Monster Kitchen Academy certainly knows how to style its immersions with flair!
Last September 6, the MKA Fundamentals in Culinary Arts Batch 17 held a dinner-concert-for-a-cause dubbed “Senses: A Taste of Kumbira” for the benefit of their friend Joan Ysabelle Tolentino at Lantaw Cagayan in Upper Carmen.
Senses – A Taste of Kumbira
Not only were the proceeds of the immersion donated to the beneficiary, the fine dining set-up also featured performances by some of Cagayan de Oro’s finest musicians and entertainers who also volunteered their time and talents for the cause! Among them, Host Manuel Tan and musicians Ian Neur, Jenz Peak, Oreo Vamenta, and Vivi.
Monster Kitchen Academy, without question Cagayan de Oro’s most popular and successful Baking and Culinary school, requires all its Culinary Arts or Baking & Pastry Arts students to undergo mandatory immersion where the batch is tested in the field by hosting a real-life event which they themselves plan, finance and execute.
Immersion places the student in an all-in-one practical laborator where she applies all she learned in the past semester
“This enables our students to personally experience how to work in a real kitchen and apply the skills that they learned in class, which has proven to be a very useful exercise when they start their own business as 40 percent of our graduates actually do,” said Cathy Lopez-Dano, MKA Program Head for Culinary Arts.
Another first bannered by Senses was having award winning dishes from the recent Kumbira Culinary Show and Competition last August featured in the menu.
A Kumbira Winner – My Own Creation Creamy Mongo Soup with Shrimp Molo
Creamy Monggo soup with Shrimp Molo won for the MKA team of Kissy Mae S. Alcorin, Alme Paulo A. Tineza and Briellnikko M. Macasero (all members of Culinary Batch 17) a Gold Medal in the My Own Umami Creation competition which qualifies them for the National Finals of the UCC National Cooking Showdown in January 2017.
Another Kumbira Winner-Tinuktok with Dulaw Puree
Another Batch 17 MKA Team composed of Marcel V. Diez, Jeff Perroh T. Subrabas and Jihan Meryl M. del Puerto also qualified for the same competition with an equally glittering gold medal performance in Best Filipino Umami Dish with their Tinuktok and Kalabasa with Dulaw Puree.
With a little help from Batch 17 (six of the nine awards won by MKA for Kumbira XX were garnered by Culinary Arts students), Monster Kitchen Academy continues to dominate Kumbira for the fifth straight year.
MKA Culinary Batch 17 with their mentors and all volunteer staff and entertainers for Senses
After winning the overall championship in the Professional category of the competitions for three straight years (2012-2013-2014), MKA is one year removed from duplicating the feat in the student category with its repeat championship in this 20th milestone year of Kumbira, the biggest culinary event and competition outside Metro Manila organized by the Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (COHARA).
Batch 17 was one of culinary batches in recent years to graduate the MKA maximum of 16 students. The graduates included Kissy Mae Alcorin, Vahjna Babia, Jungie Balingit, Ediberto Chan, Marcel Diez, Honeylee Dolera, Kyle Ebiacas, Chuck Echano, Joshua Longakit, Marjore Mabugat, Briellnikko Macasero, Jermin Obsioma, Jeff Subrabas, Danica Taghap, Alme Paulo Tineza and Wilfred Villaescusa.
Four Shades of Halo Halo – Ube Halo Halo Cake
Headed by Chef Wars Winner Chef Cathy as program head, MKA Culinary Arts banners a blue ribbon faculty with award-winning chefs like Justin Sison, Mitchie Sison, Mon Cardenas, Rachel Baclay-Ng, Joy Arcenal, Dio Raphael Ratunil, Camille Monstesines, Dyana Lyana Abanil and Zyril Daoang.
MKA has hosted celebrity chefs like Jackie Ang-Po, international chocolatier Chef Joy Pelo, Wilton Chef Albert Chiu, celebrity chef Sandy Daza of Foodprints (aired on Lifestyle Channel) and Chef Penk Tan-Ching of the famous Pasty Bin.
Senses Menu
For more details, contact 0917-707-1245/ 8512019 or visit Monster Kitchen Academy at its main kitchen at the 2nd floor, Jardiniano Building, San Agustin-Rizal Street (Facing Gaston Park) or at its satellite kitchen at Mortola St. (facing Ororama Cogon). Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/monsterkitchenacademy.
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