`Cooking’ a better life in the mountains

TVIRD trains aspiring chefs, mostly IPs

Chef Tato was once a culinary consultant at the Malacañan Palace (residence of the Philippine president) and had prepared meals for dignitaries like former American President Bill Clinton and Brunei royalty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah during their visits to the Philippines.

Chef Tato, who represents the professional chef school Apicius Culinary Arts and Hotel Management Consultancy, Inc. in Manila, personally taught TVIRD’s kitchen staff the rudiments of kitchen management, knife skills, cooking methods and techniques, and food processing. During the 10-day Basic Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management Training, the trainees also learned hands-on preparation of various menus that were unfamiliar to them such as African, American, European and Mediterranean cuisines, as well as preparation of Halal (used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law). They likewise took competency exams on Filipino and Asian dishes.

After the training, Chef Tato is convinced that his ten students in Canatuan, mostly Subanon indigenous people, are now truly well-trained kitchen workers, adding that “their culinary education plus years of experience make them deserving to be called “chefs. They can be compared to car drivers; they already knew how to drive, only that they still don’t have drivers’ licences,” he stressed. “Now they are better – and licensed — ‘drivers’.”

“I deeply cherish this opportunity to have taught them,” Chef Tato continued. “They showed competence and passion in demonstrating their skills despite the fact that they never achieved higher education or formal culinary training. It is fortunate for them too that the company gave them an opportunity such as this because they already have the innate talent in cooking.”

Andres Lontua, one of the graduates of the culinary training, said that he had worked in many restaurants since he was 16 years old. But it is only now that he was taught about serving food with proper presentation. “I am glad I learned about carving and arranging vegetables in various shapes and sizes to make our food more presentable. The skills I learned from the training transformed me from being a plain restaurant cook into a chef,” Lontua proudly said.

Julieta Ybarsabal, 57, a native of Siocon, recalled with a smile that the only time she had been formally taught about cooking is during her Home Economics class in elementary school. The rest of her training was from hands-on experience. Now, she is much inspired to do better in her job. “I am so thankful to the company for giving me this opportunity,” she said.

“Most of our kitchen staff do not have any experience on formal culinary training, although they are well-experienced in what they do in the kitchen,” said Edison Impang, TVIRD’s mine camp supervisor and resident chef of the Hilltop Restaurant – moniker affectionately given by employees to their mess hall – which serves delectable and nutritious meals to TVIRD Canatuan employees and visitors.

Along with Impang, Lontua and Ybarsabal, the other graduates of the training include Administration Department Superintendent Rodanie Francisco, as well as Hilltop kitchen staffers Melchora Sanchez, Rathna Arnaldo, Dante Comisas, Edgar Perocho, Hernan Gayomali and Uldarico Nabiong. They each received certificates of completion attesting to their training. The trainees will then become “certified chefs” after they have successfully hurdled the skills competency assessment to be given by the government Technical Skills and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), according to Chef Tato.

During the training’s graduation ceremony, TVIRD General Manager Ely Valmores jokingly told the new chefs: “Don’t go away just yet. Given your experience and training, it would be so easy for you now to get employed as chefs in posh restaurants in the region.” After tasting the sample dishes, Valmores commented that the food is comparable to what first-class restaurants in big cities serve.

TVIRD employees in Canatuan are equally inspired by the achievements of the new chefs as they are excited to taste the new menus to be served by them at the Hilltop Restaurant. They are now looking forward to special Sunday features that the company’s dining facility is known for.

But what is more exciting is the prospect of a brighter future that awaits these new chefs after having been equipped with skills that can bring them sustainable livelihood and jobs even after the operations of TVIRD have left the mountains of Canatuan. (Joseph Arnel Deliverio)