Selfie-ing with THE Alain Ducasse

As a self-proclaimed food-lover, I got so excited to attend a press conference on Ducasse Institute's Philippines launch at Enderun. Chef Alain Ducasse himself was there. It was my first time at Enderun Colleges in McKinley, and I love, love, love it so much. I am so happy that there is such a place in Manila. It was such a breathe of fresh air, an escape from the concrete jungle.

My cousin, who's the sous chef at Brasserie Ciçou and a die hard fan of Chef Alain Ducasse, accompanied me. We sat on the second row. As the selfie capital of the world (haha), I just had to take a selfie with the chef.

At the launch of Ducasse Institute at Enderun, they introduced the Chef de Partie program. If you're interested, please read on.

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Ducasse Institute Philippines at Enderun Colleges launches the first Chef de Partie program in the Philippines, the Diploma in Culinary Arts - Chef de Partie, for culinary graduates and aspiring professional chefs who want to advance in their career and acquire the skills expected of a Chef de Partie at top international establishments. Through comprehensive research across restaurants all over the world, the skill sets gained in this program match the precise needs of employers when hiring a Chef de Partie.

Participants of this program will get to train with world-class chef instructors of Ducasse Institute Philippines and learn the responsibilities of a Chef de Partie - from running one particular area of the professional kitchen at any given time, as well as assisting the sous-chef and head chef. Students will gain an excellent grounding for every specialty in the kitchen, such as cold kitchen preparation and advanced culinary techniques applied to different catering concepts. The curriculum also includes lessons on mise-en-place, health and safety protocols, nutrition fundamentals, team management, and operations management.

This intensive program matches the curriculum taught in Ducasse Education in France. With 75% hands-on and 25% theory classes, the teaching methodology focuses on rigorous hands-on practice in order to optimize skills acquisition. It lasts for six months and is divided into hands-on training and internship in a restaurant. Students have an option to have their internship abroad in one of Enderun’s 250 global industry partners.

Ducasse Education is dedicated to cultivating excellence in the practice of culinary and pastry arts, service, and hospitality around the world through accessible and internationally-oriented educational programs. Ducasse Education’s mission is to educate the next generation of top international culinary professionals with exceptional global standards, rigor, innovation, and creativity to meet industry needs for market-ready competencies.

Ducasse Education is available in the Philippines at Enderun Colleges, the home of the first Ducasse Institute outside of France, and its regional hub in Asia. The combination of Enderun's existing culinary faculty - already celebrated as one of Asia's most distinguished - with the Ducasse Education teaching methodologies promises to set new standards for culinary education in Asia. The collaboration also gives Enderun students the opportunity to earn an international certification from Ducasse Education in France.

The Diploma in Culinary Arts - Chef de Partie starts this June. For inquiries, please call Eveth Ella at 856 5000 local 505 or email enderunextension@enderuncolleges.com. Visit our website www.enderunextension.com to know more about this program.

Media Contact:

Valerie Almario

Marketing Executive, Enderun Colleges

valerie.almario@enderuncolleges.com

+639175933398

(632) 856 5000 local 574

Travel: Airplane Rides with a Toddler

We first travelled with Allie on a plane when she was just three months old. Look at those chubby cheeks and those folds!

It was easy breezy. Let me tell you why.

[1] We got to board the plane first. 

[2] We scored the seats with extra legroom up front with the bassinet access. Downside was we had nowhere else but on the luggage compartment above to put our carry-ons.

[3] She was such a darling on the plane. She slept the whole way across the ocean.


Her second airplane trip was when she was a year old. We went on an Alaskan cruise.

It was a bit tougher because the night before our flight to San Francisco, Allie had a high fever. It was a good thing that we packed all kinds of meds for emergencies, including paracetamol, so we were prepared. She still slept a lot on the plane but she threw up during the ride. At the hotel, she slept some more. I think she rested for a good 24 hours, and she was fine after that. Whew.

Her third airplane ride was a short one. It was a domestic flight to Boracay. She was two then, and you know how two-year olds are. They test your patience to infinity. She didn't want to buckle up so we had to force her. She cried and cried and cried. Terrible. But she slept halfway there, and didn't throw up (on the plane, that is). We had to ride this trike to get us to the hotel, and she threw up there. I guess uneventful travels don't exist in our trips.

Our most recent trip lived up to that expectation. The ride had two stopovers, one in Japan and another in Detroit. She threw up, yes. Twice pa. Poor baby. The first time I had to wash her pants in the plane lavatory so that her pants won't smell. We almost made it to Detroit when she threw up (on me pa!) while waiting for the door to open. Poor baby and poor mommy. I had to wash and wipe my clothes in the plane lavatory before leaving the plane, and change my daughter's clothes too.

I really need tips (besides giving anti-histamine) on how to help prevent kids from throwing up in the plane. Seriously.

The Ants Go Marching One By One

And then there were ants -- on the floor, on the walls, on the counter. Have you ever had this problem? They're not swarming or anything. Just random ants going around. They say it's because of the weather change. Well, it doesn't matter; I never liked ants in my house. My daughter is allergic to their bites and that makes it worse.

Image by QFamily via Creative Commons

They even ransack some snacks in the pantry. One tip my aunt taught me was to put sweet snacks on a cake stand and place that on a plate with water. The ants will never be able to cross that lake. Genius right? Well, yeah but I only have one cake stand and tons of sweet snacks. Hahaha.

So, I've asked people and scoured everywhere how to get rid of ants naturally, and here's a list of kid-safe and pet-safe home remedies of ridding your house of these pesky little things.

Baking Soda + Powdered Sugar

Mix one part baking soda and one part powdered sugar on a saucer, and place it in areas where the ants are. Powdered sugar attracts; baking soda kills. Ants have acid in their system that reacts with the baking soda and yeah, kaboom. I tried this and ants were gone in about a couple of hours. But you have to change the supply every so often because of the humidity.

Essential Oils 

Using water sprays with a few drops of essential oil (peppermint or cinnamon) on any possible entry points around the house will not only deter ants from going through but it will leave our house smelling so good.

Cornmeal

All you got to do is place a plate of cornmeal in places where the ants are entering your home and they'll be gone in about 3 days.

These are just the top three I felt safest and would work. Well, if all else fails, you can always call pest control.