JA Ventura, Culinary Programs Director with the Philippine Academy for International Arts talks with TTO about what lies behind a great chef

In the 1970’s the smash hit TV show Let’s Cook with Nora opened the eyes of Filipinos to the world of food. Millions would tune in every Sunday morning, putting the Queen of Cuisine’s tips into practice and discovering a world of possibilities where once there had been mushy vegetables and crackled pork.

One  amongst  the millions  who’d stare wide eyed at the  show  would be  a  young boy
named  JA  Venturara. “She was an  icon; she uplifed food  in  the  Philippines  to  international standards with her show back  in  the 70’s.”  JA  smiles as he sips  Champaign  from  his  office above  the kitchen where his students are swifly mustering up the night’s menu.

With a fascination for cooking instilled at such a young age it’d follow that cooking school wouldn’t be  so  far  of.  “I wanted  to  study cooking  afer  I  lef  school but  in those days  there was no  cooking school in the Philippines, so I enrolled on  a  course  in hotel management.”

In the evening, while many of his friends were sat in front of the TV  or  propped  up at  a  bar  the young  JA would  be  volunteering his services as a chef’s  assistant, learning  from  seasoned  professionals, snatching  details  and noting  down their tricks and methods.

Amongst the chefs who infuenced him most were Jef Catral, Bang Ignacama and Fernando Aracama. “Tese were  the guys who  taught me  the  importance of understanding food, where it comes from and how it’s grown.” Combining his cooking skills with his qualifcations  in hotel management opened the door to a varied career.

Afer  qualifying  in  Hotel  Management he went into consultancy work before fying of to Canada in 2002 to
work in a town called Banf, Alberta, high  up  in  the  Rocky  Mountains. “Working  in  the  Rocky  Mountains was  a  great  experience. Tere was  a wide international mix in the restaurant where I was stationed so I learnt more about diferent cultures.” When I  ask  him  how  working  in  Canada differed  from working  in  the Philippines, he explains. “People were blunt, more direct. In Canada it’s OK to get mad  and  shout  at  someone  in  the kitchen  if  they  are  too  slow.  I  think it’s the same in the UK. I’ve seen your Michelin  star  chef  Gordon  Ramsey bursting  blood  vessels  and  spitting venom  in  the kitchens.  I don’t  think
he’d  be  accepted  here.”  JA  laughs, throws back another  swig of Champaign and continues.

“One  of  the  things  I  teach my  students  is  to  learn about diferent cultures  because  cuisine  is  very  much a part of  culture.  If  the  students  are interested  in studying Italian cuisine they  should  learn  about  Italian  culture. Not only where  the  food and wine comes  from but  the country’s religion, music and festivals, all these things are integral to creating the right food and the right environment.”

Banf is a beautifully located tourist town in the state of Alberta, famous for grizzly bears who linger in the woods but are rarely seen. “Unfortunately, I was too busy to spot a grizzly and afer a year I got an important phone call from the Philippines.”

The  call  was  from  San Miguel’s  head  office. During  the  few  years  since  leaving  college and fying of to Canada the young chef must have impressed a few people not only with his cooking skills but also his people skills. “I was a  little bit  shocked. Te position  they offered was  as  International Corporate Chef  for  San Miguel.”

The work  entailed  traveling  the  length of  the Philippines, developing menus  for  the diferrent branches of San Miguel. Te work was hard but what  interested  the young  chef most was traveling  around  the  country,  observing  how cultural nuances  afect  the way we  eat.  “Chinese, Malay and Spanish culture has greatly infuenced Philippine food. As you travel around the country you can taste all the diferences.”

It wasn’t long afer leaving San Miguel that the wandering chef was back on the road. With a new  project  to  open  a  Spanish  restaurant  he traveled  to Barcelona and Madrid. Again,  the importance of understanding  the culture and experiencing it frst hand took precedence over the easier option of learning from books, “Ac
tually, being in Spain meant I was able to really appreciate and understand Spanish cuisine.”

Another road trip would shortly follow, this time from Euston to Dallas absorbing the sights and favors of Alabama, Philadelphia, Maryland, Washington DC and New York. “Cajun, Hawaiian, South American – the changes in style as you travel through these places is like entering a kaleidoscope of taste and color.”

As someone who’s worked the hotels and restaurants from the far side of the US to the kitchens of  the Philippines JA  is now passing on  these experiences  to  those who will become  the country’s next generation of leading chefs. Wisdom and foundation are what JA considers fundamental toward becoming a great chef. “Wisdom comes from hands on experience, the work you do in hotels, restaurants and food companies. We’re here to take care of the foundation.”

At the Academy for International Culinary Arts students are very much thrown in at the deep end. 90% of the training is hands on in the kitchens which are bedecked with state of the art equipment.

The amicable and easy going  JA fnishes his Champaign with a broad grin. “It’s great workiing here, we have a  lot of  fun.  I  try  to  stimulate a creative atmosphere. One day each week the students will write  their name on  the board along with a  list of personal characteristics.

They’ll then create a meal that suites these characteristics. For example, if Sue is exciting and unpredictable she could create spicy fsh with a surprising twang. However, we also stimulate the pressure cooker atmosphere typically found in the kitchen environment, the type of atmosphere where people like Gordon Ramsey come into their own.”

Tonight I’m lucky enough to be dining on the students creations. A nine course meal delivered in small portions that pretty much traverse the favors of the world.

“Our aim is to provide the fnest quality of culinary training in the Philippines.” When I ask him if he believes they’re achieving that aim he replies.

“Well, you’re eating my student’s meal; you be the judge.” All I can say is; if any other school in the Philippines is producing food this good then there be my next port of call.