Chef = Rock Star

Last night I went to a four-course dinner by renowned Michelin-star chef Alain Ducasse. So that was officially my second Alain Ducasse experience. I wrote about my first one here.

His objective is to share French culinary expertise in the world, and created Alain Ducasse Formation ... a Paris-based cooking school. Recently, his team partnered with Enderun Culinary Center in Manila. I took a short pastry course at Enderun last January, where I learned to create desserts such as King Louis XV ... invented by Alain Ducasse.

Last night's dinner theme was "A Tribute To Nature ... A reflection of Alain Ducasse's culinary philosophy, the dinner puts great emphasis on the authenticity and quality of the produce, as it pays tribute to nature."



In Photo: French culinary star Alain Ducasse, standing at left in tan jacket

It took a year for the Enderun team to convince him to come to Manila. At the beginning, it was supposed to be a dinner for eight. But the event morphed to a dinner for 160. Guests did everything to force their way into getting a ticket. My sister and I confiscated our parents' tickets ... so that's how we got in. We had so much fun ... bumping into all the other foodies ... enjoying a lovely meal with great wine and even better conversation.

Our menu began with Wild Salmon À la Nage with Green Olive Oil Dressing, followed by Spiny Lobster in Coco Bean Purée and Chutney, then Rack of Lamb with Simmered Vegetables and Black Truffles, ending with a Crusty Praline Bar Covered with Ganache. The courses were paired with champagne, two kinds of red wine and dessert wine ... in that order.

I had my photo taken with Ducasse and was so giddy that I felt like I was standing beside a rock star. However ... these days, chefs do have rock star status. Or better put ... chefs are the new rock stars.