My good friend Bettina Osmeña invited me to a special lunch at the restaurant of Enderun Colleges. The resto is called Restaurant 101. The reason the lunch was held there is because it is one of the sponsors of her next fundraising event for I Can Serve, a breast cancer advocacy group that she has been actively affiliated with for the past four years.
I Can Serve, a non-stock and non-profit organization by and for women with breast cancer, will be having a gastronomical food festival entitled “Pink Kitchen” on Aug. 11 and 12 at the Rockwell Tent. The event is co-sponsored by ABS-CBN Publishing, the Lifestyle Network and Enderun Colleges.
At Restaurant 101, Bettina and I were warmly welcomed at the school lobby by the culinary head, chef See Cheong, F&B manager of Restaurant 101 (Enderun’s training restaurant) Chad Davis, and the school dean, Lorraine Villanueva. It was the first time I had heard of this school, so I had a lot of questions to ask.
Enderun Colleges has entered into an academic partnership with Les Roches Swiss Hotel Association School of Hotel Management. It allows students to earn certificates in International Hospitality Operations from Les Roches, as they study for their bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality Management at Enderun. Les Roches is among the world’s most prestigious and highly respected hospitality management schools. Their certificate program is fully integrated into the Enderun curriculum and allows Enderun students, who pass a qualifying exam, to gain Les Roches certification after only two years of study. After earning their certificate, hospitality management students have the option of completing their four-year degree at Enderun, or of transferring to Les Roches’ campuses in Switzerland, or Marbella, Spain and earning their degrees in Europe. Only at Enderun can students gain a recognized international credential from one of the world’s best known hospitality management schools after only two years while studying in the Philippines. Students are given the option of pursuing one of two major areas of study: hotel administration or culinary arts. Students receive professional training from leading figures in the global hospitality industry. The general faculty, which oversees Enderun’s rigorous core curriculum, includes some of the region’s leading academics. Even Enderun’s facilities, which feature hotel quality appointments and integrated cutting-edge
The Enderun approach to hospitality education is unique and highly differentiated. To prepare for leadership positions in the regional and global hospitality industry, Enderun students work closely with faculty mentors, who are themselves industry experts and professionals. Students also gain priceless real-world experience from intensive work internships both in the Philippines and abroad.
While being toured around the school by marketing girl Tricia C. Tensuan, I was impressed with the high-tech classrooms, the modern seats and state-of-the-art facilities. I wished there were schools like this when I was in college!
During the four-course gastronomical lunch, I asked Dean Lorraine about their collaboration with I Can Serve.
“We welcome this opportunity to share the special talents of our faculty and students for the promotion of breast cancer awareness and to support those who need financial assistance,” she explained.
Bettina Osmeña further explained that “Pink Kitchen” will be a food gala of different cuisines. This event will feature signature dishes of established and upcoming chefs like Reggie Aspiras, Myrna Segismundo, and Jill Sandique. Supervised by Chef See and Chad Davis, student volunteers from Enderun will extend their assistance to the foundation by reinforcing the reception, food service and preparation for the salad bar, fruit shake bar, bread and noodle stations during the food fest. At least 100 students, faculty and staff will be working for free in four shifts for seamless operations in the kitchen and food and beverage service.
In addition to the culinary showcase, Enderun student Katrina Padilla will be introducing exotic Cuban cuisine. People will also have a chance to taste the culinary genius of chef See who will be manning a noodle and dim sum stand.
Do not let their Swiss precision and professionalism fool you into thinking that they are all business because this school definitely has a heart. All the profits from the food stalls which Enderun will be managing during the event will go to I Can Serve. Beth Romualdez is so optimistic about the success of this event because of the unique concept of bringing together all these different chefs who do not have formal outlets in Manila serving their signature dishes all under one roof.
“Pink Kitchen” will sell entrance tickets to the event at P200 for adults and P100 for children. All ticket proceeds will go to I Can Serve, which conducts high impact information campaigns for breast cancer awareness and provides financial assistance for breast cancer patients in treatment. Visit its website at www.icanserve.net for an introduction of chefs who will cook for them at “Pink Kitchen.”
Better still, just go to the Rockwell Tent on Aug. 11 and 12 and savor the goodies of all these culinary geniuses. It is after all, for a very good cause!