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Bachelor Cooking at First Gourmet Academy » One Hyundai Club Life In Style Event

I really don’t like to cook – but I like to eat. I’d almost rather not eat than waste time making a mess cooking food that I know will taste weird. But of course there are number of quick solutions to a bachelor’s raving stomach – instant pancit canton, fast food drive-thru, or the ever present carinderia.

My family is in the province, hence I started living by myself when I moved in Manila for college - and because I’m really incompetent in the kitchen, I wonder why I haven’t disintegrated into a mound of MSG, artificial food coloring and seasoning.

I guess I had enough and maybe it’s time I should learn how to cook.

So when I got this e-mail from One Hyundai Club inviting me to attend a cooking crash course, I immediately said yes.

Who says cooking is only for the ladies? Master the kitchen with a cooking crash course from well-known chefs in the culinary industry. Learn the basics of choosing quality ingredients, preparing provisions and ultimately dishing up delectable recipes from seasoned chef in town. 
This Bachelor Cooking crash course is part of One Hyundai Club Life in Style exclusive event for its members as their token of appreciation for supporting the Hyundai brand.

It’s really awesome how Hyundai takes care of their customers. This event is only one of the Life In Style activities lined up this year for all Hyundai Customers. There are still a whole range of activities in store catering to all Hyundai Customers’ passion: from motoring to fashion, from culture and the arts, to technological breakthroughs, from shopping to health and gourmet finds.

Be a man: Learn to cook

Well, I admit it. I’m one of those guys who will have trouble eating something if trapped on a house with a fridge full of vegetables and food that needs to be properly cooked. It’s actually laughable, I know.

How I wish I have that skill and passion to turn vegetables and a slice of meat into a delicious meal.

I guess it’s never too late to at least try. Fortunately, I got a chance to try a real hands-on cooking with all the cookery station and kitchen stuff at the First Gourmet Academy.

First Gourmet Academy is conveniently located at Capitol Greenstreet, Capitol Hills Drive, Old Balara, Quezon City. It was my first time to go to that area and it was quite easy to find because it’s just a tricycle ride away from Tandang Sora overpass.

Kitchen with View
Cooking Stations inside First Gourmet Academy Kitchen
Capitol Golf Club View from Kitchen
Nice view outside the wide kitchen glass windows
A unique feature of their kitchen is not their kitchenware but the awesome view of the surrounding golf course turned into a residential area.

Chef teaching guys
Chef Mat demonstrating how to cook Coq Au Vin
Chef teaching guys how to make chocolate mousse
Chef Mat showing how to prepare Chocolate Mousse
Chef Mat, the culinary director himself, was our instructor for the day. With his charming Italian accent, he taught us some basic knife skills, gave some kitchen and cooking tips and demonstrated how to cook Creamy Polenta, Minestrone and Coq Au Vin. These are also the dishes that we will try to prepare.

prepared ingredients mise en place
Mise en place
After the demo, we were instructed to go to our designated cooking station with our own mise en place or prepared ingredients for the dishes we were going to cook.              

Minestrone Creamy Polenta and Coq Au Vin
I made it!! This is my Coq Au Vin (Main Course) and Minestrone, a classical soup from Italy
Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Mousse prepared by Chef Mat
Then, it’s cooking time! Chef Mat made sure we got all his instructions right. He went around giving suggestions and tasted our food to check if it needed more ingredients.

Empty plate after Cooking
I ate it all! Boun Appetito!
After the cooking, we got to eat the food that we prepared and I must say dining is different when you’re eating the food that you cooked yourself.
  
Thoughts on my cooking experience


This cooking crash course experience can be a tricky one to remember because, of course cooking needs constant practice. But my cooking did work, more or less — and better than I expected, yeheey! At least I now have a little idea of how professional cooking goes. As Chef Mat said, “Just trust your instincts.”

Chef Yodi Insigne
Chef Yodi
Let me also borrow a quote from Barbara Ehrenreich, author and social critic, “For the millions of us who live glued to computer keyboards at work and TV monitors at home, food may be more than entertainment. It may be the only sensual experience left.

So what are your thoughts on learning how to cook? Are you handy in the kitchen or a pancit-canton guy?


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Miscellaneous:

You can download the following recipe here:  
  •  Minestrone: A classical soup from Italy. There is not one single recipe for Minestrone. The ingredients changes with the season.
  • Creamy Polenta. This is one version of the polenta where we added cream and also turmeric to further enrich its flavor.
  • Coq au Vin. The preparation is similar in many aspects to beef bourguignon. The wine typically used in this dish is Burgundy wine.
  • Chocolate Mousse. A simple chocolate mousse recipe that can easily be transformed by adding your favorite liquor.
For more information about First Gourmet Academy:
or call: 951-1687 / 951-9655 / 0908-2592639
Address: Capitol Hills Drive, Old Balara, Quezon City
How to get there (commuting): Go to Tandang Sora Flyover along Commonwealth Avenue, near Iglesia Ni Cristo Church. Look for the Old Balara tricycle station then ask the driver to bring you to Capitol.     
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Image Citation: 
» Header Thumbnail (Hands on Chopping Board) "Be Cooking" Photomontage by Martin Grohs 
» One Hyundai Club Life in Style "Bachelor Cooking Invites"
» All other images on this post are from yodi insigne mobile phone.



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