Filipino chefs making waves in UK culinary scene

Oct 03

adminGlobal Pinoys, GMA News, Proud to be Pinoy No Comments

GMA News

Filipino chefs in the United Kingdom have been making waves in the British and European culinary scene by winning in major awards in international competitions and stamping their own brand in their chosen field, according to a report from the Philippine embassy in London.

There are more than 5,000 Filipino chefs spread around London’s best hotels like Dorchester, Mandarin Oriental, Hilton, Intercontinental, Carlton Towers, Junneriah, and Lanesborough.

Go to London’s world renowned restaurants like Gordon Ramsay, Nobu, Wolsey, and Mitchels and Butlers and you will surely find a Filipino preparing signature dishes for UK’s discriminating taste.

Some of the Filipino chefs making a name in UK are Jerry Lagundas, executive sous pastry chef at Harrods, who won several gold medals in various pastry competitions; Jun Dalmacio, who bagged the gold medal for a vegetarian dish at the Welsh International Culinary Championship in February 2007; Felix Bayker, pastry chef at Hilton Paddington in London and a finalist for the patisserie competition in 2005 and 2006; and Edpoe Villanueva, chef de partie at the Victoria Hotel in London.

Most of them are no stranger to the finest cooking because they had also worked in Manila’s five-star hotels before flying to UK for greener pastures.

Beth Perez, one of the founding members of the Filipino Chefs Association in the UK, is no stranger to the British and European culinary scene. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleau, she was employed as Chef de Partie of Nobu London and Gordon Ramsay.

Perez now works as chef consultant for the London Chefs Division of Berkeley Scott Group plc, a British management and employment consultancy company for the hospitality industry.

The Filipino chefs elected a new batch of officers last month and had Ambassador Edgardo B. Espiritu administer their oaths.

Perez said Filipino Chefs Association in the UK hopes to elevate the stature of Filipino cuisine and cooking methods.

“The association hopes to mainstream Filipino cuisine, which has long lagged behind their oriental cousins. It is an aspiration for them to serve authentic Filipino cuisine in London’s finest hotels and restaurants, to pave the way for recognition of Filipino cuisine in the international gastronomy fair,” the Philippine embassy reported to the DFA.

Comments are closed.