Dreaming of Becoming a Chef?

If you are not quite sure what career path to take, there are certainly many jobs you can choose from. Some require more education than others. There are many things you will need to consider when you are choosing a career. First of all, how much money will you be satisfied with earning each year? Make sure that the career you choose has the income potential you are looking for. You should also be certain to choose a career that you will enjoy doing for many years to come. Why should you become a chef like Tim Love?Here are some of the biggest reasons.

Tim Love - Chef

1. Great income potential

It is no secret that chefs make great money. While chefs do spend many hours on their feet, and the hours can be quite long, they are compensated accordingly. It is also possible for a chef’s pay to go up substantially during his or her career. You can work your way up the ranks to become an executive chef of a classy restaurant. This position pays extremely well. If you want to maximize your income, you can choose to open your own restaurant. While this will be a significant financial risk, the financial rewards can be huge if your restaurant is a success.

2. You can work in many different locations

If is common for chefs to change jobs frequently during their careers. This sometimes happens because a chef will get a better job offer somewhere else. However, chefs will often quit a job because they want a new experience. Working in the same kitchen can become boring. Chefs can find work in hotels, restaurants, resorts, cruise ships and many other places. This allows a chef to have a new adventure, while also earning a living at the same time.

Restaurant

3. Chefs are always in demand

The economy has been bad for a long time. However, professional chefs have not been affected by the economic downturn. In fact, there is more of a demand for chefs now than ever before. This is a profession that is always in demand, so if the restaurant you are working for goes out of business, you will not be out of work for very long. If you are able to prepare a wide variety of foods, there will always be someone willing to hire you. In these uncertain economic times we are living in, being a chef is one of the most stable professions out there.

How to Cook Up Some Creative Treats

We all need food in order to function and the busier we are, the more we need to fuel us! However, some food can be really boring and just the way it looks can be off-putting. It is important to have a well-balanced diet, so you need to find ways to have more fun with your food. Everyone from parents, food fanatics and chefs are being more creative with the way their serve food in order to make meal times more fun for everyone. Eating is supposed to be enjoyable, so instead of looking at food as something you need, turn it into something you really want and coming up with fun ways to serve boring food is perfect if you have fussy children, a picky partner or choosy customers.

Here are some fun ideas on how to be more creative with your meals:

Pancake Shapes

One of the simplest ways to make breakfast pancakes more fun is to put the batter into cookie cutters, so the pancakes come out in different shapes. This is also easy to do with fried eggs and they are great for entertaining children during meal times.

Pancake-shapes

 

Potato Casino Chips

We all like snacking on chips. In fact, chips are a popular way to serve potatoes with all kinds of meals from meat like steaks and sausages through to vegetarian dishes like fried eggs or as a chip butty. With May being National Burger Month, the chips were created from red and white potatoes to represent casino chips – a simple way to make a common food more fun.

Potato-casino-chips

Continue reading How to Cook Up Some Creative Treats

Quick Update : Moving to a New and Better Server

Update: The blog has been moved to the new server already. We hope everyone can already view our posts now. 🙂

Just a quick announcement. Our blog (this one) will be under intermittent maintenance from now until probably Saturday night. I’ll be moving this blog to a new server to address DNS issues resulting to some people not being able to access this site completely.

In the meantime, please check for updates at our Facebook page. We’re already working on finishing the validation of all entries in our first anniversary giveaway. And over the weekend, we’ll announce our California Crunch giveaway winners.

We have more giveaways coming soon so make sure you’ve already subscribed to our updates or followed us on Facebook and Twitter.

Hope you all have an awesome weekend! 🙂

My Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011

It’s that time again when new emerging and influential blogs are recognized by the blogging community.

This year, choosing my list of emerging blogs for 2011 has been easy. My votes go to my blogger friends and some that I completely support.

Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011

Without further ado, here are my Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011:

 

#1: www.CertifiedFoodies.com

Vote for Certified Foodies for Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011 - CertifiedFoodies.com

Of course, on top of my list is our food blog, this blog, Certified Foodies. I believe that our food blog deserve a spot in the Top 10 this year because of what we have accomplished in a year of this blog’s existence. We may go on about our blog’s traffic stats and the number of readers and comments we get daily, but really, this blog is about how we affect other people.

When we started this blog last year, our main goal was to share our own recipes and to convince people that cooking can really be fun. In our family, food and cooking have played a big part in drawing us closer together. And we wanted to share that love and passion for food with our dear friends and readers.

We also share our foodie adventures here. And if you’ve been reading our posts, you’d get to read about some awkward and funny moments that we experience while we discover new things. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about – it’s part of the fun and adventure. 😀

We're closer than ever before - CertifiedFoodies.com

My bro, Kenneth, and I have become closer than ever because of this food blog. We enjoy going on food trips, and now, we get to discover new cuisines and flavors together. And we know that you all agree that nothing beats bonding with your closest friends and loved ones with something delicious to share with them, may it be a home-cooked meal or even a sandwich to make it special. 🙂

I believe that our food blog has received votes from numerous bloggers, a lot of them have known us up-close, because they’ve seen the bond between me and my brother. We only realized that when people started complimenting us about it – how close we are. I bet when they get to meet my whole family, especially our nanay, or even live in our home for even a day or two, they’d understand why we’re so close. Everyone here at home loves food and enjoys cooking.

Our family now enjoy dining out more than before - CertifiedFoodies.comOur family enjoys dining out more than ever. We get to try out new restaurants together. 🙂
Sorry, we don’t usually smile in our photos but we really had fun when we all went out for movie day. 😀

 

And I know you’d agree that in every occasion or every emotion you feel, there’s a dish or food that will suit the moment. May it be a tub of vanilla ice cream to ease a broken heart, a fiesta of kare-kare and all sorts of Pinoy dishes to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary, glasses of wine or shots of tequila as you bond and drink with friends you haven’t seen for awhile, a home-cooked meal during the weekend when your family’s together, or a romantic meal before you propose to the love of your life.

This is why we enjoy food blogging as much as you, our dear friends and readers, enjoy reading and sharing your own foodie stories on our posts. And because of this, we’ll continue on spreading the LOVE, not just for food, but for our family and friends, and for each other as siblings. 🙂

Finally, now that my brother Kenneth is studying to become a full-fledged chef soon, expect us to share more tips, recipes and discoveries as he venture onwards to fulfill his culinary journey. 🙂

Soon to be Chef Kenneth - CertifiedFoodies.com

To everyone who voted for us already, THANK YOU SO MUCH! We truly appreciate your votes, especially those that came from people who’ve been following our foodie stories and adventures for months now. You’re a major part of why we’re enjoying this! 🙂

(Okay, I’m getting a li’l teary-eyed here. 😀 Only my closest friends know exactly why.)

The rest of my Top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading My Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011

Sooo Pinoy Food Tour First Stop at Adarna Food & Culture

There is a tight list of countries with dishes bearing “international cuisine” status, with the French and the Italian battling for top position. And sadly, our very own Filipino cuisine falls short in terms of popularity to even qualify for a place in the top 10. But the Sooo Pinoy food campaign is determined to change just that.

Sooo Pinoy - Promoting Filipino Cuisine - CertifiedFoodies.com

Pioneered by Unilever Food Solutions in 2010, the Sooo Pinoy: Promoting Filipino Cuisine Ang sarap maging Pinoy - CertifiedFoodies.comcampaign advocates to finally put the Philippines in the cuisine map by increasing buzz and appreciation of our local dishes.

Last year, with an online voting contest, they led the search for the best Pinoy Dish with the “Sinigang na Hipon” emerging triumphant. And for 2011, the Sooo Pinoy campaign is now geared towards naming the best food establishments serving the best Pinoy dishes nationwide.

