Tiger Tales

Appetite for Instruction

One by one, kids ranging from eight to 12 years old present their plates. But Ferns Aracama is not checking if they’ve eaten their veggies. Instead, this celebrity chef is judging their food creations on the reality TV show, Junior MasterChef: Pinoy Edition. He is joined on the judging panel by an actress and two fellow chefs.

More than a decade ago, Filipinos first took notice of this US-trained chef’s clever spin on Philippine cuisine at Restaurant Uva. He took simple ingredients like Chocnut – a cheap chocolate- peanut candy that kids buy for a few pesos – and transformed it into a stunning gelato. Major ice-cream brands soon followed his lead, selling oodles of the new flavour.

Aracama has always been a huge fan of Filipino cuisine, a childhood favourite being Bacolod’s grilled chicken inasal. He longs to see the food of his homeland gain a larger following worldwide.

By mentoring and judging the country’s best child cooks in a top-rated nationally televised show, he’s paving the way for Filipino food to reach a global audience at long last.

Q: YOU STARTED OUT BEHIND THE STOVE, THEN MOVED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. WAS IT TOUGH TO SWITCH?
Being on a TV show and running a restaurant is the same thing. You conceptualise, execute, cook, plate, serve and receive feedback. I’m at a different stage in my life now. It’s a different venue to express myself. What I find most intrinsic of all is to make a mark, leave that legacy to Filipino kids and show them the way.

Q: OF THE JUDGES, YOU’VE TAKEN ON THE ROLE OF THE WARM, FRIENDLY AND WISE TITO (UNCLE). HOW IS IT MENTORING THE KIDS?
When I look at them, I think to myself, “I was once like you.” I really put myself in their shoes. When they’re in front of us, quivering and afraid that they’re going to be eliminated, you feel it.

You know that they’re going through a gamut of emotions. Imagine being only eight years old. It’s such a big thing to be criticised. I did not have a mentor to encourage me to pursue my craft, so I take this as an opportunity to validate these kids and focus on the positive.

Q: HOW DID YOU BEGIN COOKING AS A BOY?
When I was seven, I joined in with whatever the adults were doing in the kitchen. I helped stir the fried rice or make fried eggs. I would watch Papa cook what I’d call tropical Spanish food. He was making callos (tripe and sausage with chickpeas), but he didn’t use Spanish ingredients. He cooked a lot of Spanish-inspired dishes like fabada, paella and asado roasts. I was self-taught. I still have my cookbooks from when I was 12 years old, with my substitutions. I would look at boxes of corn starch and follow the recipes on the back.

Q: WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST MEMORABLE SHOW?
It would have to be this 11-year- old kid who made pancit luglog (a Pinoy noodle dish). He was so adept at using everything. It was so amazing to watch how he peeled the prawn, added the head and the shell to this super- rich stock. It was so simple. But when you put the noodles in your mouth, you knew you were eating everything, including the essence of what a shrimp was.

Q: WHAT’S AHEAD FOR FILIPINO CUISINE?
I hope Filipino cooks start embracing our cuisine. For it to be global, chefs should bury the apologetic attitude. It’s time to wisely choose the ingredients, the region and cook it as honestly as they can. It’s time to show the world there’s more to Filipino food than adobo.

Q: WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNG CHEFS?
Cook for you family. They will never complain.