3 culinary dreams come true

MANILA, Philippines - Guess what Ara Mina, Sunshine Cruz-Montano and Maricel Morales have in common?

Aside from their showbiz roots, the three buxom beauties share a common love for cooking, baking and other culinary adventures.

Through the recommendation of good friends and fellow gourmands, the threesome, together with seven other friends and relatives, enrolled at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM) and put together their own class, which is a modified version of the short course Fundamentals in Culinary Arts, with a curriculum specially-tailored to the celebrities’ busy schedules.

Under the watchful eyes of its formidable roster of local and foreign chefs, the budding cooks learned the intricacies of Asian and European cuisine, whipping up over a hundred recipes including salads, soups, sandwiches, meat and seafood dishes, desserts and pastries within three months.

Actress/Angeles City councilor Maricel Morales said, “I’m Kapampangan, and we are known for our love for food and keen sense of taste. But I wanted to go beyond the basics for my two boys, who just love to eat, just like me. They’re always so excited that every time I come home from cooking class, they ask me when they’re going to try what I’ve learned. They love steak, and I’ve always made them try the beef recipes we’ve concocted.”

For Sunshine, the bigger challenge was trying to do better than her husband Cesar Montano, whom she and their kids have always acknowledged as the better cook. “But now, I can honestly say that I’m better than him!” she declares emphatically.

“It was Ara who convinced me to enroll,” Sunshine adds, “and I’ve heard that ISCAHM is really one of the best culinary schools in town that’s why I didn’t think twice. Also, Chef Manoj de Silva is a friend of ours. We met him and his wife Violet through our yoga classes.”

Although Ara managed a couple of restaurants before (Cosmopolitan Café and Osteria Italia), she admits to having very minimal hands-on cooking experience. “Even before I entered showbiz, I’ve always been more fond of baking, and brownies and macaroons have always been my specialties,” she says. “But I really want to learn the gourmet stuff, like now I can cook my own foie gras! This is also very good training since I want to start my own catering service next year.”

The visibly excited Ara may have unwittingly hinted at tying the knot soon when she teasingly added, “It’s nice to know how to cook, especially when you’re getting married soon!”

After their last session last June 30, a mini-graduation ceremony was held at the school’s Katipunan Ave. branch, where Sunshine, Ara, Maricel and the others received their certificates of completion. They were joined by family members who sampled the special menu they prepared for the occasion.

The newly-anointed kitchen warriors can’t help but relish their culinary adventures. As Ara recounts, “What made it enjoyable was that we literally had an international lineup of acclaimed chefs who are ‘specialists’ in their own right, plus the different cultures and characters made it a very culturally-enriching experience. I’m definitely taking the full course next year, even if it means I have to give up some of my showbiz commitments! I want to level up!”

Bursting with newfound confidence, the “cooky” ladies can only agree that it’s never too late to learn anything you put your mind to.

ISCAHM was established in 2002 by distinguished chefs Hansjorg Schallenberg and Norbert Gandler. Among its roster of distinguished international faculty members is Filipino Chef Ernie Babaran, hailed as one of Asia’s foremost pastry gurus. To date, the school has branches in Quezon City, Makati and Cebu.