TOQUE OF THE TOWN

Since my pioneering hotel days in the early 1970s, a tried-and-tested formula existed whenever we staged an authentic and genuine food festival: An invitation is extended to the resident chef from the featured country to organize, supervise and eventually train their local counterparts.

However, the Manila Hotel, inaugurated in 1912 and home of kings and emperors, icons and tycoons, innovators and trendsetters, celebrities and personalities, broke the sacred mold on their latest culinary foray!

Executive chef Konrad Walter, a Swiss citizen and a resident of the Philippines for 31 years, and his culinary team were confident to launch the Pampanga Food Festival at the Cafe Ilang-Ilang.

They may have tasted these well-loved delicacies in reunions and fiestas, perhaps the kitchen brigade may have even been influenced by local festive fare. After all, Pampanga is the culinary capital of the nation and their gastronomical approach is wildly popular!

The spread highlighted the duck stew, kalderetang bibi; the Filipino-style paella, bringhe; the classic sipo egg; the stuffed frogs, betuteng tukag; and the evergreen staple, sisig! Oh, and did we mention the long queues for the abodong balut? For sweet ending, consider tibok-tibok with fresh carabao milk and topped with the coconut milk-based latik. Another options is the sticky rice cake, kalame duman.

We were curious, so we searched for the toque-bearing Swiss behind it all. We had the opportunity to have a brief chat.

Young Konrad began a life in the kitchen at age 10, when he would assist his mother to create desserts on weekends. And during the holiday season, he assisted to bake cookies and gingerbread.

He eventually found formal training in Switzerland. He soon embarked on exciting journeys of plating up impressive meals which took him around his own homeland, and eventually in Scotland, Macao, Bahrain, and finally, the Philippines, where he has firmly carved a name in the industry.

As the executive chef, the most fulfilling feeling for him is seeing returning guests. How can he forget catering for the Malacañan Palace during the several state visits hosted by Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Rodrigo Duterte and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

When asked to choose an ingredient he cannot live without, he claims it would be butter. “It’s not an easy choice, but it improves the taste of a vast variety of hot food and pastries. In Switzerland where I started my career and whenever I’m with my mother, we mostly cooked with it!” he said.

Meanwhile, his most trusted kitchen tool is a small wooden spoon with holes. “It is ideal to stir, sauté, and for other kinds of hot kitchen work. It’s even what I mostly use at home,” he said.

Though already a veteran, he still looks up to chef Anton Mosimann, who served as the maitre chef des cuisines at the most prestigious and distinguished Dorchester Hotel for 13 years, wherein the restaurant garnered two Michelin stars.

“We come from the same province in Switzerland. He has been consistent over many years with excellent traditional cuisine with a little bit of modern flair. He has served for the Royal House of England,” he revealed.

For Café Ilang-Ilang, he revealed they source ingredients from all over the world as well as from local suppliers and distributors — beef from the United States, lamb from Australia, special fruits and vegetables from certain European territories, and seafood from Chile, Norway and Vietnam.

As for inspirations, Chef Konrad loves to see happy individuals who approach him and exclaim, “Great food, Chef!”

For those who wish to become chefs one day, he had this to advise: “Work hard. Never stop learning because the world is full of different cuisines. From there, you can develop your own sought-after specialties!”