Monster Kitchen Academy Gives Monster Graduation Ceremony for its Graduates

18 Nov Monster Kitchen Academy Gives Monster Graduation Ceremony for its Graduates

November may not be the month for graduations, but you’ve never seen such a happy and excited bunch of graduates as those who were graduating on Sunday, November 13, 2016. That’s because these were no ordinary graduates; these are graduating student chefs from the Monster Kitchen Academy during graduation ceremonies held for them at the function room of the Limketkai Luxe Hotel. Now officially declared as professional chefs, these graduates are graduates of Monster Kitchen Academy from either of two courses: Professional Culinary Arts or Professional Baking and Pastry Arts.

Aside from receiving their diplomas and certificates, the chef graduates were given their starched toque blanche hats that are only worn by certified chefs after a graduation ceremony. A toque blanche (French for “white hat”), or simply toque, is a tall, round, pleated, starched white hat worn by chefs. The toque most likely originated as the result of the gradual evolution of head coverings worn by cooks throughout the centuries.

It was noted that the graduates wore either nontraditional black bull caps or white bull caps depending on the course they are graduating from. This is something different from the usual white short caps worn by student chefs during the course and before graduation. Parents, relatives, and friends of the graduates were also visibly excited and happy for the graduating chefs. Aside from these, special awards and medals were also given to deserving student chefs.

Chef Jonathan Brando P. Santos was the keynote speaker during the graduation ceremonies.

Ms. Maggie Uy, one of the proprietors of Monster Kitchen, also gave an inspirational message to the graduates.

Cathy Dano, the school’s Head Chef, delivered a very heart-warming speech that encouraged the graduates to go out to the world and prove their worth through the culinary arts.

Dinner was served through a buffet and guests were also encouraged to partake of the displayed foods prepared by the graduates, especially the desserts. After the graduation ceremonies, graduates, chef instructors, the owners, parents, relatives, and friends partook of photo ops sessions.

Monster Kitchen Academy was founded in 2008 by Maggie J. Uy and her husband Jan Michael Uy. The school quickly became the leading culinary and pastry school in Cagayan de Oro even if it was not the first to be established. Now on its 8^th year, the school prides in producing quality chefs and food service entrepreneurs who have made great names in the food industry in Northern Mindanao and beyond.

According to Ms. Maggie Uy, the academy was given the “Monster” name because the owners wanted to “monsterize” the food industry in Cagayan de Oro and to produce chefs to make Northern Mindanao not only the doorway to Mindanao but to make it the leader in the culinary arts.

Student chefs come from as far as Butuan, Davao, Lanao del Sur, and Zamboanga just to enroll in the academy. The school has come a long way to being an academy from its humble roots when it started as the YSU Marketing Company that sold packaging supplies and baking equipment and supplies, until they changed the name to Monster Kitchen.