MANILA, Philippines—It’s a day before the much-anticipated opening of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and already the Philippines has struck gold!
Meet our kitchen gold medalist, chef Ryan Jaranilla, senior executive chef, Olympic Catering Services Project of the Athletes’ Village in Beijing.
(Thank you, Reynan Cruz, for making this interview with Chef Jaranilla possible.)
Tagasaan po sila?
Born in Iloilo, grew up in Manila. My father was with the Air Force and my mother a school teacher at Villamor Air Base. In high school, I went to Philippine Normal College, and college at UP Los Baños. I moved to California after Christmas 1991.
How did you become a chef?
I was working part-time in the Nutrition department of the Hospital of the Good Samaritan when my director encouraged me to take an AA in Nutrition Tech. After a year, a Filipino chef manager, Alex Jose, joined our team and encouraged me to pursue a Diploma in Culinary Arts.
After getting my culinary arts degree, I took a job in Lufthansa Skyschefs as food service manager and later became the chef manager of the Far East. I was handling all Asian Airlines such as JAL, Korean, Eva Air and PAL. But long hours and days took a toll on me, so I pursued a different area. I took a job as the chef manager for University of California in Santa Barbara, while on my days off I would do some catering. How was your climb up the “kitchen” ladder?
I came to California with no experience, so I started out as dishwasher. My job began at 10 p.m. and ended 4 a.m. It was hard labor. At the end of day, my hands would be chapped from water and detergent exposure. I had to walk seven blocks to catch a bus home, which came only once every hour. I also became a bus boy and waiter after that.
I never complain about work no matter how hard, and I always deliver. This is something I learned from my father, and it paved the way for people like chef Alex and chef Cecelia de Castro (a culinary school adviser) to throw their support behind me.
I am doing the same mentoring to some young aspiring cooks in UC Irvine. I just wish there was a Filipino cook among them. Someday, I will also open doors to young Filipino cooks. I’m working hard to make it happen.
Who are your kitchen heroes?
My father, the cook in our family. He would come home and cook every meal as my mother couldn’t even boil an egg. The other person is my grandmother; she is very meticulous in her cooking—even the vegetables should be cut the right way. She taught me how to develop my palate by making me taste everything she cooked and making me guess all the ingredients she used in her dish.
My fave chef is Wolfgang Puck. The man is very down to earth—not an inch of ego. Working with him was fun and unpretentious. He will give you a chance to make your own niche. He gets involved in the kitchen and will roll up his sleeves to get the work done.
You got to cook for the Oscars, the Grammys and People’s Choice Awards, right?
As a young chef, I found that fun and exciting. I worked that year when Julia Roberts won the Oscar and she passed through the kitchen to reach the Governor’s Ball. I was so shocked to see her in person that I dropped the chocolate Oscar I was placing on top of the chocolate mousse.
Danny De Vito came through the kitchen to ask for a second helping of lobster and to thank us for the dinner he really enjoyed.
How did you become senior executive chef of the Olympic Catering Services Project?
I was already working with Aramark (a professional service provider) during the Athens Olympics, but did not qualify in the selection process. So I called Human
Resources and asked them how I could make it to the next Olympics.
I started building my credentials within the company, took new projects and implemented a lot of company programs within our unit. I went back to school and added a certification in Catering Management & Event planning from California Polytechnic University.
So when the announcement was made for the Olympics Project, I had my credentials and was well-prepared for the interviews. When the final lineup was published, I was surprised that I got the senior position in the culinary department! There are seven senior executive chefs and I’m the youngest and the newest in the group. The rest are veterans of three or two Olympics.
What is it like to be an Olympics chef?
My friends and family think it is cool and prestigious. So it seems. It is a different story once the curtains are down and you are serving hungry athletes with different dietary needs. It is hard work, with long hours and no days off.
Every day is a different day. My day starts at 2:30 a.m. when I wake up for breakfast, and ends at 7 p.m. when dinner has been served.
Then I get to sleep for four hours, as we are now on 24-hour on-call service. I got a call from my sous chef at 1 a.m., asking me if he could serve couscous salad to an athlete with a gluten-free diet, since the dietician was not around and I have a Nutrition background.
There are challenges in abundance. Communication is top on the list, as our Chinese cooks do not speak English. Also, a lot of the spices and ingredients are in Chinese characters without any translation. I would end up tasting all of them before adding them to my food preparations.
We do have translators, but their English is also limited. One time, I asked for saffron but my translator thought it was apron!
You will not believe it, but the apron ended up on top of the paella, because they thought it would serve as a cover like those on Chinese buns!
With a final count of 15,000 athletes and 7,000 media people, this is definitely not a picnic.
How many people are under your wing?
Our kitchen is like the United Nations. I have an executive chef from Belgium, six sous chefs from the US, England and Bulgaria, and 108 Chinese cooks. Language is only a challenge but never an obstacle as we have one common goal, to serve the athletes.
The other Filipinos in the kitchen are Ian Mendoza, a Filipino-Canadian facilities manager, and Norma Frias, sous chef.
What are your plans after the Olympics?
I will return to my home base, the University of California in Irvine. I will handle special projects for Aramark and will travel to different locations [in the US] or international units. Also, probably a visit to the Philippines.
Could you share a recipe that’s Olympics-inspired, or a signature Jaranilla dish?
When I learned we were serving Philippine mango in the Olympics, the first thing that came to my mind was Mango Crème Brûlée—a classic dessert with a Filipino twist.
I did Mango Pudding, Mango Tart, Mango Chutney, Mango Parfait, anything I could possibly done to showcase mango! The mango will always be the center of our fruit and dessert stations!
Mango Crème Brûlée
8 egg yolks 1/3 c granulated sugar 2 c heavy cream or Nestlé cream 1 tsp vanilla extract ¼ c puree Philippine mango ½ c diced Philippine mango ½ c granulated sugar (to caramelized top) Preheat oven to 325 ºF.
In a bowl, whisk yolks and sugar until thick and yellow in color.
Combine heavy cream and vanilla extract in a sauce pan and heat until hot but not boiling.
Slowly add the heavy cream into the egg mixture. Whisk until blended.
Continue to whisk mixture and add the puree mango.
Spoon diced mango into the ramekins and pour the mixture.
Pour the custard into the ramekins.
Place ramekins in a roasting pan with hot water bath.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until edges are set but loose in the center.
Remove ramekins and chill for 3 hours.
Sprinkle with granulated sugar and blowtorch until sugar melts into dark shade.
For a more exotic presentation, scoop middle section of a cut mango. Place the crème brûlee in the middle and blowtorch to a caramelized top.
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