Pinoy Chefs win Int'l Title

Pinoy chefs bring home the golden bacon

By Claude Tayag

Thumbnail: LTB Team 1

There was a time in the local hotel industry scene the title Chef was reserved only to foreigners. Well, one can't blame the foreign-based hoteliers since they have to bring in their own respective management teams to protect their multi-million dollar interests. The rank and file were hired locally of course, and so with the kitchen staff who were relegated to doing all the menial jobs like cleaning, food preparation, assembly, cooking, etc., and one could aspire for at best to becoming sous chef. But still, in layman's term “cook” (a.k.a. kusinero) pa rin. But that was more than a generation ago.

Maverick Filipinos in the hotel and restaurant industry rose from the ranks and broke the racial barrier: Arthur Lopez, first Pinoy general manager of a 5-star hotel; chef Mel Taylo, first Pinoy executive chef of then Hotel Nikko Manila Garden (now Dusit Hotel); chef Myrna Segismundo, first Pinay assistant F&B of Manila Hilton; chef Jessie Sinsioco of Le Souffle fame honed her talents at the Intercontinental Manila, becoming its pastry chef, the first Pinay to ever become one in the industry. And of course, lest we forget the trend-setting grand dame of Filipino restaurateurs Glenda Barretto of Via Mare fame, a class all its own. These first-quarter storm troopers paved the way for the present crop of practitioners. Nowadays, it is a pretty common sight to see young chefs, fresh from abroad with culinary diplomas from America or Europe. It has become not only a serious viable profession but respectable as well. The once lowly kusinero has come up the social “larder”.

It is no wonder then that the local hotel and restaurant industry is abuzz in a double celebratory mood. Not only did the Les Toques Blanches (LTB) Philippines' Culinary Team bagged the gold recently in Hong Kong, the team is composed of all Pinoys with distinguished chef Ariel Manuel of Lolo Dad's Café as team captain and J Gamboa of Cirkulo and Milky Way Restaurants as team manager. It was adjudged the best of the best in the Gourmet Team Challenge category of the recently concluded HOFEX - Hong Kong International Culinary Classic (HKICC) held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The HKICC is a bi-annual culinary event that gathers competitors from various organizations worldwide.

The Philippine entry to the Gourmet Team Challenge bested six others from the Asian region. The line-up included chefs Virgilio Timola and Anatolio Bleza of Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Arnold Guevarra of Mandarin Oriental Hotel and pastry chef Salvador Trinidad of Park Avenue Desserts.

A cold buffet of 27 different items such as tapas, soup, appetizers, desserts, cakes, seafood and poultry platters was prepared round-the-clock and creatively presented to the judges on a Rajo Laurel tablecloth and glass platters by artist Bobby Castillo. The spread, which was conceptualized based on the theme, “Contemporary Cuisine in a Philippine Setting” took months of research and recipe-testing to complete. “All the sleepless nights and hard work paid off”, says chef Ariel. In the individual live cooking events, Arnold Guevarra brought home a bronze for his dish in the Western Cuisine (Professional) Red Mullet & Prawn category.

True to the Filipinos' bayanihan spirit, the feat was made possible with the full support of Gourdo's, Werdenberg International Corporation, PTC, Philippine Airlines, Brother's Burger, Meat and Livestock Australia, Mida Foods, Alternatives Food Corporation, San Miguel Great Food Solutions, Unilever Foodsolutions, Happy Living Fine Wines, Philon Wines, Actron, Sweetlink Siliconezone, Royal Country Marketing, Q&H Foods and Golden Acres.

Also giving our kabayans a big helping hand was chef Rudy Muller, executive chef of Disneyland Hong Kong Hotel and also president of Hong Kong Chefs Association. Chef Muller made available his state-of the-art kitchen for our team to practice in and do all the prep on D-day, gratis et amore. To the LTB team and all its supporters, Mabuhay ang dakilang kusinerong Pilipino!
A wacky TV culinary adventure
Thumbnail: Mickey Fenix, chef Myrna Segismundo and chef Jill Sandique

Mickey Fenix, chef Myrna Segismundo and
chef Jill Sandique

A brand new weekly food show is unveiled on the Lifestyle Channel called CHEF TV – The Food Show, hosted by chef Myrna Segismundo of Restaurant 9501, the corporate dining outlet of ABS-CBN. Co-hosting with her are Jill Sandique, owner of pastry shop Delize and chef consultant to several food companies including USDA Phil., and food writer Michaela “Micky” Fenix, cookbook editor and contributing writer to several food books and magazines.

Each of the trio tackles different segments in the show with the other two joining in for support or give added information. Chef Myrna does the interviews, information segments and cooking demos while chef Jill conducts the Cooking Basics segment imparting her vast knowledge of cooking chemistry. Micky, on the other hand, provides most of the historical and cultural notes on the cooking, the ingredients used and practices. What makes Chef TV a good and entertaining show is the rapport and constant repartee, many times leaving this viewer up in stitches, revealing the close friendship of the three hosts with the mostest [no pun intended, ladies : ) ].

Mickey Fenix, chef Myrna Segismundo and

chef Jill Sandique

Chef TV will be aired on the Lifestyle Channel starting May 30 at 6 PM and the next succeeding 12 Wednesdays thereafter, with replays on Saturdays at 4:30 PM. It is directed by veteran director for television Bong Agustin.