The chef, the school,

A QUARTER of a century ago, nobody would have thought that a skill as essential as cooking needed to be taught formally. Moreso, the idea then of a professional cooking school was hard to digest. When Cravings Bakeshop opened in 1988, the inspiration for such an institution started to simmer.

But it wasn’t until 1996 that culinary education in the country was established when the Center for Culinary Arts Manila (CCA) offered academic programs devoted to food preparations. To date, it remains the first and only school in Asia and the Pacific accredited by the American Culinary Federation Foundation.

“There are several culinary schools around Metro Manila. I consulted many of my close friends and their friends on which culinary school is good. Almost 90 percent of them mentioned CCA Manila in Katipunan. I learned it is a pioneer in this field and that’s why I chose to study at CCA,” says Frederick Custodio, who graduated in 2006 with a Diploma in Culinary Arts and Technology Management (DCATM), a two-year course.

An exceptional student, Custodio won top honors for the school in national culinary competitions. He was part of the buffet team that won the grand prize in the 2004 Century Tuna Culinary Meet; a gold medal from Chefs on Parade 2004, Filipino Plated Dessert Category; the grand prize in the Filipino-Chinese Bakery Fair 2005, Wedding Cake Fondant Category; and the grand prize in the 2006 Ultimate Fighting Cooks Category, “Foodie Nights” by Cook magazine.

He received the President’s Award at his graduation and was accorded the Director’s Award eight times and the Chef’s Award seven times, the highest honors at CCA Manila. “I studied DCATM, which taught me the basics, discipline, techniques and the science of food. I pursued a culinary course as an investment, to further my knowledge and develop my skills in food preparation, and eventually use it to further my career growth and advancement, and somehow make a name in the industry. I am immensely happy and satisfied with the decision that I made, basically because cooking is my passion and I love what I do,” Custodio shares.

Along with Tristan Encarnacion, who has become a celebrity chef with stints on GMA’s Unang Hirit, chefs Darlo Lopez and Nino Logarta of Q-11’s Ka-Toque: Lutong Barkada, and Rosebud Benitez, who is soon to have a Rachel Ray-type of show, Custodio is one of CCA Manila’s outstanding products.

The school is set to maintain its dominance with a course offering that is sure to whet the appetite of culinaristas, hobbyists, chef-wannabes and enthusiasts. It recently launched its Kitchen Discovery Class (KDC) at Cravings at Fraser Place in Makati, where Custodio works as chef de partie.

The KDC is a one-day, six-hour experience of “fun-filled interesting lectures, interactive demonstrations, hands-on kitchen production and skills assessment,” with the possibility of turning one’s passion and interest in cooking into a lucrative career. At P3,800, the course includes a certificate of completion, ingredients for all featured recipes, lecture and recipe handouts, one CCA apron, one CCA T-shirt, one skull cap, one side towel, and the “best six hours of your life” spent cooking and baking. The classes will be every Saturday with limited slots. Most likely, after the class, as you discover your inner chef, you will enroll in CCA Manila’s academic programs. Just like what Custodio did.

In its goal to conquer the global foodscape, CCA Manila graduates have found work at world-class hotels, opened their own restaurants and formulated healthy menus for hospitals. But Custodio chose to work for Cravings Restaurant, a full-service restaurant offering a wide array of specialty baked products—European breads, cakes and pastries—and serving continental dishes for casual dining, takeouts and banquets.

“I think I made the right choice of working in a CCA-affiliated company for career improvement, instead of working in larger companies. Here, I landed the position of chef de partie, quite difficult for a fresh graduate back in 2006. I made major adjustments, accepted many responsibilities that came with the package and, luckily, things came out all right,” Custodio enthuses. “This has molded me to be better in my craft. Had I pursued work in bigger companies, I would’ve started right at the very bottom of the kitchen brigade, as they call it, and receiving minimum wage.”

For Custodio, the learning never stops. “I still wish to go to a diverse community like New York or Hong Kong, work in a place that is new to me. I want to gather as much experience and knowledge, and adopt the skills, ideas and techniques in cooking I would learn from there. To me, it still makes a big difference if I have exposure and training in the international culinary world, and then come back here in the Philippines to apply what I have learned.”

With CCA Manila’s rigid training having prepared him, Custodio may yet achieve what he has set to do. 

***For inquiries: 994-2520, www.cca-manila.com.

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