Karla’s Michelin-star ‘kitchen audition’ in New York
MILLIE: “Letting go” is one of the most difficult lessons in life I have ever learned — difficult because some people told me to “hang in there,” while others said, “Let go,” and it was quite confusing. It took time before I saw the light, so to speak, and learned slowly what it meant and how to let go without hurting. It helped that I was led to do Centering Prayer and developed an intimate relationship with God, which allowed me to slowly accept what was coming my way and, by His grace, allowed the fruits of the prayer flow naturally in.
One such instance in my life was “letting go” of my daughter Karla as she ventured on her own for seven months, wanting to not only get away from my clutches but to widen her horizon in the culinary field and be independent. It didn’t include financial independence, of course; Mommy Millie still had to pay for the culinary course!
KARLA: Part of culinary program in the US was that I got to work in a restaurant. I was actually torn between two really good Michelin-star restaurants; I could not decide because they had different styles. I ended up choosing Oceana Restaurant by the Livanos Restaurant Group. It is located on 49th St. between 6th and 7th Ave., which is very near Times Square.
The night I came in for my trail, I was nervous as hell. A trail is when you work for a restaurant for a shift to see how they work and they see how you work. It’s like a kitchen audition. Of course, that’s something you shouldn’t let anyone see, and since I was there on my own, I just had to suck it up. I kept my chin up, and held my head high as I spoke to chef Ethan Koelbel to introduce myself. It’s a big kitchen compared to others in New York City. They make their own breads and desserts, too. Mawuvi, the girl tasked to show me around and train me, let me try the different sauces before dinner service started. I was asked to plate hot appetizers and side dishes that evening, and I was immediately thrown into the fire.
The first thing I had to learn how to plate were the fresh, hand-cut French fries. I had to gather the fries with my cupped hands and mind you, these are twice-fried potatoes, fresh out of the fryer where you could still see the oil sizzling. I wanted to scream but could not as we were in an open kitchen. I almost dropped them on the floor. The only thing I could do to console myself from the burning sensation on my hands was to keep blowing, just as a pregnant woman would. I felt that I was getting weird stares from people in the kitchen and the servers, so I started to laugh at myself.
As the night progressed, I also got the opportunity to ice the fish. I was brought to the walk-in chiller on the lower floor and was given a shovel to gather ice from the ice machine and cover the fish with ice. It took me forever to finish the task; not only that, I made a mess on the floor and wasted so much ice. Ha-ha! At that point, I think 25 percent of the ice was on the floor. So I got the squeegee and cleared it out into the drain. I had to explain that it was the first time I’ve ever had to shovel anything in my life. I said that it never snows in the Philippines since it’s a tropical country, so it was my first time to do it. I obviously had some balancing issues with the shovel and the fact that the top rack was almost as tall as I was.
We talked about what my goals were and what I wanted to come out of this experience. I told him that I was only going to be in New York for two more months and I wanted to learn everything I could. I told him I was going home right after my program since my family owns a catering company as well. That same evening, the chef already wanted me to be part of the team. In fact, he put me on the schedule for the succeeding week.
As the weeks went on, I told myself I would reward myself to a good dinner upon completion of my externship and the program. So I started to take mental notes on what to order when that time came. Oceana Restaurant is owned by the Livanos Restaurant Group and managed by the second- and third-generation restaurateurs from the Livanos family. The restaurant is fully equipped for a private dinner for two or a large function for 500 people. There are two function rooms, plus a chef’s table and wine room.
So after our graduation, I invited some family members, cousins and good friends who took care of me during my stay in New York. Upon seating in the wine room, the Oceana team gifted me with a bottle of bubbly to start my graduation celebration, which was so sweet of them. Since I was already exposed to the food, there was really no need to take a look at the menu. Without hesitation, I ordered halibut ceviche with leche de
tigre amarilla, cassava chips and cilantro, followed by Nikei tuna tataki with leche de tigre with seared tuna, avocado terrine and radishes topped with blacksesameseeds. Leche de tigre isaPeruvianterm for a citrus-based ceviche marinade.
I also ordered the English pea risotto with mint and an a la carte order of scallops with four sauces: Romesco, bagna cauda, hollandaise and huli huli. We also ordered a threepound stuffed lobster that came with lobster jus and drawn butter. I also ordered a whole roasted branzino stuffed with mushrooms, spinach, lemon and black olives, served with a garlic fennel vinaigrette. We also had some gnocchi, my favorite, cooked in butter and parmesan. Chef Colleen Grapes and the Oceana team surprised me with several desserts to end the meal.
MILLIE: I feel very proud of Karla’s accomplishments in so short a time and that she has learned so much, gained so much experience in, of all places, fabulous New York!
The brief sojourn fired up her adrenalin and interest in taking over the reins of the business as I prepare to step aside and start to enjoy life. I am now convinced that she is ready to do so as I sense the commitment and enthusiasm in her.
I feel very lucky because I never had any difficulties with her as a child. It wasn’t easy raising her as a single parent and I thank God my parents were both around to help me through. As a parent, I am grateful that she turned out to be an achiever and I wish her great success in life. I believe this is what “let go and let God” means.
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