A dream course

Following the Buddhist theory of reincarnation, in my next life I would like to be a chef.  As to what kind of chef, I still have not decided, but it is a toss up between being a pastry chef or a sous chef.

After reading Newsweek magazine about Japan being the food capital of the world, I thought I wanted to be a Japanese chef specializing in the art of sushi making. But on further reflection, the thought of dealing with seafood and smelling of fish all day is not my idea of la dolce vita.

It seems that I will have to wait for my next lifetime to realize my culinary ambition because for now it is quite impossible. If God gave others two left feet, I was born with two left hands.  Just last week, I realized I could not even peel a carrot artistically, even if my life depended on it.

Last year my friends at the Dusit Thani Bangkok, senior vice president Octavio Gamarra, and Eric Guth, director of the food and beverage, broached the idea of taking up a cooking course at their newly opened Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School.  They introduced me to their attractive Filipina PR, Lalana Santos, who I was supposed to contact for the course.  Born in the Philippines but raised in Thailand, Santos exemplifies the two best traits of a Pinay/Thai: grace and charm. She is a valuable asset to the PR department and her bosses are very proud of her.

Last week, after months of dreaming of wearing a chef’s toque and uniform, I found myself enrolled at this world-renowned culinary institute, thanks to my Dusit friends and the machinations of Santos.  It was a five-day course that went so fast I could not get enough of it. The thrill of studying with the best French chefs of the world and the fascination of acquiring culinary knowledge alongside skillful students of different nationalities added to the magic. Dressed in the white Cordon Bleu uniform and a matching chef’s cap, I was walking on cloud nine from classroom to classroom.  I know that I will never be the gifted chef of the four-star restaurants of the world, but this precious experience will forever be in my treasure chest of memories.

Here is a brief history of this prestigious school:

The name Le Cordon Bleu has been synonymous with culinary excellence since the 16th century, when Henry III created one of the most important orders in France, L’Ordre du Saint-Esprit, the Order of the Holy Spirit, in 1578. Knights of this Order were named “Cordon Bleu” after the blue ribbon which they wore where to hang the Cross of the Holy Spirit. Excellence was the order of the day, and the feasts that accompanied their ceremonies became legendary. In 1895, Le Cordon Bleu was born as a magazine La Cuisiniere Cordon Bleu. By 1896, demonstrations with leading chefs in Paris were organized for the magazine’s subscribers and this way, Le Cordon Bleu culinary school was born.

After the death of its founder, Marthe Distel, the school went on to train two generations of chefs from many countries.  In 1984, owner Elizabeth Brassart sought a successor who would respect the 90-year-old tradition of Le Cordon Bleu. Her successor was Andre J. Cointreau, descendant of France’s Cointreau-Remy Martin families, who acquired the school in 1988. Under his stewardship, LCB International has evolved from a Parisian culinary school to an international hospitality and gastronomy network. With 26 schools in 15 countries, it fosters a unique multicultural environment with students that come from more than 80 nations. Under his influence, graduates of Cordon Bleu become part of a great tradition of excellence in hospitality education with credentials that set them apart from the competition in a demanding and ever changing professional environment.

The courses offered at the LCB Dusit are conducted in French but with English interpreters. Hence a student has to be proficient in English.  A student interested in the Le Cordon Bleu classic cycle program should enroll for at least three months. My five-day course was just a special accommodation out of my friendship with Dusit Thani’s kind bosses.

The program teaches students to progressively discover and ultimately master the basics of French cuisine and patisserie in a complete and systematic manner. This world leader program consists of two different but complimentary tracks, Cuisine and Patisserie. Graduates of the following courses will attain the world famous Le Cordon Bleu qualifications, which will entitle them to articulate into the Certificat de Chef de Partie and the Diplome de Direction de Cuisine. Students who satisfactorily complete all the three Cuisines courses will be eligible to be awarded Le Cordon Bleu Diplome de Cuisine. And those who complete the Patisserie courses will be awarded the LCB Diplome de Patisserie. After successful completion of Basic, Intermediate, and Superior courses in both cuisines and patisserie (six courses), the student is eligible to be awarded Le Cordon Bleu Grande Diplome — a highly acclaimed award and an international passport to the culinary world.

My short stint in the culinary world opened my eyes to the laborious process in which every dish is prepared and presented.  Just the peeling of a carrot, boiling it to a state of perfection and shaping it artistically are a chef’s labor of love. No matter what the taste is, I will henceforth be very appreciative of every chef’s efforts to create a perfect dish for his clients.  We sit down and eat without realizing and appreciating the work, the skill, and the love involved in every dish preparation and presentation.

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For interested parties, call Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School at (662) 237-8877; e-mail: Thailand@cordonbleu.edu or visit its website at  www.cordonbleudusit.com