First stint as student assistant

From Scenes from my first SA stint

The event was a nine-course degustation dinner held every last Saturday of the month by Cuisson des Amis, a catering and food service company founded by entrepreneur Karl Tan and several other chefs, all Global alumni. The venue is his house in Pasig City.

The menu showcases Cuisson des Amis's flair for Filipino fusion cooking:
Aperitif: Tuna ceviche, Lato (seaweed) with lumpfish caviar and Bouquet of fine julienne of cucumber and carrots

Appetizer: Trio of Phyllo basket sisig with quail egg and calamansi beurre blanc, Bangus paté and pineapple marmalade with balsamic gastrique, Garlic and parsley toasted fresh pandesal

Soup: Semi-consommé of clams with chilli leaves

Salad: Mixed greens with kesong puti, candied pili nuts and cherry tomatoes on orange-balsamic vinaigrette

Pasta: Creamy peanut gelee-stuffed ravioli in cream sauce with crispy binagoongan pork flakes

Intermezzo (this is an item used to clear the palate): Camias with honey and ginger sorbet

Fish: Tilapia fillet ala Parmigiana with calamansi butter compound and sweet potato croquetas, with mango and orange cream and green mango salsa

Main course: Chicken roulade stuffed with aged cheddar, sweet pickles and Hungarian sausage, in chilli liver sauce, and with truffle oil and almonds rice pilaf

Dessert: Duo of Coconut cheese cake with sweet corn (but the chef decided not to add the corn anymore) and macapuno, and Otap fruit pastry

I helped with mise-en-place and plating, and discovered I could competently make quenelle shapes. What I liked most about the experience was the rush of working to finish plates for service. The expediter would call out, "I need nine soups in five minutes!" and, moving like a well-oiled machine, the kitchen would scramble to meet the deadline. The feeling of gratification from being part of a team that turns out plates of good food is immediate.