Cooking Skills Unlocked at the Manila Culinary & Hospitality Academy
I have a confession to make -- I'm not good in cooking. I can do all sorts of household things -- I can clean the house, do the laundry, clean the dishes, take care of my son but there's one thing that I am not good at -- cooking. Learning how to cook is very important for me as it will empower me to provide healthy and nutritious food for the family. I have been trying to learn the skill for the longest time but I usually deliver not so impressive dishes to my family.
In reality, I try to cook. My husband, Paolo even bought me a mini oven for me to start baking so I'd do more things in the kitchen. However, since I usually devote my time balancing it with work and taking care of my son, I usually cannot allot time to (learn to) cook. So when the Manila Culinary & Hospitality Academy (MCHA) invited me for a short cooking class, I instantly agreed. (I think the husband was the one very excited when he learned that I was attending a cooking class!)
Despite the heavy rain and traffic last Saturday, my very eager husband drove me all the way from Navotas (we had to leave our son to his grandparents) to MCHA which was located at F. Wright St., San Juan. The dreading traffic was actually worth it because one of their esteemed chef, Chef Fats Palma, taught us the gave us an overview of the different cooking methods and some basic things we need to know in food handling. Apart from her very informative lecture, we were given the chance to cook and feel like culinary students for a couple of hours.
The meal that we were tasked to cook was Chicken Cordon Bleu. In order for us to learn and experience the different methods of cooking, we were divided into groups and was assigned with different food assignment. One group was incharge of preparing and cooking the Cordon Bleu, our group was incharge of the Buttered Veggies, another was assigned to make the Bechamel Sauce and one was assigned to make the potatoes. Chef Fats went to each group and showed us the proper techinques of preparing each and every course. We were also encouraged to help each other out and take turns in the preparation and cooking of the courses,
Pounding the chicken, rolling the meat and making the cheese and ham fit inside the chicken was the hardest part in making the cordon bleu! A lot of patience is required!
Chef Fats Palma was very very enthusiastic in teaching us the basic cooking techniques. I appreciate how she treated us like students and made sure that each of us learn the culinary basics. I personally appreciated how she taught us the proper way of cutting the vegetables, disposing the waste, how she stressed the importance of achieving the right temperature before we boil / blanch / cook the dishes. She was also showed a little strictness as she observed us apply the cooking methods she taught us. It was actually one of the best learning session I had and it has inspired me to cook more often when I'm at home,
Tada! My finish product! To our surprise, the meal we cooked tasted really good!
I must say that I did not leave MCHA that night empty handed. My quick session with Chef Fats Palma gave me the basic ideas I need for cooking, the steps I need to do to prepare and cook my food. I am even enticed to enroll in one of the short courses programs they offer (they offer a 60 hour short course at an affordable rate) to learn more on culinary basics or even pastry making.
Moreover, Manila Culinary and Hospitality Center offers a diploma course for all those aspiring to be an exemplary chef, like their president, the very famous Chef Boy Logro. MCHA also provides comprehensive programs and courses to ensure that students will be globally competent in the culinary field. To know more about MCHA, you can visit
Again, thank you so much MCHA and Aldous Calubad for including me in this event! Learning how to cook is one important milestone for me as I play my role as a wife and as a mom to my family. It will be of great help for me to able to nourish my family and provide them with food that is made with love.
Til my next post!
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