To get the word out about their new project, Unilever Food Solutions organized the Sooo Pinoy Food Tour, inviting 15 bloggers to a one-of-a-kind food trip aboard a WiFi-enabled bus around various food places in Metro Manila. Thankfully, I was part of the lucky bunch who got to participate in the event.

Everyone met up on June 11, 2011 at Adarna Food & Culture along Kalayaan Ave. in Diliman, Quezon City, the first stop in our food tour where we also had quite an unforgettable lunch prepared by executive chef and owner Giney Villar.

Our first stop is Adarna Food and Culture along Kalayaan Avenue - CertifiedFoodies.com

For a chef her age, it’s very awe-inspiring that Chef Giney has taken a brave move of ignoring what the market dictates to earn easy money, like going for Italian or American food. Rather, she chose to start a restaurant business with aims of preserving and promoting the gustatory excellence of Filipino cuisine.

Chef Giney Villar of Adarna Food and Culture restaurant - CertifiedFoodies.com

Lunch began with one of Adarna’s best-selling dishes, the Seafood Special (P485, pictured below), a mix of shrimps, scallops, and squids with several veggies all cooked in a tomato-based stew. I don’t usually get allergies when eating seafood. This time I did, possibly ‘cause of the scallops, but I think this delicious dish was worth a day of scratching. 😀

Adarna Food and Culture's Seafood Special, one of their best-selling dishes - CertifiedFoodies.com

Continue reading Sooo Pinoy Food Tour First Stop at Adarna Food & Culture

Start Your Culinary Dreams at Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy

I dream to be a full-fledged chef someday soon - CertifiedFoodies.comAfter I came back from my “short vacation” in Singapore, I was determined to pursue my passion in cooking. And with a little badgering help from my ever-supportive sister, Mhel, we were able to convince my Nanay to finance my culinary education.

I scoured the internet in search of the best culinary schools in the Philippines, but making sure to prioritize affordability and quality of education above all other criteria. I was able to narrow down my choices between two schools. There is one institute offering a concise culinary program that lasts for a short period of 7 months (4 months of lecture and 3 months of OJT), which grants students who successfully finish the course with only a Certificate in Professional Culinary Arts. While my other choice, Global Culinary & Hospitality Academy, for almost the same price, is proud to offer a program considered a major first in the culinary industry – the Grand Diploma in Professional Culinary, Baking and Pastry Arts.

To be honest, it wasn’t a tough decision to make at all. Global Academy surely had this one in the bag!

Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy - CertifiedFoodies.com

My Nanay and I went to Global Academy’s Timog branch, which was most convenient for it’s nearest to our place. There we met their very accommodating marketing team, who gave us a short tour of their facilities, explained to us in detail the various programs they offer, and informed us of what my Nanay was dying to ask from the moment we got there – payment plans.

Global Culinary & Hospitality Academy boasts of their affordable TESDA-accredited programs for Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts, Certificate in Professional Baking & Pastry Arts, and their Grand Diploma Program that I mentioned earlier. And for those who prefer a more fast-paced and concise course, Global Academy also provides Fast-Track Programs for either Culinary Arts or the Grand Diploma Program.

 

Since it’s my goal to learn and experience as much as I can to master the art of cooking, I thought it’s only proper to enroll in the Grand Diploma Program. It’s a combination of the two courses, Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Art, which ensures graduates of the program a better edge in landing a job here and abroad, especially now that employers prefer having well-rounded people skilled at performing multiple functions in the kitchen. And the tuition fee for the Grand Diploma Program is definitely a good deal, since it would cost much, much more if the two courses were taken separately.

Open House at Global Academy's Pasig campus - CertifiedFoodies.comMoving forward, as part of the admission process, I was required to take a short exam, followed by a one-on-one interview with their marketing representative. Our conversation got really interesting when I mentioned that my sister and I share a food blog where we write about our food adventures and discoveries. The representative was quick to inform me that their Pasig Branch has moved to a new and bigger location and that they are planning to host a Blogger Event to showcase the branch’s new facilities. No date has been set yet for the event, so she promised to update us as soon as everything has been settled.

