I know my way around the kitchen. I enjoy cooking, an inch more than I enjoy eating even. I've learned a thing or two from television cooking shows, from the internet, from printed materials, and even from watching each member of my family cook their respective food specialties. Apart from these, I have no formal training whatsoever. I would love to believe that I know all the basics of cooking. But next to a chef, I think I barely scratched the surface with what I know to "get by" in the kitchen.
There are times, especially when I hit a snag during one of my little cooking projects, that I wish I had some formal training. Then, I imagine, I would know how to work around the snags, better yet, avoid them completely. How cool would it be if I had enrolled myself into a cooking school? You know, wear the outfit, the toque, have my own set of knives, and of course, learn a thing or two about cooking.
That's why I jumped at the chance to join an exclusive bloggers' event entitled, Discover Cuisine, hosted by one of the best Culinary Arts schools in Manila, Enderun Colleges (Enderun). Enough imagining, it was a chance to find out first hand what it would be like to be in a culinary arts school. The event involved a cooking demo by ADF+Enderun executive chef Marc Chalopin and a guided tour of Enderun's culinary arts building.
ADF+Enderun is an academic partnership entered into by Enderun with the Alain Ducasse Formation, established by "one of the most celebrated of modern French Chefs," Alain Ducasse. Alain Ducasse "is one of the rare chefs in the prestigious Michelin Guide's history to run restaurants carrying three-star ratings in three cities: Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee in Paris, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester in London."
While we waited for the cooking demo to start, we were offered some coffee and what is probably the best croissants I have ever had. It was delightfully flaky on the outside but delicately moist on the inside. I loved pulling it apart with my fingers, careful to confine the crumbs into the plate below as they fell, before delivering a mouthful portion of it through my lips. It was pure croissant love, I tell you. I would eat half a dozen of it right off the bat, had it not dawned on me how much butter-calories I would be ingesting by doing so and how I would pay for it on treadmill-hours. The croissants were baked right there at that very building, by the way. I just
had to ask. (If
Enderun can teach me how to make these divine croissants, imagine what else I could learn there!)
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| Shrimp Tartar Burgers |
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| Chocolat Liegeois |
During the cooking demo, Chef Marc Chalopin showed the crowd how to make Shrimp Tartar Burgers and Chocolat Liegeois. Everything was made from scratch, of course, from the chocolate ice cream and nougatine right down to the sundried tomatoes and mayonnaise.
The entire process is pretty daunting especially when you think about recreating it at home, but during the demo, with all the fancy equipment at hand (e.g. ice cream maker, blast freezer), everything looks like a walk in the park.
The demo was held at the building's elegantly interiored culinary ampitheater. Equipped with a fully functional kitchen, overhead mirrors, cameras, TV screens, and comfortable chairs,
Enderun's culinary ampitheater can give any local cooking show a run for its money.
The tour of the culinary arts building was a spectacle in itself. The impressive facilities- hot kitchen laboratories, a pastry kitchen laboratory, and a preparation kitchen- made my jaw drop at every turn. I am such a sucker for professional kitchens and equipment.
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| Restaurant 101 |
The building also houses a spacious library on the second floor and on the first floor, a restaurant, a bar, and a function area for events.
As I walked out through the elegant white doors of the
Enderun culinary arts building after the event, I thought to myself-- when I do enroll in a culinary arts school, this would be a great place to do so.
Enderun offers a Three-month Pastry Arts Certificate class which aims to provide the student "the sufficient foundation to start a career in pastry, baking and confectionery." A full time course is also being offered, the ADF+Enderun fifteen-month program, which "covers the basics of Culinary Arts in fifteen months, including the opportunity for an internship in France." Applications for both programs are currently open for November 2011 intake.
For more information, contact:
Lou Molina
External Relations Manager
Mobile: +63917 8038617
Email: lou.molina@enderuncolleges.com
Mark Tan
External Relations Associate
Mobile: +63917 5933398
Email: mark.tan@enderuncolleges.com
Enderun Colleges is located at:1100 Campus Avenue,
McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio
Taguig City 1634 Philippines
Telephone: +632 8565000
Fax: +632 8564656
Visit their website at:
The entire process is pretty daunting especially when you think about recreating it at home, but during the demo, with all the fancy equipment at hand (e.g. ice cream maker, blast freezer), everything looks like a walk in the park.
Enderun Colleges is located at:
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