I've always been passionate about food. I love eating good food and I enjoy watching cooking shows. I've always had that dream of being a chef within me so when I got invited to join one of the classes in MCHA (Manila Culinary and Hospitality Academy), I felt ecstatic! Even more so when I heard that a good chef would give the lecture, Chef Fats. The setting was just the same as any other schools. The classroom could fit about 15-20 students. Chef Fats gave us options on what to discuss since this was only a one-day lecture. She asked us to choose between cooking methods and creating a recipe. Well I guess majority of the people in the room wanted to know the difference between cooking methods so that won over the other proposed topic. It was a good 1 hour of talking about the different kinds of cooking methods - where, when and how to cook meat, fish, beef and poultry. To be honest, I was only listening half the time because I was too excited for the next part of the lecture which is the cooking part itself!!! I'm not a known good cook by any chance, but I've always wanted to cook different kinds of dishes with the right kitchen tools, right ingredients and methods. It felt as if I'm in a Master Chef episode! So this is where culinary students learn how to cook. They have stainless tables... The kitchen was very clean and organized. Chef Fats told us that we'd prepare Chicken Cordon Bleu in Bechamel Sauce with Buttered Veggies and Parsley Potatoes. At first I was weirded out by the recipe, it felt like it wasn't something special nor exciting. But well, when you eat out and you order this dish, it would probably cost you more or less 500 and above. So with that in mind, I got curious on how that P500 meal is prepared in the kitchen. Chef Fats asked us to group ourselves by counting 1-4 (I felt like a student again and I loved it). I was placed in group 1 and was tasked to prepare the Cordon Bleu, damn that is one exciting task! It was a very humbling experience seeing Chef Fats work in the kitchen. She shared her expertise on how to prepare the dish with class and poise (hehe). She demostrated it step-by-step, it seemed so easy!!! The preparation took a lot of time!!! And my thoughts were, how can Chef Fats make it seem so easy? Why was she able to roll it perfectly? Why can she have that same poise outside and inside the kitchen? It's as if she didn't even sweat from jumping into 1 group to another!!!
The experience was too good! I can now add this on my little list of things that I can cook myself. I'd say I'm really happy with the output, even my plating!!! Hehe. I used to think that Cordon Bleu is always overpriced in restaurants but now that I was able to prepare it myself and immerse myself on how chefs work in the kitchen, I'd say that it is just right that it cost that much (only for the good quality ones of course). MCHA houses talented people and I'm really happy to have a day with them to learn the basics of cooking. They also have good in-house chefs like Chef Fats who also shares her knowledge about the world of cooking.
1 Comment
mick
5/27/2022 07:58:22 am
Very cool experience there. Thanks! I want to share a school that is specialized in cooking classes. "Trupp the Chef's Table". https://truppthechefstable.com They have courses suited both for beginners and advanced cooks on the kitchen. Once again, thanks!
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Reann | 27 MNL
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