in Manila as among his works. 

The sculptor Juan Sajid is the son of the late National Artist Abdulmari Asia Imao, who is a famous Mindanaoan painter and sculptor and the first Moro to be conferred the title for Visual Arts in 2006. 

It could have been easier somehow to bank on a familiar name for name recall, but Jujumao wanted to be his own man. In addition, his father also advised him to strike gold on his own. 

“Kasi for me, I really wanted to make a name for myself beyond like ‘yung family name ko. I think kasi that’s what my dad taught me din. He said if ever I decided to pursue anything in the future, hindi siya sa likod nu’ng pangalan ng ibang tao,” Jujumao explained. 

“It’s only later on na nalalaman ng mga tao that my lolo is an artist. Medyo meron din akong sense of pride din ako na parang I made it on my own in a way.” 

Jujumao knew that he wanted to pursue Culinary Arts since he was young, but he had to wait. His dream was to study at Le Cordon Bleu. 

His parents were open-minded, liberal and supportive, but their finances were not enough to send him to the vaunted French culinary school. 

Jujumao went to the Ateneo University and took up a Management course on scholarship. 

“They said use my business to get back to culinary school. You can send yourself to culinary school. So ‘yun. That’s where I

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