“Chef Jay” Cabatingan defines the American dream American citizenship comes to Notre Dame Schools ‘Top Chef’
They say that good food comes from good family. The culinary team from AVI Fresh, Inc. that fulfills the food service and hospitality for Notre Dame Elementary School and Notre DameCathedral Latin embedded into the “Lion family” right away. Led by Resident Chef Jay Cabatingan, the AVI team has been part of the school community since 2019. “Chef Jay” was quickly taken by the family feel of campus. “The NDCL students and faculty are so friendly and honest. That means so much to me. One time a student came to our register and said he forgot to pay for his meal. That integrity is so important, and inspiring in young people.” Cabatingan had quite a momentous 2021. In July he and his wife Megan welcomed their second child, Camile. She joined big brother Carlos at the family’s home in Madison. Then in December he passed the citizenship exam with the Oath of Allegiance occurring in January, 2022. To celebrate him and his achievement, the entire NDCL student and faculty gave him a communal blessing during the all-school Mass on the feast day of the United States of America on December 8th—the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
opportunity in America is endless. They say ‘America is the land of the free’, and it really is. I tell my son that with a strong work ethic, you can do anything you set out to do.” A native of the Philippines, Cabatingan was inspired by his grandmother to love cooking. A home economics teacher, she always found her grandson by her side at the stove. “Grandma would be proud of the path I’ve taken and knowing that she inspired me to do this,” he says. “I get to play an important part in these students’ daily lives, and it is their favorite time of the day!”
“That was such a special moment for me”, he says. “To see the entire school pray in celebration of my citizenship means so much to me. The
Chef Jay Cabatingan
SEASONS SPRING 2022
3
