6 celebrities now proud graduates of Culinary Course

Six celebrities graduated in Cuisinier Studio – the new haven for future chefs – which ran a special Culinary Arts Fundamentals program to celebrity students under talent manager Noel Ferrer.

The six-day intensive fundamental program was administered by UK-trained chef MaFe Seva. The course included modules on: The Kitchen Aide (sanitation, knife skills and safety precautions), The Kitchen Techniques (precision cuts, preparations and cooking terms), Short-Time Preps (appetizers, soups, desserts), Main Course (pork, beef, poultry), The Art of Service (plating, sequencing and serving), The Final Cooking and the Culinary Repertoire. Chef MaFe even had an extra day for Dessert Training.

Here are the graduates and their awards: Luis Alandy (Most Willing To Learn and Best Friturier – ‘fry cook’), Marco Alcaraz (Nastiest Fillet man and Best Entremetier – ‘entrée preparer/beef medallion), Precious Lara Quigaman (Most Organized and Best Legumier – ‘vegetable cook’), Edgar Allan Guzman (Nastiest Potager – ‘soup cook’ and Best Potato Masher’), Rainier Castillo (Best Fish Monger and Turtle Man Awardee – slowest), Lucky Mercado (Best Plating – Fillet Mignon- and Mr. Rowdy Awardee – loud and makulit). Each graduate was given a certificate of completion and special gift packs from Alaska.

"I had a lot of fun working with these celebrities. Despite their busy schedules, they have shown genuine interest and enviable commitment to learn new things and excel. They have shown real improvement in their culinary skills," said Chef MaFe.

After this Culinary Course, these celebrities are slated to undergo a Disaster Preparedness and Management Course to be arranged by Paolo Bediones and the Red Cross.

At the graduation rites held Monday at Cuisinier located in Timog Avenue, Quezon, these celebrities prepared the food that was served to the press. And they themselves were the ones who waited at the tables. For the graduation menu, they prepared Mushroom Soup, Fish Normandy with Mussels and Shrimp served with Rice Pilaf (for the main course), Chocolate Trio for dessert, with George De Beouf and Cuvee Blanc wine. It was a sumptuous feast indeed and very delectable.

Incidentally, as a sign of support for their friend Edgar Allan, who has a Cinemalaya entry titled Ligo na U, Lapit na Me, Lara, Marco, Luis, Rainier, Lucky and Edgar Allan himself, will prepare the food for the cocktails for the gala premiere of the Cinemalaya entry produced by Noel Ferrer and directed by Erick Salud. They said they are going to prepare a fabulous dessert for the event.

The gala premiere of Ligo na U, Lapit na Me will be held at the CCP Main Theatre on July 21, Thursday at 9 p.m.

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John "Sweet" Lapus is celebrating his birthday tomorrow and since his latest movie, Temptation Island, is opening today, he is urging the public to watch the movie as their birthday gift to him. The actor-comedian cum TV host is proud of his work in this Chris Martinez remake of the Joey Gosiengfiao classic and John is hoping that the public (and the critics) would like the movie as well as his performance.

He said he didn’t reckon they will have a hard time shooting in the deserts of Ilocos. The heat was unbearable during summer but when the skies clear, the sandstorms are there for the taking. But after seeing the movie, first when he dubbed his lines, and at the premiere held Sunday, John said it was worth all the hardship.

Happy birthday, Jonh "Sweet" Lapus!

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Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos, together with their daughter Yohan, are the new endorsers of Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog. As kids themselves, Ryan and Judai both love the hotdog brand and since they are now parents, they "passed it on" to Yohan who also loves hotdog.

This is their first endorsement as a family and Ryan joked that he and Judai are just extras in the commercial since it focused mainly on their daughter. Ryan and Judai said that the hotdog brand was part of their growing up years. Judai says as a kid, having a hotdog on the dinner table meant they have done something good and it’s a reward.

Ryan, for his part, eating hotdog is a must whenever he and his dad would watch his favorite PBA team, Purefoods, play at the Ultra. The trip to the basketball game is not complete without eating hotdog at the sidelines. And since he also plays basketball as a kid, after a game, he looks forward to eating two pieces of hotdog with steamed rice and spicy ketchup.

Both Ryan and Judai love hotdogs and it’s a part of their grocery list, not to mention the days of their youth. When they were approached to endorse the product as a family and talked to Yohan about it, the kid readily agreed.

Now that they are parents to Yohan and Lucho, they see to it that they impart good values, good memories and most of all, their love for Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog to their kids. And with Yohan, they now share to all their love for Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog!