Culinary talents
It was an evening of food and wine as the graduating students of professional culinary arts school International Culinary Arts Academy Cebu (ICAAC) presented its final culminating dinner event last Dec. 13.
Held at the ICAAC training restaurant located at Don Gervacio Quijada St., Guadalupe, the 10-course dégustation dinner was prepared by the graduating class of December 2017, the menu conceptualized by the chefs of ICAAC. The night was attended by the media as well as proud families of the 18 students of the academy’s two-year culinary arts chefs program.
“We have been doing something different from other schools. While other schools conduct a regular graduation, wherein parents and the students go to a ballroom and eat together from a buffet with a program where the diplomas are awarded to the students, the academy breaks from that tradition. During the semester, our students train at our training restaurant for several months making breakfast, lunch and dinner. So we see it befitting, that the students should be the ones preparing, cooking and serving their parents or families as their graduation rites,” said Jeremy Young, the school’s dean.
The program provides its students with intensive practical training education with food and beverage service modules. Apart from the two-year program, the school also offers semestral programs designed for those who are working with classes held every Saturday.
Some of the dishes prepared included the Russian oscietra caviar, potato and crème fraîche to start; the French escargot with garlic and parsley both paired with Toso Prosecco; the Tajima kobe beef with potato, bearnaise, chayote and mushroom paired with Di Marco, Primitivo di Manduria as well as a plated dessert consisting of coconut mascarpone, orange crunch, key lime tart, praline sponge with fresh fruits; and to end the dinner on an ever sweeter note, a dessert buffet was also presented fashioned with a Christmas-like theme with choices like strawberry almond tartlet, almond and crispearls and pistachio ganache.