February 26, 2008 | 12:00am
Her kitchen management prowess and innovative culinary strides brought her to heights of fulfillment and expertise she never imagined she has reached the point of no hesitations and regrets despite not being able to fulfill her dream of practicing her profession as a nutritionist/ dietician.
“Cooking is challenging...it’s never boring...it’s an ongoing discovery,” said 49-year-old culinary expert Chef Lany Sy Garcia, who considers the kitchen her home for more than 20 years since she started at the age of 21. A native of Leyte, Chef Lany used to have informal cooking lessons from her mom who always bombarded her that she should learn cooking techniques so that she could prepare good food for her future better half. Soon after, she mastered the basics and essentials in cooking. Little did she know that destiny began during that time.
When she reached Cebu to study at Southwestern University, Lany already prepared herself for hospital work. After four years of battling with pressures as a student, Lany became a registered nutritionist/ dietician after passing the board exam. Shortly, destiny began to unfold. With a background in culinary arts in college, Lany tried her luck in Manila. She was hired by then Manila Ramada Hotel (now Manila Midtown Hotel) as a kitchen staff. She was challenged in seeing how things were done in the kitchen and how advanced Manila was. Rather than being intimidated, she immediately forgot about being employed in a hospital. After two years, Lany went abroad to widen her horizons. The luxurious Bahrain Sheraton Hotel was Lany’s honing field for 10 years, where she mastered her culinary craft. She joined competitions that earned her recognitions and experiences that made her not only a better chef but a better person, as well. One such experience was working for 36 hours preparing for her competition entry, and juggling work with competition preparations.
Cebu became her home again when she joined the culinary team of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa when it opened. After a year, she was promoted to Executive Sous Chef. Then, a Pasta Executive Chef. In Shang, she underwent rigid trainings wherein she was always sent to Shang’s Asian properties to learn different cooking styles. She earned a wide exposure to Asian cooking preparations. When the Executive Chef left for Bintan Lagoon Resort in Indonesia, Lany grabbed the opportunity to be with her boss. After six months of being an executive sous chef, Lany got promoted to executive chef since her boss got promoted as F&B manager. At that time, she doubted her abilities and expertise; however, there were people who believed that she was the best person for the position since she was the longest staying chef. Knowledge-wise, the position was perfect for her. (Bintan Lagoon Resort is in an isolated island with no communication lines, with the staff staying in dormitories provided by the hotel.) She was joined by expats co-workers, thus, she was exposed to different cultures that made her appreciate her being a Filipino.
Armed with the right experience, in 2002, Chef Lany came back to Cebu to share her knowledge with Cebuanos. She stayed with Table 7 in Ayala Center Cebu, yet she decided to focus on the new restaurant opened by the owners of Table 7 – Makan Asian Spices, located in the 3rd level of SM City Cebu, at the former Triple V Express. She personally prepared the menu, taking into consideration the popular and saleable Asian dishes that she deemed suitable to Cebuano’s discriminating taste buds. With her specialty in Fusion– (Asian and European cuisine) she’s sure to win the hearts of the diners.
Makan, Malaysian term: “to eat,” is a new dining option in the metro that serves authentic Singaporean, Indonesian and Malaysian fare, with a bit of Chinese offerings.
Chef Lany pointed out that a Filipino chef’s edge over the others is the ability to communicate well. It is an advantage. She also adds that another advantage is the high standard of education among the culinary schools in the country. She takes pride with how Filipinos value education and how Filipinos try to master the English language.
Chef Lany admits she’s a perfectionist. She does not tolerate “shortcuts” in cooking. “There’s no shortcut in cooking. It takes time to prepare the food. You should be innovative when it comes to presentation, though I advice that the less complicated your presentation is, the better.” And her advice to budding chefs out there: “Hardwork and dedication are important. You will never go wrong when you listen to experts. Ask for their guidance coz you cannot just make innovations without their guidance.”
Though Chef Lany never dreamed of becoming a chef, she is still forever grateful with how things have fallen into place. Chef Lany believes that there is nothing impossible. This culinary queen may someday retire and do consultations. She dreams of touching other people’s lives through mentoring – teaching the young ones, since she is encouraged by the success stories of her staff whom she mentored at the kitchen.