Sure enough, we received an invite for Global Academy’s Pasig Branch Open House Event, scheduled June 8, 2011. We opted to attend the second batch at 2:00PM because the first was set too early (for us anyway) at 9:00AM. The new Pasig Branch is located at the 4th Floor of Millennium Place,Meralco Ave. and Sapphire Rd., Ortigas Center, Pasig City. It’s a couple of buildings away from Robinson’s Galleria or just a short jeepney-ride if you’re coming from EDSA.

Continue reading Start Your Culinary Dreams at Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy

The Art of Cheese : Perfect Italiano Second Mystery Dinner

I heard about Perfect Italiano’s Mystery Dinners (aka guerilla dinners) from fellow bloggers and I was hoping my brother Ken and I would get to join next time around. So, when I found out on Perfect Italiano’s Facebook page that the signups for the second Mystery Dinner was open, I immediately informed him and my blogger friends to try their luck, too. Fortunately, Ken and I were picked to join their upcoming Mystery Dinner. And on May 13th, we were both excited about it, especially after we received the invite a day or two before. The only clues we received were to wear something artsy or with loud prints. Plus, this: A clue to the theme of Perfect Italiano's Second rMystery Dinner - CertifiedFoodies.com We were told to be at Starbucks Magallanes and we’ll be “whisked away” to the mystery location for the dinner. After we met a few more people who got invited, including Richard from Tales from the Tummy, we headed off to the house of the mystery host somewhere around the area of Magallanes. Aside from the lovely people from Perfect Italiano, we also met Chef JJ Yulo of Pinoy Eats World, chefs who organize mystery or guerilla dinners and food tours in and around the Metro. Here he is, telling us briefly about the host. Chef JJ with a few words before we were let inside the house for the Mystery Dinner - CertifiedFoodies.com Inside, we were greeted by the lovely Aleth Ocampo-Mapa. She’s an artist and loves to cook and bake, too. We were also introduced to Chef Namee who is a part of Pinoy Eats World. She and Chef JJ prepared all 8 courses for our dinner that night.

The lovely host Aleth with Chef JJ and Namee who prepared all the delectable food - CertifiedFoodies.com(Photo from Perfect Italiano’s FB page)

Wait, did you read that part when I said we had an 8-course meal that night?! YES! If we only knew we’d  be eating that amount of food, we wouldn’t have had anything before dinner! 😀

All of us who were at the table - CertifiedFoodies.comOur fellow diners at the table, smiling for the camera while waiting on our first course.

(Photo from Perfect Italiano’s FB page) We were all seated at a long table. In front of us were the menu and info about the different cheeses of Perfect Italiano. The menu and the theme of the Mystery Dinner was revealed - The Art of Cheese - CertifiedFoodies.com Continue reading The Art of Cheese : Perfect Italiano Second Mystery Dinner

Chef Ramsay and Hell’s Kitchen Season 8

Chef Gordon Ramsey Hell's Kitchen - CertifiedFoodies.com

Renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay‘s cooking reality TV series Hell’s Kitchen is on its eighth (8th) season and it seems that the show is getting worse everytime. And that’s a compliment.

Even though Hell’s Kitchen is full of Chef Ramsay’s cursing and yelling, I enjoy it because of the food and cooking. When I started watching this series, I gotten familiar with some fine dining dishes that I haven’t heard of or might not even be interested in if they weren’t cooked in the show. One of them is risotto, which I’m planning on preparing myself at home.

For Season 8 of Hell’s Kitchen, there was this introduction in the first episode where they showed a couple of the aspiring chefs in their own elements, inside their restaurants. For the first time, I believed that the contestants are actual chefs in an established restaurant. They never did that in the past seasons so I’m glad they included an introduction for the new chefs.

