Issue link: http://ihouse.uberflip.com/i/1509014
Chef Aidan Pitt came on a while after the reopening in 2021. The kitchen was running efficiently but we were looking for a sous chef who could incorporate diversity and bring forth knowledge that we could share with each other. Aidan's background in food did not start from culinary school. Instead, his pursuit of passion stemmed from figuring out what was making him ill, and by navigating different options for himself, he found a niche in cooking his own food that was suitable for his health. From then on, he devotedly followed the culinary path. Chef Aidan prepares delicious gluten-free meals from Latin America and Great Britain. Lastly, Chef Ceajay Palanca is one of the most influential chefs I have encountered in my life. I met him decades ago, in one of the biggest corporate kitchens I have ever managed in the Bay Area. He was a young lad, Filipino in heritage, born and raised in San Francisco, California. Graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco, just like me, Aarash, and Victor. He is extremely vivacious; I was drawn to him instantly when he told me he does not speak the native tongue of the Philippines, but he loves the food of the Filipinos. He told me a story of how his grandmother nourished them with some of the most authentic Filipino cuisines growing up as a child and all the way to adulthood. I was envious just imagining his grandmother's perfectly seasoned Adobo, Mechado, and steaming La Paz batchoy, to name a few. Years passed and we went our own separate ways, tackling every kitchen that came our way. One day, here at I-House, I was preparing food for the residents' dinner, Ceajay came across my mind when one of the residents asked for a gluten-free, non-dairy, and extraordinarily good dessert. I thought of Chef Ceajay's Filipino steamed sweet rice wrapped in banana leaves with coconut sugar reduction sauce, called Suman sa Latik in Tagalog. I then realized we needed him in our kitchen to build a community that is full of delightful cuisines from all over the globe. As the Executive Chef, I serve meals to six hundred and more residents, originating from 80 different countries of the world. I was ecstatic when I began my first day and told myself, you have finally arrived at your destination and the world is your oyster, Chef Abbie! My imagination was dancing for joy, clenched by the thought that I could finally be who I am and show the world what I've got! That is, I am an aficionado of global cuisine. I hold an insatiable hunger for food, its origin, its message, and what sustainability it brings into our lives. I love how global cuisine bounces from continents to countries and captures us all in a majestic place called the International House at UC Berkeley. Chef Abbie Serbins, I-House Executive Chef 3