Chef Fern Aracama holds class on Xmas cooking

Rarely do I attend cooking classes at The Maya Kitchen because of the early call time, but I will be there this Saturday, Nov. 23, to see well-known Chef Fernando Aracama do his demo from 9am to 1pm. The place: The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center at the 8th Floor Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City.

Chef Fern will share a few precious recipes that will be useful to us this Christmas. On the menu: the Spanish inspired Patatas Riojana, a very simple yet hearty and delicious potato and chorizo soup; Grilled Ensaimada Media Noche style, hot and crusty butter grilled ensaimada stuffed with Chinese ham and queso de bola; Insalata Uvato, a salad with honey balsamico vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts, green and red grapes and kesong puti; Malunggay and Mozzarella dip in a creamy, cheesy brûleé best served with crispy crostini; and Bunuelos and Warm Chocolate Dip for dessert. These are deep fried choux pastries served with a thick and smooth milk chocolate dip.

Chef Fern hails from Bacolod and is a graduate of the University of the Philippines with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration. He took further studies at The New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont USA and was a 2003 Cochran Fellowship Program Awardee at the Hilton College, University Of Houston, Texas, USA.

Chef Fern has a long list of bars and restaurants to his name like Aracama Filipino Cuisine, Opus, Republiq & Café Republiq, MYTHAI Kitchen, Lucky Niku Café, The ChopHouse, The Tides Hotel Boracay as well as previous spots Restaurant UVA, Encore/Embassy & Member’s Only and CANTEEN simple+good food.

He is also active in World Association of Chef Societies (WACS), Les Toques Blances Philippines, Council of Chefs, United States of America’s Department of Agriculture and is a Chef Consultant with Philippine Airlines.

For more information on other course offerings, log on to www.themayakitchen.com, e-mail contactus@themayakitchen.com or call 8921185 / 892-5011 local 108 / Mobile No. +63947 835 2290.