The one where I didn't burn anything.

This woman apparently believes that I can cook to save my life. I'm not one to brag or anything but I can make a mean embutido, a lovely herbed bream cheese spread and a to die for roasted pineapple porkchop steak. So, when she asked me if I wanted to join a cooking class, I went for it.





Center for Culinary Arts offers Kitchen Discovery Classes every weekend at the CCA center over at Katipunan. Of course, it was really way too early for me (considering that I was still inebriated from that Friday night party) but I trekked and dragged Emster to join me in the class. I had full faith that Emster would save me from the flames of the stove, plus she studied HRM so I can fake my way through the class by using her. Once we got there, we were given uniforms that included this cure little hat (not really a toque but sort of a midget version of it). Can I just say that I loved it?! It was so tarush!

Our chef/lecturer/mentor was Chef Jimenez. He is one of the pioneers of CCA and was the founder of the Kitchen Discovery Class. He kinda reminded me of my favorite prof back in college. He was very realistic in setting the expectations when it comes to cooking. Now, I've always believed that cooking was an art as opposed to baking which was more of a science. There is some truth to that statement but cooking is actually more about the end result which is slightly pseudo hedonistic. It's all about the flavor. What we want is a contrast or a blending of flavors. Chef Jimenez put cooking and food in way that made me think of it as poetry.

It was perfect! My love for literature and my ravenous appetite apparently made a lot of sense! Now, honestly speaking, I still have a certain kind of insecurity in the kitchen. This is the reason why I never go in there when Christmas comes. Cooking, according to Chef Jimenez has three objectives. 1. You need to produce something that is edible. (Which when said, we immediately sniggered and scoffed) 2. You need to produce something that is visually appetizing (C.Z.A - Clean. Zen. Attractive) and 3. You need to gain confidence. I never did see cooking that way, but had I known this, I would've started cooking at age 13. You don't need a freaking shrink, you just need to cook! How beautiful is that?

We started class by talking about how we were going to go about the recipes and what our individual tasks were. Being a closet pyromaniac, I decided to volunteer for chopping and cutting the food. Mis en Place seemed much better than hosing down the place with a fire extinguisher. Laarni, Jason, Giff and Giles decided to take on cooking. The picture above was hilarious and I decided that the caption to this is "How many gay men does it take to turn on a stove?" We eventually figured it out and Captain Giles assumed stovetop ignition duties.

The class was very practical and straight to the point. Chef Jimenez was more of a realist chef. Of course, this is just a short class and the audience was a mixed bunch. He took us to the step by step process, giving us tips and trade secrets, making the class really entertaining, fun and educational. I was almost tempted to fry the salmon!

At the end of the day, we were able to meet our objectives: It was edible, it was visually appealing and it did build our confidence!

It wasn't just about putting cooking for me, well at least right after the class - It was more of making sure that the pleasures of cooking and the happiness it can give to other people seemed more important than just putting meat to fire.

Cooking is a hedonistic art - which for me is the best kind of art there is.

Our Finished Product

Blackened Caramelized Salmon with Orange Shoyu Sauce and Soba Noodles

If you want to inqure about their Kitchen Discovery Classes, you can visit their website or call CCA Manila at 9942520, 9942530 and 9942540