  LA Market in Los Angeles, Hell's Kitchen Season 8 - CertifiedFoodies.com
LA Market in downtown Los Angeles – WInner will be head chef here.

 

There are 16 chefs vying for the title of head chef. This time, the winner will be the head chef of the multi-million dollar restaurant L.A. Market in LA Live complex in downtown Los Angeles. That’s a biggy because the salary of the head chef is at $250,000! Wow, right!? Plus, the winner will be the official spokesperson of Rosemount Estate Winery. A lot is at stake, really.

Sabrina Brimhall - Hell's Kitchen Season 8 - CertifiedFoodies.com
Sabrina Brimhall – craziest female chef this season.

 

I’ve only watched the first episode, but I can already see how crazier this season is, especially because of the chefs competing this time. Take for instance Sabrina. She’s a li’l slow, and I don’t understand why she chose to wear high heels on the first day when it’s already expected they’ll be cooking their signature dishes. Then, she goes and yawns rather loudly and didn’t even know that Chef Ramsay was being sarcastic towards her. LOLz.

  Raj Brandston - Hell's Kitchen Season 8 - CertifiedFoodies.com
Raj Brandon – was it all the stress or he’s a bit cuckoo or something?

Then, there’s Raj. I had high hopes for this guy when I first saw him during the intro. But, he’s a li’l cuckoo, if you know what I mean. In a cute way though. I guess it’s because of all the stress and the nerves of being in Hell’s Kitchen. In fact, one of the women already was out of the season even before the service started. Antonia, she passed out and was shaking all over. Ahhh.. the things stress can do to you.

  Jillian Flathers - Hell's Kitchen Season 8 - CertifiedFoodies.com
Jillian Flathers – so far, the only sane member of the women’s team.

 

So far, the only chef I’m rooting for is Jillian. I don’t like that she likes Sabrina, but Jillian seems to be the only sane woman out there. A lot of the chefs already made careless, and most of the time, stupid mistakes like Trev overdressing the salad (Sheesh! Even I don’t commit such a thing!), Boris mimicking Chef Ramsay (Did you see that? What’s wrong with him?! LOL), and then, there’s Antonia who didn’t even taste her food before she served it to Chef Ramsay.

  Hell's Kitchen Season 7 - CertifiedFoodies.com
  A scene from last season of Hell’s Kitchen.

 

Watching the show the first time a couple of seasons ago scared me a li’l. Why? Imagine this – chefs arguing while there are a lot of sharp objects and knives around them, hot ovens, pots and pans. I guess they went through psychological screening or something to prepare them for everything they’re going to endure during their running on the show.

I also wonder why there are still people who are dining in Hell’s Kitchen. Did they pay to dine in there or were they invited? I mean, I love Chef Ramsay so I’m guessing that’s one of the reasons why they still come to Hell’s Kitchen. I just can’t imagine enjoying a meal while I’m hearing cursing, a lot of yelling and food being thrown out in the kitchen. Can you stand that?! Hehehe.

Hell’s Kitchen is not really for everybody. But, to tell you the truth, I learned a thing or two while watching this series from Chef Gordon Ramsay himself like how to properly cook pasta so it won’t be too saggy (I love it really soft vs al dente), how to devein shrimps (I normally just take the shell out hehehe), and a lot more.

Certified Foodies – An Introduction

Welcome to our food blog – Certified Foodies.

We’re pretty excited about this food blog! We’ve wanted to do this for too long – to put up our own food blog so we can share with everyone our passion and love for food.

We love cooking and experimenting in our kitchen so expect that we’ll be sharing recipes here with our own twists to it. And, of course, our never-ending food adventures to discover new cuisines and flavors we have yet to try.

In the coming weeks, since Certified Foodies has just started, we will start publishing previews of what you can expect to see on our blog. Bear with us as we make adjustments in the coming days to improve our blog.

For any suggestions, comments or violent reactions, feel free to use our contact form. We’d love to hear from you!

Thank you for visiting Certified Foodies.