Pondering thoughts of a wanna be chef..

"Are you ok? After having graduated with a masters degree, now you want to face the pots & pans in the kitchen?", this was the sarcastic reply i got from a friend upon knowing that i intend to take up culinary. I wonder, is there anything wrong with that? Little does he know that an MBA degree & culinary arts course can actually complement each other? Maybe at the present, i could have a career shift just to gain experience but if im going to make a bash to his comment, i would tell him that for now I am already eligible to manage a restaurant and be called a "restaurateur". Duh! Enough of that. I still have to earn and save my start up capital anyway. Reasons are, i have always wanted to engage in cooking lessons since years ago and maybe the right time just finally came. Second, i love to learn new things and continuously sharpen my saw. Having that knowledge is something I can practice even within the premises of my home. Although my inclination is into baking & pastry (i just love cakes & desserts!), i want to give culinary a try first to enrich myself with the different cooking methods. And so, it was one of the things i pursued during my vacation in Manila - I enrolled in a 3-month fundamental course in culinary at ISCAHM. The downside with the short course is the limited time. In spite of that, i was able to grasp the real world scenario of working in the kitchen. I realized that one needs to be tough, and mentally & physically alert at all times to deal with the condition in the hot kitchen and the hot temper of the chef who could just bawl out with someone's mistake. Having these in mind, I'm still inspired and challenged by the fact that cooking is not just a skill, it is also an art. Not all of us are born to be good cooks, so having to be one i guess entails love, passion and talent . For now I must say, i have developed the passion & love for cooking. The talent? I will let my husband do the judging for there are still a number of cuisines i need to practice & excel in. Truth is, i'm being pressured already from my own kitchen, as the judge has been waiting to sample taste the recipes i learned in class. So the course ended after our 12th session. Just like the others, i wished i had more time to spend with my classmates and learn from chefs in the kitchen. It's true, time flies when you're having fun. Anyway, just to give you a blueprint, here are some pics of our kitchen days at ISCAHM: My groupmates Frying Vietnamese Chicken Stocks and Sauces session with Chef Williman Cooking Polenta with my idol, Chef Norbert Gandlier. Striking a pose with the food we plated during Asian cooking.. Preparing Jackson Potatoes Sieving Pumpkin soup... Cooking Paella. I felt my hand was almost scalding, the steam from the pan was too damn hot! We were preparing baked tomatoes for our side dish..Chef Mike's getting upset again..while Denz making a funny pose with me & Bubbles. No, we are not being scolded at by Chef Mike. He was just giving us words of inspiration during our last day in class. Our class picture with Chef Mike Oberle and finally,receiving my certificate of completion . A chef is a lover, for cooking is like loving..It involves emotion & passion, understanding & devotion. It is something that requires total patience, dedication and commitment to achieve its perfection. Reggie Aspiras Chef de Cuisine