VASK chef in cooking class tomorrow

VASK has been one of Manila’s most celebrated restaurants since it opened last year. If you are like me who hasn’t been there 🙂 … tomorrow’s the time to sample what the Basque country and the north of Spain has to offer. This will not be in the restaurant, but in a cooking demo at The Maya Kitchen where VASK executive chef Jose Luis Gonzalez shall showcase his favorite specialties.

From 9 am to 1pm, Chef Gonzalez will demonstrate how to do the following dishes:

Pulpo a la Gallega Tradional or Galician Octopus

Bakalao al Pil Pil with Pipperada

Scallop Black Ink Risotto

Pulpo a la Gallega Tradicional or Galician Octopus is the signature dish of Galicia in the North of Spain. Octopus and potato are boiled and then garnished with paprika, rock salt and olive oil.

Pulpo a la Gallega Modern is a dish where the octopus is boiled, then smoked and grilled. The paprika is made with bread crumbs giving it a crispy texture. Instead of boiled potato, the potato is made into a foam.

Bakalao al Pil Pil with Pipperada is a traditional dish from the Basque Country (el Pais Vasco) and is well known all over Spain and popular with Spaniards and tourists alike. It is made with salt cod, garlic and olive oil. It is “sabroso” or tasty with the pil pil sauce, which is an emulsion sauce made with olive oill and natural gelatin of the fish. Piperrada is a typical Basque dish prepared with onion, green peppers, red bell peppers and tomatoes

Scallop Black Ink Risotto. In the Basque Country they do not have paella, they have risotto instead. The dish is a modern risotto where the flavors are traditionally combined but cooked with a modern twist.

Hailing from Santander, Spanish-born Executive Chef J. Luis Gonzalez or Chef Chele to the Manila culinary circle, earned his stripes at the restaurant of Juan Mari Arzak, acknowledged as the Father of Modern Spanish Cuisine. The good chef then practiced in some of the world’s most respected restaurants that are based in Spain like El Bulli, El Celler de Can Roca, Mugaritz, and Nerua-Guggenheim.

Gallery Vask is Chef Chele’s culinary showcase where he fuses Western cuisine with Asian influences. Select art pieces displayed in the area completes the ambiance. Gallery Vask is located on the 5th Floor, Clipp Center, 11th Avenue Corner, 39th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

This special cooking demo is made possible with Mida Food Distributors, a leading supplier of seafoods to major hotels and restaurants.

For more information, log on to www.themayakitchen.com or e-mail contactus@themayakitchen.com   or visit The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center every Tuesday to Saturday at 8F  Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City or call 8921185 / 892-5011 local 108.