Initiating the young cook

Some kids are born artists, while others are meant to be chefs.

We have a five-year-old apo, B (for Belynda), who is very keen on learning how to cook. Whenever she sees us do our chores in the kitchen, she would want to stir, mix or simply look at what we would be doing. We have our 22-year-old grandson Matthew whose father was executive chef of various hotels, thus he was exposed to international cuisine. When he was a teenager he executed a full dinner to celebrate a birth anniversary. Having graduated from Oxfordshire University with a degree in International Hospitality Management, he is now assistant manager of the Oxford branch of the British chain, The Trout Inn. We knew a young boy (now a young man), the son of our good friends who were then living in Hong Kong, and when I would visit them, the boy at about age five would ask what I wanted for breakfast. He had a stool to stand on so he could reach the stovetop. Our friends’ seven-year-old daughter bakes brownies and sells them in a weekend market. Some kids are born artists, while others are meant to be chefs.

CJ Lim, at a very young age, was “assisting” his mother Joy in managing their restaurant in Greenhills. When they went to the US, he took courses in Culinary Arts. They are back in the country, and CJ is now a full-fledged chef who presides over the kitchen of their restaurant, Twist- Comfort Food + Difference, in the POS Building on Scout Madriñan corner Tomas Morato in Quezon City (tel.no. 376-9842). With a strong Filipino spirit, he is serving mainly dishes of Filipino origin, to which he gives his own “twist,” injecting some foreign elements. There is the Twist Croque Madam, consisting of English muffins, USDA tapa, bleu cream cheese and cheddar; French onion soup done with kesong puti; porchetta roulade, rolls of lechon kawali, bagoong paste and spiced vinegar; puto bumbong blanco and goat’s milk panna cotta. It was ingenious for CJ to think of  combining local and foreign elements, without losing their natural flavors. That is a kid who grew up in the kitchen.

Early encouragement and exposure are good. But parents, cooks and yayas must be very strict in supervising the kids. Do not trust them with the knife, yet.

Should they really show strong inclination towards the culinary arts, they can be sent to cooking schools as early as four years old. The Tiny Kitchen of Vicky Veloso Barrera has long been offering lessons to young girls and boys, from age 4 to 19. She has started her summer sessions with several courses. The summer program ends in August, but there will be no classes on March 17-22 and April 14-19. Regular 5-session courses which are individualized, where the participants can create their own programs, are available. She gives a 5 percent discount for groups of three. Those aged 18 and 19 can choose from different courses: Around the World, Pinoy Favorites, American Classics, Flavors of Asia, Taste of Europe, Party Food and Desserts.

Vicky also has one-day cooking and baking workshops for cupcakes, cookies, pasta or a combination. Fees include use of apron and water. Participants must bring their own containers. To ease the possible stress (maybe), there is a menagerie of rabbits, turtles and chickens on the school premises. Students can feed them kangkong and bread.

Tiny Kitchen 2014 is located at 31 Scout Tobias, Quezon City. Call them at 410-2279 or cel 0917-3593940 or e-mail them at [email protected]. Plan the summer program of your kids now.

Have a pleasant Sunday!

E-mail me at [email protected].