A ‘taste’ of a cooking school

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman has earned more money from his George Foreman Grills than he had in boxing. Foreman is one of the most celebrated heavyweight boxers of all time. He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. Foreman holds the record of beating an opponent in 50 seconds when he knocked out Puerto Rican heavyweight champion Jose Roman in Tokyo, Japan. Among Foreman’s best fights were with Joe Frazier whom he defeated in the second round; Ken Norton who went on his knees also on the second round.

Foreman has also proven that boxers over 40 can still make a champion when he knocked out Michael Moorer at a fight in Las Vegas. Among his biggest losses were with Muhamad Ali and Evander Holyfield.

But Foreman is done with boxing. He has the George Foreman Grill Machine. He also has a collection of George Foreman Grill recipes. George Foreman loves to cook. His collection of recipes includes his own version of bacon and cheese sandwich, teriyaki finger sticks, grilled bacon, grilled halibut with rum sauce, chicken quesadilla, foreman grill marinades, among others.

Hollywood A-list and Oscar winning actor Robert de Niro is among the Hollywood greats who are into the food business. Others are George Clooney, Francis Ford Coppola and Nicolas Cage. De Niro has Tribeca and Nubo restaurants, both upscale restos in New York. You need to have an appointment to dine at these restaurants. Celebrities swarm the place. De Niro is said to love Japanese food.

De Niro won the Oscar Best Supporting Actor for his role in the Godfather and the Best Actor award in Deer Hunter. He was nominated in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Cape Fear and Awakenings. He has done beautiful collaborations with director Martin Scorcese who directed most of his memorable films. An intense perfectionist, De Niro is a skilled observer of people’s physical nuances.

In the local showbiz front, Calvin Millado is also into the food business. He has investments in Congo Grille. Judy Ann Santos, Ayen Munji-Laurel, Rufa Mae Quinto, Marvin Agustin have their own restaurants. Dominic Ochoa, on the other hand, has his Thumbs Up Ice Cream. Ai-Ai de las Alas used to operate a fast food in Quezon City. She was once enrolled at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA). But Ai-Ai had to stop schooling because of her showbiz commitments.

The Center for Culinary Arts is one of the finest cooking schools in Metro Manila. My niece Lanie is enrolled at CCA. I was invited to an "open house" where a grand buffet awaited visitors. Some of the dishes served were cooked by the student chefs on the spot – in the presence of the guests. Lanie looked great in her school uniform.

The CCA is the country’s pioneer in formal culinary education. It is also a leader in the food service industry giving practical, hands-on education on culinary arts. The school boasts of a highly-competitive curricula and teachers who are culinary experts and educated in the finest culinary institutions in the world.

At CCA, courses are technique-based, not recipe-based. This enables the students to be innovative, versatile and creative which are all requirements of a good chef.

Aside from the lectures and five hours in the kitchen, CCA students undergo actual hotel work for their apprenticeship.

Among the courses offered are Diploma in Culinary Arts and Management, Diploma in Baking-Pastry Arts and Management and Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts. There are also short courses called Basics of Baking and Pastry Arts, Fundamentals in Culinary Arts and the Creative and Recreational One Day Cooking Courses on American Country dishes, barbecues, chicken, soup, pizza and Chinese cuisine.

The main campus is at Katipunan Ave. in Loyola Heights, with tel. no. 426-4840 to 41 and its website is at www.cca.manila.com