"I don’t think the love for eating chocolate will ever go away. I don’t know if it’s a love or a sugar addiction - either way, it's not going anywhere."
Bahagi ng araw-araw ng menu ng Vancouverite-turned-Melburnian na si Santiago 'Santi' Cuyugan's ang tsokolate.
Santiago 'Santi' Cuyugan Source: Santiago Cuyugan
Pagpalit ng landas
Nahanap ni Santi ang kanyang sarili sa pastry at tsokolate, ngunit nagsimula ang kanyang karera sa hot kitchen.
"I started out as a savoury chef. My mother was a chef instructor and I wanted to follow in her footsteps; but she pushed me to do pastry school so I could get a solid understanding of ingredients," aniya.
Mas napamahal ang pagluluto kay Santi ng magkaroon siya ng mas malalim na kaalaman ukol sa mga sangkap; ngunit, inakala niya pa rin na magiging savoury chef siya.
"When I came to Australia though, I did a stint at the Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in Melbourne. I was a teaching assistant and I was doing research and development. That's where I gained my passion for pastry and chocolate."
Santi found that pastry and chocolate were a good fit for his personality and idiosyncrasies. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
Kasama ng pagmamahal na ito, nadiskubre ni Santi na bagay din sa ugali niya ang pastry and tsokolate.
"I think my personality is better suited for pastry – you need to be more organised, calm and relaxed. There's a lot less yelling and throwing things in the kitchen. There's a lot more precision, being OCD and being as perfect as possible each step of the way."
Pagdating naman sa tsokolate, aminado si Santi na walang ibang sangkap na kasi kumplikado nito pagdating sa reaksyon nito sa ibang sangkap, sa proseso, tubig at temperatura.
When it comes to chocolate, Santi admits that no other ingredient is as complex or unique. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
"It comes down to practice and getting the motor movements right. A lot of it is knowing how the chocolate works. In school, I was taught to treat it like a girlfriend - you need to show it some love. You need to take care of it."
"Whether you’re doing chocolate bars, bonbons, showpieces or mousse of chocolate crémeux, pay attention to each and every single step. You can't fix it in the end - not like if you undercook a steak, you can put it back on a bit longer."
Taking care of this ingredient means thoughtful precision. Source: Bibelot
Ang mga laban
Kahit kinakailangan ng tsokolate ang perpektong paggawa, aminado si Santi na kinailangan pa rin niyang magkamali upang mas mapabuti pa ang kanyang trabaho.
"I'd be worried the day I stop making mistakes, to be honest," aniya.
Bilang isang competitor, saad ng 2017 Savour Pattisier of the Year na naging malaking bahagi ng kanyang karera ang mga naging pagkakamali niya sa mga nasalihan niyang laban noon.
Santi with his wife Yukiyo as he won Savour Patissier of the Year in 2017. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
"Halfway through my pastry courses, I was lucky enough to be offered a spot on the junior culinary team for Canada to represent on the world stage. There was a time I started slacking off and focused on other things aside from the competition. I got bumped off one of the main spots and was put on support. That really stung. I learned from that."
"Going on to do my own competitions, the first time I did Savour Patissier, I wasn’t as prepared as I wanted to be and I ended up getting 13th place out of 30. I learned from that and fortunately, ended up winning the next time. I guess it means that I made the right changes."
Santi was part of the junior culinary team to represent Canada on the world stage. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
Ang hamon
Pagdating sa mga pagbabago, isa sa malaking tagumpay para kay Santi ang pagiging Head Chocolatier ng Bibelot sa South Melbourne.
"I started out as chef de partie up in pastry. A couple of months later, the Head Chocolatier had to leave and I ended up taking his position."
Santi has been Bibelot's Head Chocolatier for three years now. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
Aminado siya na nahirapan siya sa una.
"Chocolate is quite difficult to work with and working with it eight hours a day is mentally challenging. But I grew into the role these past three years. It's pretty fun."
Nadala ng saya ang pagiging malikhain ng sabihin ni Santi na "I get inspiration from everything" para sa kanyang mga desserts na ginagawa.
"Chocolate is quite difficult to work with and working with it eight hours a day is mentally challenging." Source: Santiago Cuyugan
"It could be from the flavours our colleagues or partners like, or from a design from a snack everyone loves. For competitions, it's from things that are different or out of the norm...designs people have never done before."
At para sa mga taong takot gumawa ng mga chocolate desserts, naiintindihan ni Santi ang alinlangang ito.
Santiago's winning hand-sculpted chocolate piece of the Greek Goddess of Spring, Persephone at the 2018 Callebaut Sydney Royal Chocolate Show. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
"We have students in Bibelot come through for placement. A lot of them come through scared, but I try to guide them in slowly. [I tell them] not to be afraid of it - it's really just food. Don't be afraid to get messy. It's just about getting over that hump and understanding that it's okay to make mistakes as long as you're learning from them."
BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN
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