It has been said that the people who know us best lead us to our destiny. Indeed, if it were not for the insistence of his sister to take up Culinary, Chef Tristan Bayani would not have achieved his success as the Executive Chef, Consultant and Co-Restaurant Owner that he is now.
The former Celebrity Chef who co-hosted cooking shows on Net25’s Freestyle Kitchen, and ABS CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda climbed up the culinary ladder effortlessly. His dedication in whatever work he finds himself in and his willingness to help others are rewarded with an opportunity and an important role that he had not known to be his calling, Executive Chef.
Chef Tristan Bayani’s culinary gift is thus reflected in his consultancy projects in Baler and Puerto Galera, as well as in his restaurant in Tagaytay, called RibChon - a name that represents his bestselling dish, Lechon Ribs.
The UST alumnus also does not shy away from high-profiled cooking showdowns. In the last few months alone, he already participated in two events. One was the First Tagaytay Food and Wine Festival in Anya Resort where he joined Tagaytay’s celebrated chefs, Binggoy Remedios of Asador Dos Mestizos, Happy Ongpauco-Tiu of Pamana and Tsokolateria, Roby Goco of Elaia by Cyma, and Jayme Natividad of Taal Vista Hotel.
Meanwhile in September, Chef Tristan joined the annual catering contest, Savour: The Ultimate Taste Fest in Metro Tagaytay, Bearing his catering company, Kazuela Catering, he and his well-trained staff competed with the big names in catering, including Juan Carlo and Bizu, bagging the Best Main Course with his signature Filipino Fusion entry.
One would actually be surprised that a man with an amply muscled figure and a boyish image is actually an award-winning chef. Nonetheless, with our featured chef’s warm invitation, Discovering Hospitality has herewith able to uncover the creative heart beneath the brawns and the succulent flavors amid the intuitive and colorfully plated dishes of RibChon.
Discovering Hospitality has a lot of student subscribers, students of Hotel and Restaurant Management and Culinary. It would be good for them to see what they could be in the future by sharing your background. So, tell us more about your scholastic background.
When I graduated high school, I started to work. I was a working student in college. I started in a restaurant as a waiter. I would work for six hours, then I would go to school at UST in Nutrition. I wanted to take up HRM, Hotel and Restaurant Management, but I was late. So, I chose FoodTech, Food Technology, but there were also no more slots. I (ended up taking) Nutrition.
Did you want to be a chef even before? Why did you choose Nutrition?
