Monday, May 26, 2003

Was really busy last week. I agreed to be a guest dessert chef at a local restaurant called 12 last Friday and Saturday, and it ran over my life beginning Monday. I had less than a week to prepare a menu, test the recipes, and organize myself and my assistants. I was very nervous, because although I've worked for Pierre Hermé, I've never been the chef, meaning, the head of the other chefs. I'm usually just under everyone else -- the stagiare. Now I've jumped from stagiare to chef, without any experience in between. I can't even describe how tense I was feeling -- my mom would be talking to me at breakfast and my mind would be thinking about puff pastry and how to keep it crisp in this humid weather.

It all worked out though. By Thursday I was feeling more comfortable, probably because I had excellent assistants. We prepared the pistachio crème brûlée and the molten chocolate cakes, and I was feeling that everything would be alright. Friday we were definitely ready. It seemed like a big dinner party because it was just friends and family. Stephanie Zubiri was doing the hot food, so she invited her family over too. The real test came Saturday, when both of us were in the papers in a press release for 12. More people came in to try our food, and I was happily serving dessert past midnight. All in all, it was a great experience -- met and worked with a lot of good people and gained some confidence in myself. They want me to do it again this weekend, but I'm leaving for San Francisco on Monday, so I'm still thinking about it. Got to work on finding a couturier for my wedding first!!

Posted by Karen @ 02:59 AM PST [Link]

Monday, May 12, 2003

One thing I love about my country is its beaches. Forget about the terrorists and the hundred degree heat, just think about white sand and clear waters and piña colada for a buck!
I spent the weekend in Boracay with Kris and KC and her family. Didn’t really come home with a tan, just a very sunburned chest and back. We would spend the whole morning and afternoon by the beach, then we’d recuperate with fresh fruit shakes. At night, we’d hop around the local bars, taking advantage of the cheap cocktails. There’s a bar called Cocomangas, where they engrave your name on the wall if you manage to drink 15 shots of mixed liquor in one night – they call it, 15 and still standing. Kris did it in 2001, and he was proudly pointing out his name on the wall to all of KC’s cousins. One such cousin, Louie, was so inspired that he decided to make an attempt Friday night. When they started preparing the 15 shots, which range from vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey, to Baileys, crème de menthe, etc., I just kept shaking my head thinking there’s no way a person could finish all that and succeed. But all those names on the wall prove it’s possible. We all gathered around Louie as he downed one shot after another, finishing all 15 within an hour. His sister told me their parents have a high tolerance for alcohol, so it runs in their blood. We passed by another bar called Pier One because they had a live band and everybody was dancing around, but we didn’t stay long because Louie was swaying back and forth and was ready to sleep.
We got back to Manila on Mother’s Day. My family went on a yachting trip around Manila Bay. Everybody loaded up on Bonamine (anti-nauseant) and headed out. The kids loved it, and we had a chance to take another family picture!

Beautiful!	Chillin' at Jonah's Fruit Shakes
Louie and his 15 shots	The Yang Family cruising around Manila Bay (far cry from Boracay!)

Posted by Karen @ 08:29 PM PST [Link]