No margin of error

CEBU, Philippines - Stuart James Blair has been accustomed well to the taste and smell unique to Southeast Asia. He's been in Ubod and Manggis (Bali) and Jakarta Pusat before his cooking stints took him grilling and deep frying in Fiji Islands, St. Lucia and Maldives. He can eat Nasi Goreng, like an Indon, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact, he said he could have it for the rest of his life without raising a complaint. He has no issue, either, about the strong vapor durians release. He said it is one of his favorite tropical fruits.

Further, this Aussie would not mind if someone comes over, asks his recipes of 22 years, beginning with his apprenticeship in Sydney, to modify these. He said he is not particular really about copyrights; he would rather give all the recipes away to the one who has the initiative to ask him and learn from him that cooking has to warm from the heart first to make the passion for the job burning even with the odds.

This 40-year-old executive chef of Crimson Spa and Resort is up to the challenge of preparing for a 500-people banquet for the holidays and another 700 for the big bang on January 1. To appease guests, he only has one rule of thumb in the kitchen: No such thing as second best; nobody can afford to make mistakes.

Stuart James Blair (SJB): We look at it this way – If a guest complains about aircon not working, it would be easier to get a repairman to restore condition. But when it comes to food, if you don't do it right the first time, the guests won't give you a second chance. They would always remember that bad time they had, they would forget about bad aircons, but they won't forget being served with bad food.

The FREEMAN (TF): So how do you mentor your people to perfect their craft?

SJB: It's not really talking about kitchen operations all the time. I kind of talk about their families, their favorite games like basketball, stuff like that. This way I would be able to know what their other concerns are and be able to let them open up. Maybe they have very good ideas to improve the menu. It doesn't mean just because I'm above them, my ideas are always the best.

TF: Filipino chefs have this reputation to be very good on a global scale, but how do you make them open up to you when we are culturally programmed to be such a shy and withdrawn lot; saying too much of our piece is often taken as impoliteness and disrespect.

SJB: I would rather not look at it that way. I admire Filipinos. You are such a caring people. I know that because I've had experienced how my Filipino staff would care for my whereabouts, by checking on as simply as the plate number of the taxi I boarded in, so I can get home safe. I would say that even if it would take you long to say your mind, your being caring translates to how careful you are when you serve people.

TF: What's your leadership style?

SJB: I would get the best from my staff by ensuring that they love the job. That's just it! If they have the passion, they would be good. And what would be my focus is more on the follow-up. Just make sure my instructions translate to how these should be delivered. At the end of the day, it's about teamwork and not about who leads.

TF: What would be the highlight of the Christmas celebration?

SJB: We will be setting up a dinner spread for the Eve, featuring international dishes. I have very good Filipino chefs who can come up with very good sushis, so we have a Japanese section. And because most of our guests are Koreans, we will make sure that at breakfast they would get their meals the Korean way. After that, they would be fine and take on the other meals available.

TF: How often do you change menu?

SJB: Every three months. I would like to have a fresh menu every time, and restructuring is important to meet certain preferences as we are also tapping the Russians and some walk-ins. (Crimson Spa and Resort has four food outlets so Chef Blair has to come up with 150 menus for Tempo Lounge, Saffron Café, Azure, and Score, as well as the Tea Room).

TF: You said you don't really believe in fusion cuisine, so after all, not every chef is experimental, the way we have been made to believe?

SJB: I'm more into the mix-and-match. For the Cebuano dish Balbacua (oxtail and beef skin simmered in local spices) we serve this with taro chips and sweet shrimp paste. But there are certain foods like lamb that are strong in flavor; it's not just good to pair them up. Like for example, some chefs are into chocolate sauce for red meat like beef or lamb. I think that beef is such a fantastic product, and that chocolate is another fantastic product, and mixing them would just overpower each other's strong flavor. Too much combination of products would end up destroying the dish.

TF: You said you don't have to temper the smell of durian for you to relish it. Do you think it's possible to come up with a main dish using durian?

SJB: I find it has best results as a dessert. It's best with egg and milk. Custards, creme brulee, panna cottas, stuff like that. Fantastic! The smell doesn't come out anymore.

TF: You mentioned that even in your dreams you still continue to jot down your recipes?

SJB: Yes, well that's funny. I would wake up 3 a.m. to be able to write down a list of recipes in my dream and my partner (a Filipina) told me I'm nuts (laughs out loud!).

TF: That only shows culinary art is embedded in your subconscious?

SJB: Guess so; been cooking since I was a child, growing up enjoying it. I remember my dad telling me important things after I went sharing my internship experience to him on how it only paid for the transport, and that's about it. He told me to never worry about the money. He said "gain as much knowledge as you can and the money will come later."

TF: As always parent knows best.

SJB: One important point there he told me was learn how to be a good negotiator. It's a skill that's significant when you're doing admin work. It's also helpful to determine who to say "drop cooking" to.

TF: And usher them out of the kitchen because it's too hot to handle, you would say? Whew! Now, that's the real burning sensation.

SJB: We have to love our jobs. I have to make it sure they enjoy what they're doing. I'm happy I have a great food and beverage director here in Crimson. We kind of developed a strong work relationship. The same is true with the other chefs of various nationalities in here. So satisfaction among our guests is not really that much of a challenge anymore.