What makes a good chef?

For as long as he can remember, Mon Abalos Jr. has always loved food. Memories of his childhood days in Davao city are always spiced up with thoughts of his mother’s delicious cooking. Market days are well-remembered for these were times when Mon says he anticipated accompanying his mom when she shopped for the freshest produce, which she turned into mouth-watering dishes the minute they got home.

It was not surprising that Mon, in spite of earning a degree in civil engineering, shifted gears and decided to go full throttle towards an alternative career in the culinary arts. One could say that he has arrived, since he is now a faculty member of the Center for Culinary Arts, Manila.

The road that led to this goal was, in a manner of speaking, laid out by Mon like a well-engineered plan.

Realizing that a proper training was essential in achieving his ambition, he decided to come to Manila and enroll at the CCA. After all, it is the only school in the country where future chefs are trained in a formal academic setting.

The school offers two courses: a one-year program for a Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts; and a two-year program for a Diploma in Culinary Arts and Technology Management. Mon took up the latter.

Becoming a professional chef was no easy task he soon learned. Competency was not just a matter of concocting tasty treats, but being well-versed in food safety and sanitation, mathematical calculations, some chemistry and human resource management, as well.

A consistently good student, Mon was chosen to represent CCA in the annual Technical Education Skills Development Authority’s National Skills Competition held recently in Davao City. Needless to say, he won the plum prize, besting 13 other competitors from all over the country.

CCA’s chef Bernard Ignacio, who coached Mon all the way, says the TESDA competition is a tough one. Mon went through the district, then National Capital Region level competitions, before making it to the national finals.

"In a nutshell, this is how the competition goes. A test package of 10 items are given to the contestants who will then concoct dishes they are assigned to do according to given guidelines," says chef Ignacio. "They are to do their food preparations within a specified time frame, after which they shall present four plates, two for presentation and another two for tasting."

Needless to say, Mon’s Chicken Terrine with Mangosteen Sauce, a puff pastry, and Roast Quail Stuffed with Wild Rice were the hands-down favorites.

Mon credits his victory to the kind of education he got from CCA. "Learn as much, build up speed, and always practice until everything becomes second nature. That is the kind of training future chefs get at CCA," says Mon.