Abacá's diamonds in the rough

There is a saying that goes, “Before a diamond shows its brilliancy and prismatic colors it has to stand a good deal of cutting and smoothing.” Well, here is a story about diamonds in the rough that, after some cutting and smoothing, are now shining jewels in their own right. This story is set in one of the best restaurants in Cebu, abacá.

It all started in 2006 with two little girls named Jessa and April. Chef Jason Hyatt was in the final stages of opening abacá restaurant in Mactan when he came to know one of the police officials in the island, Major Andres Intong Jr. The police official inquired if Jason had any positions available for his nieces, and Jason, wanting to help out, got himself two employees who had no background whatsoever in the business he was opening.

Jessa Marie Intong and April Intong Lapina were 18 year olds at the time. Jessa was taking up Commerce in college while April was taking up Nursing when they both had to quit school and look for jobs. Being able to work for Chef Jason, even if it was just washing the dishes at that time, they said, was a blessing. Little did Jason know, it was a blessing to him.

Soon, Chef Jason needed more hands in the restaurant, so another cousin was hired, then another cousin, then still another, until abacá’s kitchen had four members of the Intong clan and two family friends. Aside from Jessa and April, there is also Virna Jane Baguio Intong, Marienil Intong Wagwag, Lourdes Frances Abella and Leonel Augusto Dano. There was also Japeth Abing who was transferred to Maya Mexican Restaurant to head the kitchen after running the oven at abacá for three years.

All six started with basic kitchen duties like washing and peeling vegetables, scrubbing the floors and keeping the kitchen clean. All of them, after all, had no background or formal training in the hospitality business when Chef Jason, who they lovingly call amo, a Cebuano term which means master, hired them.

Aside from all the work, they had to keep up with chef Jason’s intensity. “In the beginning Amo really had a bad temper. When he gets angry its because we make mistakes, we usually end up crying,” shared Jessa in the dialect. Jessa, who cooked standing next to Jason for two years and is now abacá’s Sous Chef, has even earned the title “Best Actress” for breaking into tears easily whenever she is scolded.

All six shared that at one point, during the time they started working for Chef Jason, they all thought of quitting, even if they were just in the job for less than a week!

The five girls broke into laughter recalling Leonel’s first experience with chef Jason’s intensity. “Amo threw a stack of plates towards him,” they said, laughing. The shy Leonel added he thought of never coming back and did not report for work the next day. But Chef Jason looked for him the next day and called him up. Leonel recalled he was so embarrassed that he told his amo he wasn’t feeling well. Leonel reported back to work the next day and has now graduated from kitchen cleaning duties. He now is in charge of abacá’s wood burning oven, a difficult station as almost everything is cooked or finished in the oven.

The outspoken Lourdes shared that Chef Jason maybe strict but he is a “sweet” amo. “He gives us a pat on the back when he notices that we are already tired, he takes time to know what is going on with our lives. Grabe ka wi-fi si amo,” she said, referring to Chef Jason’s being able to know even their secrets!

Jason admits that he can sometimes lose his temper, as do all chefs, but only because he wants things done the correct way. “I don’t just get mad for the sake of getting mad. Kitchen work should be done correctly and if there are mistakes, then the one who committed it has to answer for it. This is the way in which I was trained and I train my staff to be that way. We have had some of the hardest, educated line cooks in Cebu in our kitchen over the years and none are as strong or as talented as these kids.”

And the abacá staff does understand. “Every time we are scolded for the mistakes we committed, every time amo throws a fit because we did something wrong, we take it as a challenge and we make sure we never commit the same mistake again. And besides, amo always makes it a point to tell us after he scolds us that it is nothing personal,” said Virna.

Chef Jason has nothing but praises for the abacá kitchen team, who have come a long way and have learned a lot from him and the other chefs that have worked at abacá over the years. “I am so proud of them and what they have become, and to think they started washing vegetables and dishes,” he said. With no formal training in culinary arts, Chef Jason’s team of five girls and one boy are now being led by abacá’s Corporate executive chef, Wade Watson.

“I think guests come here because of the food and service is some of the best in the country. These kids are doing the real work,” said Jason, who explained that in reality, chefs usually direct traffic in the kitchen as there are cooks who are tasked to, well, cook the food that is served.

The kitchen staff, however, still feels that something is still lacking. “We may know what to do in the kitchen, we may know how to cook but we do not know the theory behind what we are doing. It would have been better if we had formal training,” said April, who added that even their friends consider them only as kitchen helpers because they do not have culinary degrees. Jason is handing that task to Chef Wade. “Wade is working on getting the kitchen staff certified and securing degrees. He is teaching them more about theory right now. Hopefully we can sort that out this year so they can have the piece of paper they desire.”

When asked if they see themselves working for abacá in the future, Marienil had a quick answer. “I once asked amo about that. I asked him if he would still allow us to work here even when we are already forty. He laughed and said that as long as we can still do our work, he will let us stay here,” she said.

Chef Jason already has plans for his treasures. “The sad thing is these kids don’t realize how good they are. I am confident that these kids can excel in any western kitchen in any country. Much as I don’t want them to move on, I really can’t stop them from moving on if they want to. One day, some of them will run our new restaurants or have businesses of their own, maybe I can invest in one of those businesses,” he said. But for now, Chef Jason is set on continuing to polish and refine his diamonds in the rough.