Heny Sison: The chef-educator takes pride in her culinary journey

Heny Sison may be a popular chef and a sought-after culinary educator but her rise to fame did not happen overnight.

The Heny Sison Culinary School in Quezon City opened in 1987 but Heny fondly recalls her first crack at informal teaching in 1985. She was already decorating cakes then when a neighbor told her, “Ikaw na lang ang magturo sa akin.” Culinary class fees at that time were very steep and “not too many schools offered cooking and baking.” From five students, her class grew by word of mouth and with the support of her husband she finally made the leap from a small condo set-up to her own culinary school.

The road to her culinary success is not paved with fudge frosting. According to Heny: “Young chefs must know that it’s not all glamour. I stand the whole day during tapings and even when I teach. You must love what you are doing to make it in this profession. And you must find your niche because if you just follow the trend, you will have no passion for it.” She adds, “Wag manghinayang to go to school because it is important to know the basics. Iba yung may foundation, less yung trial and error.”

How does she define her cooking style? “I can do both cooking and baking. When we set up the school, we specialized in baking. But it’s been changed to a culinary school. There is a demand for cooking, and since we are growing, I took in chefs to teach cuisines like Italian, French, Thai.” These days, even as Pinoy chefs have been broadening their horizons, the flavors of home are never forgotten: “Kailangan ma-upgrade kasi masarap ang Filipino dishes…presentation lang. Basically, the color of our food is brown. But nowadays, na-iimprove na yung appearance because of the exposure of the chefs.”

She plans to build a one-stop shop for chefs that will include a café, school, and shop with all the things that chefs need. Heny is also set to open another school in Makati this year and is on the lookout for chef-instructors. Her various engagements also include helping San Miguel Pure Foods bring the brand and its products close to the people by imparting practical knowledge through cooking demonstrations in public venues.

Twenty years in the business has taught her what other teachers know: it is not enough to know the subject expertly; it is just as important to inspire students. Being one among the preferred chefs of San Miguel Pure Foods Culinary Center at its major events, Heny is only too happy to impart her culinary wisdom to others, “You must be able to motivate people and not be selfish. Share your knowledge with others.” Honesty and dedication to the profession are also important, she says. “And you must know how to deal with your subordinates. After all, you cannot work alone.” Apart from her wonderful recipes, these are the same values that Heny’s children have learned from her – by example and from listening in on her classes.

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