SY 2009-2010, Vol. 1 Issue 2
Alaine Ducasse Visits Enderun by: Micah Lee
French national and world-renowned chef Alain Ducasse recently took a trip to the Philippines and visited Enderun Colleges for the first time on February 23-25, 2010 where he received a very warm welcome. Alain Ducasse, a chef, restaurateur, hotelier and educator who has built a celebrated career in the hospitality industry for 38 years now, is the founder of Alain Ducasse Formation (ADF). Enderun Colleges established a partnership with Ducasse’s institution in culinary education in 2007. Enderun and Alain Ducasse Formation have been working together to bring to the Philippines and Southeast Asia a higher level of cooking program and fundamental training that is modelled after classical European tradition. Both institutions share the same ideals in training the youth and developing their sense of passion and competency to meet the needs of an industry that is consistently growing globally. During his visit, Alain Ducasse graced “Industry Forum: Before Cuisine, There Was Nature”, a series of events held at Enderun Colleges campus. A day before this event, Enderun hosted Les Cuisine d’Alain Ducasse, un Hommage a la Nature (The Cuisines of Alain Ducasse, A Tribute to Nature), a wine dinner tendered in honor
of the world renowned chef. In the discussion forum titled Before Cuisine There Was Nature held on February 24, Alain Ducasse was the keynote speaker. The forum focused on the challenges and changes that face the culinary industry at the helm of stiff competition due to globalization. Chef See Cheong Yan officially started the forum by introducing Chef Alain Ducasse and his team. People who joined Chef Ducasse onstage included a team member of his, Provost Lance Masters, Chef See Cheong Yan and Executive Chef of ADF + Enderun Marc Chalopin. Enderun’s Provost, Dr. Lance Masters hosted the whole event with featured known speakers in the hospitality industry: Reto Klauser, area manager and general manager of Makati Shangri-La, Manila, Bel Castro, an F&B faculty member of Enderun, Chef J. Gamboa, executive chef of Cirkulo and Milkyway restaurants and director of Les Toques Blanches Philippines and Amy Besa, an author (Memories of Philippine Kitchens) and owner of the Purple Yam restaurant in New York City.
of various influences, to dialog with Southeast Asian cultures that are so rich and so diverse?” somewhat inspired him to focus his sight on Asia. This attestation was supported by the Culinary students of Enderun during the forum as they unanimously expressed agreement with Chef Ducasse. According to CA students, studying in Enderun is like being taught by Chef Ducasse himself because the chefs who work with Enderun has been personally picked by him. “We learn because we are rounded to be how Chef Ducasse is like inside the kitchen, his philosophy, and his mentality as to how to treat food,” some Enderun Culinary Arts students said. Chef Ducasse mentioned in the forum that French cuisine has been often stereotyped. He said however that he disagrees with such mentality and in fact believes that “French cuisine is open to the world. Motivated by this conviction, he chose Manila to be the venue of his first school in Asia. Chef Ducasse gave a glimpse of his childhood during the forum where he said that he grew up in a farm, surrounded by ducks, geese, and foie gras. Because of this he discovered his passion for food. Just like anyone else, he started from the bottom. He was tasked to remove feathers from birds. Despite how petty the tasks were, little by little he moved up and attained his rank as a professional savoir-faire. “My favourite dish is the vegetables that I pick from my own garden and cook” Chef Ducasse further shared to the forum participants. He unashamedly admitted that no matter where he is at present, he still remains tied to his roots and always remember his humble beginnings.
Alain Ducasse is also famous for his numerous firsts, such as being the first chef de cuisine at the first hotel restaurant, receiving a three-star rating. He was also the first chef to hold In his talk, Chef Ducasse talked about two three-star ratings simultaneously. why of all the continents, he chose A recent addition to his many firsts Asia to have his very first culinary and is a first school in Asia that was built hospitality school. According to Chef by him in order for his methods to be Ducasse, the line: “What better place learned by the students, as well as to than Manila, a city at the crossroads provide training and consultancy ser-
vices to the world’s top chefs. He is one of the rare chefs to be part of the prestige of the Michelin guide, marking his history as the only chef to be carrying three-star rankings in three different cities: Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris; Alain Ducasse in Dorchester, London; and the Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo.
Groomed to Fit by: Enzo Mijares For eons and epochs of human civilization, there has been a never-ending battle. A struggle so epic, it runs to this very day, in this very country, in this very school. It may be a simple matter, but a matter worth ages of debate. So what is your stand? Must we follow the dress code? Despite the uniforms prescribed by the school, there are students who do not abide by the rule. Some students come in wearing purple, black, and even polkadotted ties. Others wear blue suits, black jeans, and a few even came in jackets that simply look like suits. These students claim that deviating from the standard uniforms represents their identity and individuality. Some of them even argue that what they are wearing looks so much better than the uniforms provided. On the other side of the spectrum, Enderun Colleges put up a set of rules regarding behavior and the wearing of uniform to promote professionalism and discipline. In the world outside college grounds, first impressions really last and the consequences may be harsh, and Enderun is helping its students prepare for this world by providing these guidelines and rules. Nonetheless, the defiance by some students towards uniformity persists thus resulting to the implementation of The Code of Discipline. -continued on page 2