Don't let his boyish looks fool you. The head chef of Celsius Cuisine has experience making up for his youth

Story Annie Nisce
Photography Zac Moran

Twenty-five-year-old chef Raphael Onchiong graduated from ISCAHM in 2005 and has done the rounds, learning the ways of the kitchen from the best and toughest master, starting with his mom! After ISCAHM, he joined Parallel 45 that was then helmed by Chef Humphrey Navarro, then moved on to the Wynn Hotel in Macau. Upon his return to Manila, he was consultant for Bubble Tea and part of the opening team of Aubergine. He left our shores again to work for a cruise ship. Back again in the Philippines, he feels blessed, having been a pioneer for most of the restaurants he joined, Celsius included.

When did you start learning how to cook?
When I was in Grade 5. My mom cooks super-delicious Chinese dishes and she bakes very well. She took short (baking) courses with Chef Ernie Babaran when ISCAHM was still called the Institute of Hotel and Restaurant Studies (IHRS). She started me on (inexpensive) vegetable dishes, so that it would not hurt much if they didn't work and so had to be thrown away! I finally decided that I wanted to take culinary arts when I was in fourth year high school. My mother was so happy that her syoti (Chinese for youngest child) wanted to get into the profession.

Describe your culinary style.
Flavor comes first even if plating matters. What looks good should taste good.

What items must you always have in your kitchen?
Extra virgin olive oil, thyme, oregano and basil because I can do a lot with them; and my knife set from Canada.

Who are your culinary idols?
Locally, I look up to Chef Norbert for the discipline in handling the staff and to Chef Humphrey for style--he'd always say a plate is a work of art. Internationally, Gordon Ramsay. I like his style of handling the kitchen. He is strict with his staff but, outside the kitchen, they are all friends. I have a collection of his books. Then, Heston Blumenthal. His dishes are perfect! Did you know that he researched on 32 kinds of eggs to make his perfect Baked Alaska? He used the lightest egg for it. And he did not stop until he found the most perfect Peking Duck in the world. He found it in Beijing--the skin was so crispy that when it fell, it broke into pieces!

Wise words for chefs in the making.
Don't use the culinary arts as an escape from college. It's not "just" about cooking. You should be able to take the heat and the hard work, as well as deal with some difficult co-workers.

More of Chef Raphael Inchion's Q&A in the July 2010 issue of Appetite.