They live up to their mission – to improve the lives of the people. There is no question why they are the most awarded baking and cooking school in Northern Mindanao as they not only teach people how to cook or bake but they also teach their patrons on how to create or start a career. Early this month, the WOWCDO.com team together with the rest of the CDO Bloggers were invited to their 4 hour cooking and baking demo. We arrived on time not expecting anything extravagant but we were wrong.
The accommodating Chef Cathy Dano opened the afternoon with a sweet smile. All eyes were on her. We knew she was the chef because of her aura. She welcomed us to the demo and immediately oriented us with some of the practical kitchen must-remember. Before diving towards the recipes that she’ll be teaching us, she reminded us of her goal as our chef for the day and did not forget to set our expectations. Good job, Chef Cathy! It was impressive – the demo was targeted and goal oriented.
Now we are ready for the day! Her kind chef assistants were there to assist her in making sure that the ingredients wouldn’t be complete. They were making an impression. They were setting their best foot forward to their audience. Chef Cathy also taught us how to boil and egg in different variations.
She started with the easy yet healthy salad. Reluctant that we may forget the recipe, she asked one of the listening audience to recite the recipe. On the back of our mind – wow, she is putting pressure on us. We thought, she could be giving us a glimpse of the culinary class she handles. The salad was quite easy to prepare – no sweat at all.
The Grilled Chicken was something our team looked forward. Having been to different restos, you surely will be curious of how things are being prepared and how do they present it in a beautiful way. We volunteered to prepare the chicken. Our hands were obviously not that excited. I hurriedly washed my hands at their “cooking show set”. Now this is the feeling of being a Chef. It may be a dream but you wouldn’t know what opportunities would open. Chef Cathy made me massage a chicken. I do hope that the chicken was literally satisfied on how I prepared him or her. ROFL. Our Chef instructor also taught us how to properly tie a chicken before it heads its way to the oven.
The spicy pasta with shrimp was next. We learned from this recipe that the head of the shrimp is important to put a taste on the pasta. No part was put into waste. We must say, it was something that we just ignore. Personally, we thought that you can’t do anything with the shrimp head.
Upon ending the day, she decided to teach us how to bake an egg tart. As always, she would ask for a volunteer to the job. We love this – hands on again! She stressed out that in baking and cooking, everything should be measured. All should be accurate to be able to cook a tasty and satisfying dish or pastry product.
Overall, we only did not learn how to create the four easy and practical recipes, she also imparted to us practical lessons in life. At the end of the day, as we walk back home, we only did not have a full stomach, added knowledge, but we also had a happy heart. Now, we are thinking of putting up a food business. How about you?
We recommend you like their Facebook Page here for updates, schedules and more or better yet call them at (088) 8512019/ 0917-707-1245. Monster Kitchen Academy is located at San Agustin- Rizal Street, Cagayan de Oro.