Cooking his way to the boob tube

by Joy Cabarillos, Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Unknown to many of his viewers, “Unang Hirit’s” resident chef Tristan Encarnacion’s road to the kitchen was not a straight one.

Though he was raised in a family that loves to cook-his lola used to own a canteen and his mom bakes-it never crossed his mind that he could make a career out of cooking.

"I've always liked to cook but what I really wanted was to become a TV reporter or correspondent," Encarnacion says.

This was why he took up Mass Communications at the University of Sto. Tomas. However, the carefree Encarnacion thought there were more "interesting" and fun stuff to do outside of the classroom such as hanging out with his friends during school hours. Soon enough, during his sophomore year, he got a Pink Form, which meant he was only a step away from being kicked out of school.

But, as fate would have it, it was also around that time he learned that about the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA), Manila.

"I decided to tell my parents I wanted to transfer to CCA and take up a culinary course instead. Thankfully, they were very supportive," he says.

"The real reason I grabbed it was, I saw it as the only option available to me at the time. I was actually afraid my parents would send me to America and force me to take up a course I didn't like."

Tough job

The first year at CCA was easy. He enjoyed learning new recipes and trying out all the food after he and his classmates were done cooking.

"It was on my second year there that I got a clearer glimpse of how tough a chef's job could be. It was physically and mentally taxing," he recalls. Part of the training included cleaning the kitchen and taking out the garbage.

It was common for Encarnacion to see some of his classmates crying while cooking. In fact, several of his classmates quit during the said period.

"What you see on the reality show ‘Hell's Kitchen' is not too far from reality. Especially when you're working with foreign chefs, you would really hear a lot of words you can't find in the dictionary," he says.

Still, it was during this time that he realized cooking was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

"I thrive under pressure, so I actually enjoyed it," he says.

Encarnacion even volunteered to assist his teachers on weekends. "CCA offers short courses on weekends. Because I really wanted to learn everything I could, I volunteered to work as an assistant."

After getting his Certificate in Culinary Arts from CCA, he decided to rest for a few months before applying for a job.

"My dad (the late Jun Encarnacion) was already sick then, so I decided to spend more time at home with him," he says.

A month after his dad passed away, he went to the US to work for a new hotel in Naples City, Florida.

"I got hired by Marco Beach Ocean Resort. I started out flipping burgers by the beach. Then I moved up to handle the fresh pasta and breads station, the breakfast station, the cold and dessert station, and then the grill and sauce station."

"It was in the US where I learned to become independent. I had to wash my own clothes and stuff. Fortunately, there, people didn't really mind if you wore clothes without ironing them," Encarnacion recalls, laughing. It was there that he decided to get a tattoo. Now he has tattoos on both his upper arms.

Guesting stint

His experience in the US taught him to appreciate and respect people from different cultures and nationalities. It widened his perspective. "I even had the chance to date women from different countries," he says with a naughty grin.

In February 2003 he came home for a vacation. "I realized I missed my family so much that I decided to stay," says Encarnacion. He had a short stint at a restaurant called Solas in Quezon City before he decided to try something new.

"I quit and decided to concentrate on being a percussionist for several acoustic bands. I guess I got burned out."

But destiny did not allow him to stay out of the kitchen for long. In December 2005, just before Christmas, he got a call asking if he wanted to be a guest chef on GMA 7's morning show "Unang Hirit." He never thought the one-time guesting stint would become a weekly gig that would change his life forever.

"I admit being on TV gave me a thrill. Back when I was just starting I would even text my friends to watch me. I would even wake my sister up just to force her to watch me," he says.

He simply never thought his dream of being on TV would come true.

Bigger break

Last year, Encarnacion's mom brought up the idea of a restaurant of his own, which led to the opening of Bambouche Bistro, along Congressional Avenue in Quezon City, in May 2006.

But a bigger break was yet to come. In August of that year, Sunnex, an international cookware brand, asked if he wanted to have his own cookware line.

The Chef Tristan Chef's Classics by Sunnex, a line that bears the signature of Encarnacion, was launched in April 2007, making him the first ever Filipino chef to endorse a cookware line.

The line offers saucepans, saucepots, pasta cooker pots, frying pans, grill pans, woks and kitchen accessories such as silicon scraper, silicon tongs, a professional knife set and kitchen tools.

These days, Encarnacion can be seen on "Unang Hirit" four times a week. And he now has his own segment called UH Star Recipe where he gets to cook with a celebrity.

"I believe this is exactly where I'm supposed to be," he says.

Want to be a chef? Here are some tips from Chef Tristan Encarnacion:

1. Be patient. You have to work your way up. There are no shortcuts.
2. Be passionate. Put your heart into what you're doing.
3. Always be hungry for knowledge. Take every opportunity to learn new things.
4. Never forget the people you meet on your way up. Be grateful to your mentors. Chef Tristan considers chefs Ferns Aracama, Rowena Bautista and Boy Logro his mentors.
5. Keep your feet on the ground.
6. Always smile and be happy.

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