Cooking Demonstration on Filipino Cuisine at the National Hospitality Institute (NHI) in Muscat

Filipino Chef Anthony “Anton” L. Abad (left) and Chef Mark Wilhelm “Von” V. Ragudos (right) together with the NHI students

Standing, left to right: NHI Chef Instructor Anagh Sharma, Chef Mark Wilhelm “Von” V. Ragudos and Chef Anthony “Anton” L. Abad

29 September 2017 MUSCAT - Filipino professional chefs Anthony Artemio “Anton” L. Abad and Mark Wilhelm “Von” V. Ragudos taught a class of 23 aspiring Omani chefs how to prepare some of the most popular Filipino dishes, on September 25.

In the kitchen classroom of the National Hospitality Institute (NHI) in Muscat, Chef Anton demonstrated the making of the hot meals while Chef Von showed how to make the desserts. The students, at first shyly, then more confidently, volunteered to help the chefs cut, cook, mix and stir the ingredients, then plate the finished dishes, under the watchful eye of NHI Chef Instructor Anagh Sharma.       

Chef Anton Abad, Corporate Chef of Pacific Apex Food Inc. and proprietor of Open Table, gave short lectures about the culinary background of the dishes he prepared.  He added that Filipino main dishes must be prepared well ahead of time, since it usually involved marinating and braising. 

Chef Von Ragudos, Executive Chef of Hizon’s Catering assigned at the Manila Polo Club, explained the methods used for making the desserts, which did not take as much time as the mains, but still required skills and techniques.

The resulting hot dishes were chicken adobo, lamb kaldereta, and fish escabeche. The desserts were maja blanca, palitaw, and fruit salad.

After the cooking demonstration and subsequent food tasting, the students complimented the flavors of the dishes and expressed interest in Mama Sita’s products, a line of Filipino condiments which were used during the demonstration.

The Filipino chefs also had a brief meeting afterwards with NHI Principal, Mr. Robert McLean, and NHI Learning and Development Manager, Mr. Cleon Dias.

The cooking demonstration on Filipino cuisine was co-organized by the Philippine Embassy in Oman, in cooperation with the Philippines’ National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the NHI.

The chefs are in Muscat for the “Flavors of the Philippines”, a three-day promotion of Filipino cuisine, undertaken by the Philippine Embassy, the NCCA and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Muscat.  Buffet dinners featuring Filipino delicacies, as well as live cooking stations, are available at the Tropicana Restaurant from 24 to 26 September 2017.  END

For more information, visit www.muscatpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinOman.

From left: Second Secretary and Consul Bernadette A. Mendoza, Chef Anthony “Anton” L. Abad, NHI Principal Robert MacLean, Chef Mark Wilhelm “Von” V. Ragudos, NHI Learning and Development Manager Cleon Dias and Cultural and Tourism Officer Maria Odessa P. Cruz