In case you missed it: A Pinoy chef has been serving up Pinoy dishes like kinilaw, lumpia, pancit bihon guisado and chicken barbecue at the Harvard Faculty Club.
“Rolando Abaquin, who has been the Harvard Faculty Club’s executive chef for the last three years, is enriching the taste buds of the university’s faculty, students and their guests,” reports Michael Lim Ubac in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
His is a touching success story.
According to the report, Abaquin left his hometown of Bulan, Sorsogon, in 1983, with a degree in agriculture from Bicol University. He first moved to Hawaii to follow his father, but eventually ended up in New York where he was a dishwasher at a big law firm. The executive chef there became his mentor.
“He asked me if I want to learn how to cook, then gave me his books from [Culinary Institute of America. He was very kind. He gave me all his books. I learned on the job,” said Abaquin.
“With sheer tenacity and hunger for learning, Abaquin became executive sous chef, the second in command, in just a year. The two chefs worked in tandem for about three decades, a partnership that saw the duo transferring to Columbia University in 2001,” adds the report.
Abaquin is the first-ever Filipino to head Harvard Faculty Club’s kitchen. His executive sous chef, Joseph Santos, is also Filipino.
Photo: Screengrab from video
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