“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” -- James Beard
My father was the kind of person who can whip up a perfectly respectable meal from the top of his head, no recipes required. I guess some people are just born that way: they know, instinctively, which pinch of this and which dash of what go well together.
Sadly, the cooking genes did not pass on to me. I’ve always wanted to make good food–the kind that my future bibis will wake up to in the mornings and make them think of home when they’re all grown up and have families of their own. I want to discover secret ingredients and subtle touches that make a dish stand out, and pass it on like treasured heirlooms. But having neither time nor the knowledge, I have to content myself with just looking around the Internet and bookmarking recipe after recipe, and kept telling myself that “these will come in handy, someday.”
A different twist on cocktails
So you will understand why, when the opportunity to attend Moderne Culinaire Academy’s (MCA) opening presented itself, I grabbed the chance. I thought if I wanted to learn cooking good food from professionals, I might as well try and get my feet wet: learn which courses I can take, meet a chef or two. (Also, food!)
I was not disappointed. MCA’s building is in a strange-sounding village that sounded so far away but was actually pretty accessible (ride the MRT to Magallanes station, ride a jeepney going to FTI, and go down the village’s front gates. The school is a 5-minute walk from there). Everything looked new and the two kitchens we went to felt like something out of the Junior Masterchef’s set. I’ve never been in a real restaurant’s kitchen, but I think their Saffron kitchen in particular comes pretty close. They even have locker rooms where the students can leave their plainclothes (they have to wear a chef’s uniform when in class I guess).
We met with this amazing guy (Chef Billy Anislag) who can carve a whole freakin’ dragon out of pumpkins. Don’t believe me? Here’s proof:
Fire and Blood (I just had to)
I don’t know how to eat such pretty food but I suppose these would look good on a table. I wonder what people do to these when the party’s over?
Nobody dare move my cheese
Then came my favorite part: cheesecakes!!! Learned quite a few useful tips from Chef Kevin Mize on how to make the perfect cheesecake: how to avoid cracks on top, how to slice the cake perfectly. It sounds strange but the beer cheesecake he gave us tasted really good, and believe it or not, it’s not the strangest flavor of cheesecake he said he’s baked. I wanted to take a class right then and there. Imagine: cheesecakes on my birthday! Cheesecake for Christmas! Cheesecake for every freaking occasion in my life! If you can’t already tell, cheesecake is the only cake I really crave for–it’s one of the few sweet things I can eat without ever getting tired of.
UPDATE: You can try Chef Kevin’s cheesecakes at Midnight Mercato in BGC behind S&R on Friday and Saturday nights from 10:00pm to 3:00am. They always serve Dark Beer, New York Traditional, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter cheesecakes there. Chef Kevin says: “I always make one flavor of the week to add to them. Past flavors have been Hoisin Sauce, Avocado Lemon, Ginger Wasabi, and Chocolate Sili Labuyo. I am in the process of finding a good date for our next cheesecake class at MCA. I will post it on our facebook page as soon as I have a firm date.” Goody! I will attend the next class 
See you soon Chef Kevin!
Chili Cheesecakes, anyone?
Beer cheesecake is pulutan for the masses haha
We also got to taste some of the food made by the Moderne Culinaire staff. I didn’t get a chance to taste everything (the food was gone so fast!) but out of those I ate, I liked the Seasalt Trufle best. It’s just the perfect combination of bittersweet and salty.
Seasalt Trufle - must try to make this sometime
Banof ee Tartlets
MCA also offers some short courses on Spanish Cuisines, Introduction to Food Styling, etc. A full list of events and courses can be found on their website: Moderne Culinaire Academy
I think I’ll try a class or two…K will be eating some Thai food soon. 
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at 1:43 pm
Now I’m hungry, really curious about the seasalt truffle
at 9:58 pm
Masarap siya Ayla! I little bit too salty pero masarap yung combination ng chocolate and salt
at 3:47 pm
I can cook, but I don’t experiment that much… I still rely on recipes. Beer Cheesecake and Chili Cheesecake? Wow, that is something I would really try if given the chance!
at 9:57 pm
Haha ako din di masyado nakakaluto.
I wanna learn though
at 9:00 pm
they all look so delish. and i love cheesecake. it’s my favorite dessert.
at 9:57 pm
Mine, too
Masarap yung sa Purple Oven
at 11:35 pm
Just like you, I bookmarked all the recipes I find interesting but It’s rare that I would perfect a certain dish. Darn! I’m so eager to learn to cook good food since I have 2 mouths to feed…well, plus me! I guess I should try culinary school? btw your photos are mouth wateringgggg…drools. And you said they’re all good, any recipes for those? hehehe! esp the seasalt truffle.
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at 11:52 pm
They didn’t give us the recipe pero I found a couple of blogs who shared recipes of it..it doesn’t look the same though
Try culinary school! Dream ko din yan eh
at 11:54 pm
Wow! Amazing shots. Looks yummier than ever!
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at 11:57 pm
Thanks Lizzie!
at 12:53 am
I’ve been seeing posts of this around, and you’re indeed lucky to have been invited to this! Aaaaah, the food really looks divine ;>
at 8:04 am
Hi Aileen! I had fun and masarap nga yung food
Gusto ko gawin yung Seasalt Trufle nila
at 5:18 am
I really want to go to a culinary school if given s chance. I love cooking and learn more for my family
at 8:03 am
Madami silang short courses na mura lang, mga 2k-2,5 each class. I won a GC for a Thai cooking class and I’m planning to take the Cheesecake making class din
at 5:40 pm
Beer cheesecake? I’d like to try that.
at 10:06 pm
It’s delicious. Meron ata sa Mercato
at 7:46 pm
I actually want to enroll in one of Chef Kevin’s classes too!
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at 10:05 pm
Haha sabay tayo! Sayang tapos na yung isa niyang summer class.
at 11:34 am
Wow, dark beer cheesecake! Something to look for…
at 10:06 pm
I think they have a place in Mercato
at 8:25 pm
We are at Midnight Mercato in BGC behind S&R on Friday and Saturday nights from 10:00pm to 3:00am. We always have the Dark Beer, New York Traditional, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter available. I always make one flavor of the week to add to them. Past flavors have been Hoisin Sauce, Avocado Lemon, Ginger Wasabi, and Chocolate Sili Labuyo. I am in the process of finding a good date for our next cheesecake class at MCA. I will post it on our facebook page as soon as I have a firm date.
at 2:21 pm
Thanks Chef Kevin, will update this post to include this info
at 11:46 pm
Share the secret of the cheesecake please =D
at 2:23 pm
Hahah I think Chef Kevin will share it in his workshop
Inquire ka na lang sa next workshop nila sa MCA
at 10:28 am
good luck with the cooking! everything looked great!
at 2:22 pm
PM! Sarap ng cheescakes!
at 12:18 pm
i make my own cheesecake but it is not the baked kind. at least it comes cheap, eh?
at 11:16 am
Hi Camz, MCA offers a workshop pa din, you can inquire with the schedules kahit tapos na.
at 2:21 pm
Hello! I think I will, probabaly in May
Sarap ng cheesecake ni Chef Kevin
at 4:20 pm
The seasalt truffle looks good. In my family, our bunso, my younger brother, is the chef. How ironic that the only girl in the family cannot cook unless you count frying up bacon. I do, however, bake pretty well. I should attend a workshop like this to work on my non-existent cooking skills.
at 5:11 pm
It was good Suyen gusto ko nga gayahin eh. Sabay tayo mag cheesecake class!