cooking party @ a.i.c.a

 photo courtesy of the photoblogger

what's a cooking party? and what's a.i.c.a? good questions! i had the same. *grins* after yesterday, which we (bloggers invited) tagged as the best food event ever, i learned that a.i.c.a stands for the academy for international culinary arts and a cooking party is f-u-n with deli f-o-o-d! *tongues out* i was gonna include this event to my freebies fun week post but i thought it should be its own because there are just so many things to talk about. it deserves a full page cover.

"since 2004, the academy for international culinary arts has been successful in the manila scene, priding itself in providing world-class culinary education. and in 2009, owners michael moreno tiaoqui and chef johann chiongbian young felt that cebu was ready for the academy's premier international culinary arts program. equipped with the industry's top professionals, aica will create masters that are armed with the competitive skills and knowledge to succeed in the culinary arena. from a full diploma course to course customization, the academy offers a wider array of choices for various specializations to cater to your culinary preferences."

i was like in a homeroom economics class (cooking) except that instead of teachers we had chefs, who didn't only share their knowledge but showed too. that's chef joe mike on the left with the pan and chef nikko, the school director, on the right, while rab and angeli observing and salivating. *nuuk*

trivia from chef joe: while it's faster and easier for chefs to just flip food in a pan, mixing it with a laddle is still the best way to go. this will keep the food in direct contact with heat.

it was very much a hands-on experience! we made our individual salsa for the quesadillas and grilled them ourselves. fortunately nobody sliced a finger off or burnt their skin. *high five* mad props! thanks to chef joe's tips and chef nikko's reminder to always call out whenever you're coming down with a hot pan. *behind you! hot pan, hot pan*

tip from chef joe: claw your fingers and rest it on the item to be sliced while the other hand cuts through the item with the knife.

food is served! there's so much for everyone. *smiling from ear to ear* we had quesadilla, churros (spanish doughnut), which another group of bloggers prepared and the uberly deli main course that chef joe and chef nikko cooked. there was margarita too! what a feast! *burps* thank you chef johann for the invite. :-) cheers!

the academy - cebu is now accepting enrollees for the june 2010 batch. a.i.c.a is located at the gallery, juan luna st. corner golam drive mabolo, cebu city. for inquiries, you may call hermie at 032-3164828. www.aicaculinary.com