The call of the kitchen.

CEBU, Philippines - When Michelangelo finished painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he must have been filled with pure gratification on a masterpiece now tagged as the most renowned artwork of the High Renaissance. It’s the same feeling a cook or baker feels inside the kitchen. Even with just one cute little cupcake, the feeling of accomplishment is like that of a true artist.

Like the passion of artists, the calling to cook and bake is something that can’t be turned down by those called.

There have been countless of stories of successful people who, despite having all the fortune they have right now, have those “what-if-I-really-did that” moment.

Good for those who have realized it early though.  

Chef Derek Ramsey of the famous Hell’s Kitchen started out playing football when he was a kid and was deemed to be great. But he gave up playing professional football because the calling of his real passion was too strong to ignore.

And that was the call of the kitchen.

Stories like these are somewhat common in the Philippine School of Culinary Arts.

Chef Vikki Gonzalez, currently in-charge of the baking and pastry department of PSCA, shared that they have a “supposed-to-be pilot, a nurse and an engineer” amongst them.

 Chef Vikki herself revealed that she was doing well as an accountant in a company in the United States but something seemed missing in her life. She, as well as the rest of her team now in PSCA, individually felt that they needed to find that reason to wake up in the morning and be constantly excited to work.

And they have now found what they love. Going to PSCA everyday has been their pride and joy.

 “It’s fun learning here,” shared Kristoffer Erik Lyndon Lawas, who enrolled in PSCA two years ago. Now, he has continued to be part of the baking and pastry group and will even be representing the school for an upcoming food carving and group cake decorating competition.

        Kristoffer, fondly called King by his teammates, said that their head baking and pastry chef Anecto Garcia, despite being strict, allows them to play around and have fun while learning.

King said that he tried other culinary schools but when he went to PSCA, he said he finally found his home. A place where he know he could learn a lot, given the impeccable expertise of their teachers and the intensive training that they go through.

In the baking and pastry department of PSCA, they teach you everything you want to learn. From cakes, to cupcakes, to all types of icings, to decorating and even in making it as a business- it’s a package that would definitely make up for the expenses.

Chef Vikki said that culinary classes can be expensive. But she said that PSCA makes sure that you get the worth of every single centavo you pay in the school. All you need to bring is yourself, and they’ll take care of you, your training, ingredients, and facilities and provide you with an experience you won’t forget. The teachers attend to students one by one and each student gets a work station of his own.

The baking and pastry arts program offers 10 months of training, with 450 hours of classroom and kitchen work, plus 300 hours of industry practicum. Chef Vikki said that they make sure students get more hands-on training over discussions.

The programs they offer also include internships with 5-star hotels that give good exposure to the potential chefs and in turn give great employment opportunities for them all over the world.

From young 7 year olds to professional 40 year olds, PSCA promises a one-of-a-kind experience that will surely hone their baking and cooking skills and get their artistic side out.

Aside from the 10-month program, PSCA also offers short courses like commercial skills upgrading course for teachers and cooks, cooking for commissary operations, culinary techniques for product development and culinary techniques for household food preparation.

If you want to have a different kind of bonding with your friends, they offer Barkada-bonding cooking/baking sessions for groups. For company team buildings, they also have the Corporate-team building cooking sessions.

PSCA, located at the 3rd floor of the annex building of Maxwell Hotel, N. Escario St. Camputhaw Cebu City, also offers the 2-year diploma on Culinary Arts and Patisserie. For more information, please contact (032)505-4645 or [email protected]. (Photos by Vince Orong)