Essays

AKEM CADOGAN, Barbadian – Starwood Scholar 2009
Culinary Institute of America – Asian Cuisine
I would like to convey my thanks and express my gratitude to the Caribbean Hotel Association Education Foundation & Starwood for granting me a Scholarship and giving me the opportunity to continue on my quest to become an Executive chef .The Foundation & Starwood is really making this a reality and I thank you a million times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My course was entitled Asian Cuisine Ingredients and Techniques. This course was very different and it was a challenge as in this class of ten persons the other nine participants were Executive Chefs. I was prepared and ready for the challenge. After the five days of this course I now know Asian Cuisine and the correct methods to use to cook for each country. I worked with menus from China, Thailand, Vietnam , Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India and Japan . My Chef instructor was Chef John DeShetler. My course started at 7:00 am and finished at 1:30 pm .For this course I spent one hour in the class room and then went to the kitchen to start on my menus. The Chef did demos on each day for each cuisine .

 Day two was Korean and Japan ,my dishes were miso soup, primary dashi, yakitori( chicken meat and livers ) , grilled glazed salmon with ginger and soba noodle salad , a surprise of Korean style stewed ox tail ,sushi and tempura .Korean food is determined by its geography. Beef is the favorite meat for Koreans as pigs were hardly raised here. Women usually prepares all the meals in this country.

The taste of this food is quite different. In Japan this country strives to highlight each ingredient to create a pleasing composition of color , texture and taste while also exploiting the law of opposites in the presentation ,the focus of this cuisine is on it's fresh taste, nothing is overcooked to enable the food not its preparation to stand out it has a natural taste and appearance and is the most elegantly styled food in the world.

The single thing that mostly distinguishes Japanese cooking is the nori ( dried laver seaweed) and wakame (lobe– leaf seaweed). Japan is the most noodle consuming country on earth per capita. The oxtail stew surprised me and it had a pleasant flavor to it. The Salmon was marinated and just awesome. The sushi was great as I used the freshest ingredients available . The chef was impressed with my sushi techniques .

Day three was Vietnamese and Thailand. For this day I prepared clay pot chicken, thai soup with coconut milk and galangal (his is the big brother to ginger). Chef also gave me extra recipes to complete as I had now grasped the techniques of Asian cuisine.
This country is vey proud of their long lived civilization and traditions, this is especially true of their culinary heritage. These flavors were totally different from days one and two. When you bite into this cuisine you get a unique flavor of delicacy and subtlety taste. The one most characteristic element in virtually every vietnamese dish is nuoc mam (a salty pungent sauce derived from fermented anchovies). This sauce is the Vietnamese sauce compared to the Chinese soy sauce .The nuoc mam enhances and blends so subtly with other flavors that one can hardly detect its presence. When I prepared these meals I used little fat as this cuisine is the healthiest of all the others.

In Thailand , they are influenced by the Chinese cuisine and they use lots of noodles. The Fish is the main source of protein here. The love Thais have for fish and seafood is born from natures bounty. The main sauce I used for preparing the soup was a fish sauce made from dried bonita (fish) flakes. Vegetables also play a very important role in thai cusine.

Day four was Malaysia and Singapore. On this day I prepared beef vindaloo, long bean salad , table salad ,curry laksa and malaysian chicken satay. Malaysia cusine is in tha category of amalgamation cuisine , they often utilize garlic and chiles as the foundation for sauces and soups. Singapore has become a major player in the international culinary arena. It is an arresting aromas , intriguing ingredients, striking flavors and colorful presentations that have seduced gastronomes from around the world .These cuisines were spicy but yet still soft on the palate.

Day five was Indian .On this day I prepared naan bread, prawn
curry, indian cheese (paneer ) and red peppers in spinach sauce and tandori chicken. I enjoyed making the naan bread the experience was awesome. the uniqueness of indian cuisine comes from the nature of the spices used. India has been renowned as the source of exotic spices . Its cuisine is famed for its variety and infinitely subtle blends of aromatic spices and seasonings that flavor meat , legumes and vegetables. India is a vast country and food varies from region to region. We have flavors from western ,southern ,northern and eastern India. No Indian meal is complete without paan. This is a betel leaf spread with lime paste and wrapped around chopped betel ( areca)nut and mixed spices to make a smal triangular wad which is chewed as a digestive and mouth freshner. Paan is the perfect ending to a good indian meal which well cooked, perfectly balanced and beautifully served , it was  a pleasurable experience.

At the end of this course I was able to:
• apply all the cooking methods of these countries
• identify different types of Asian Cuisine
• list the flavor profiles
• compare and contrast cuisines
• prepare significant dishes
• describe procedures
• list basic ingredients
• define relationships of cuisines
• list the main ethic groups
• identify special equipment required for correct cooking techniques

Upon returning to Hilton Barbados I was able to share my knowledge with my fellow team members and I was also given the opportunity to write an Asian menu for one of the theme nights at Hilton . I am sure that with this new knowledge I will be able to write that menu with ease and have a better understanding of how the flavors should merge together.

This course gave me the extra knowledge I needed to compete in this male dominated field and I will become one of the few female Executive Chefs in Barbados the Region and the World.
I am a Caribbean professional in the hospitality industry and being providing opportunities like this is invaluable and leaves me speechless at times to see what I have accomplished with the help of CHTAEF & Starwood.


Acknowledgements:

All of this could not be possible without the help of:

• The Caribbean Hotel Association Education Foundation
• Starwood
• Hilton Barbados Hotel
• Ms.Carolyn Yard – Training Manager -Hilton Barbados
• Mrs .Angela Garraway -Holland-Executive Chef – Hilton Barbados
• Mrs. Arlene Brooks – Administrative Assistant -Hilton Barbados
• Mr. John DeShetler – Chef Instructor Culinary Institute of America
• Everyone who assisted me in making this possible.

Thank- you from the bottom of my Culinary soul.




Written by
Akem Cadogan


< Return to Essays Main Page

For more information please contact: foundation@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com