Cooking for Life grads ready to face real life
IN PETRIFIED wood is a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is formed when minerals dissolved in groundwater replace the decaying cells of the wood of buried trees. Minerals take over or fill the cells of the wood.
Petrifaction is usually a very slow process. The wood must first be covered with agents like volcanic ash and mud flows, sediments in lakes and swamps, or materials washed in by violent floods or any means that would exclude oxygen, thus preventing decay.
Mineral solution slowly enters the wood cells and replaces them. If the process is gradual, the tissues’ fine details are preserved. Elements such as manganese, iron and copper in the water/mud during petrification give petrified wood a variety of colors.
Pure quartz crystals are colorless, but contaminants give them yellow, red or other tints.
Petrified wood in a rock layer represents a plant that lived in ancient times. It is also an environmental indicator of ancient life. Petrified wood may be cut and polished.
Some petrified wood localities in the Philippines are Kalinga-Apayao, Iloilo, Pangasinan, La Union, Albay, Zambales, Cagayan, Bohol and Rizal. THE FIRST graduates of Culinary Education Foundation Inc.’s (CEF) Cooking for Life Program (CLP) have just completed the commercial cooking course.
Accredited with the Technology Education and Skills Development Authority, the course gives the graduates an NC2 competency level.
The graduates were recipients of scholarships given to deserving students, including those from indigenous communities, with the help of sponsors in the First Manila Food and Wine Festival.
Annie P. Guerrero, CEF founder, made sure that the CLP course syllabus included Green Chefmanship, Values Formation and Cooking for Livelihood.
Subjects were taught by volunteer chef-instructors from Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) Manila.
Guerrero said the graduates, after completing the required 400 hours, had acquired a positive work ethic and were well motivated and passionate about their craft and receptive to volunteer work.
Although faced with multiple health problems, Maria Cari de Jesus, a single mother of two, found that faith and a positive outlook could help her achieve her goals.
Ginky Fontanilla and Ana Joy Marquez said their scholarships were their stepping stones to their culinary dreams. Marquez said that with the training she received, she hoped to become a professional cook someday.
Fontanilla has landed a job at Heavenly Urban Chef commissary.
Aside from getting a free quality culinary education, Karen Bantiyan, a 32-year-old single parent, said the opportunity enabled her to make very good friends. She said she hoped to use her knowledge to help her kababayan in Ifugao.
Jocel Jaurique,
Leowelyn Proximo, Kelly Boy del Rosario, Bernardo Daria, Demer Panaligan, Chinie Elaine Trinidad, Marjorie Marbella and Jonelyn Talastas all hope for a brighter future with the training they received.
As the first scholars receive their certificates this month, CEF gears up for the next group of grantees.
The Culinary Education Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of The Cravings Group. Call 9253969 or visit www.cefmanila.com.