As the proverb says, ‘you’re never too old to learn’.  And here I am, at the age of 61, a student at the University of St. La Salle’s newly-opened Institute for Culinary Arts.

I’ve always been keen on cooking, but as Coca-Cola’s PR man for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa for 23 years based in Hong Kong and Tokyo, I had little time to spend in the kitchen. But now I’m retired and settled in Bacolod so there’s more time to pursue other interests like golf, community work, boating, gardening and, of course, cooking.

Two years ago, I took a basic cooking course at La Consolacion College in Bacolod and really enjoyed it.  I was about to see if the LCC had any other courses when I was invited to attend the official opening and blessing last November of La Salle’s Institute for Culinary Arts.

On offer was a 12-month certificate course covering six modules of lectures and hands-on training, culminating in an internship in a hotel, restaurant or cruise ship.

Each year tens of thousands of older people around the world go back to school, so with no age limit at USLS, I immediately signed up for the course. I met the entrance requirements and was duly admitted as a student.

Classes started in mid-January split into afternoon and evening sessions on Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays. Each class has 25 students, most of whom are young. Many intend to make cooking a career. Some students already own or manage restaurants in Bacolod.

The working conditions at the Institute are excellent — real state-of-the-art kitchens and thankfully fully air-conditioned.

In addition to lectures on important topics like food hygiene, safety in the kitchen and nutrition, so far we’ve had practical sessions covering basics including knife skills, culinary terminology, stocks, soups, pasta, potato and rice dishes plus fish fabrication and paella.

I’m in  the afternoon class. Our instructor is the well-known and internationally trained chef Richard Ynayan from the French Culinary Institute, the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and executive chef of Q-Bistro in Manila.

Chef Richard is extremely knowledgeable and he’s doing an excellent job teaching us.  With his lively personality, he instills a sense of urgency into the classes on the basis that life in a professional kitchen is not leisurely.

The evening sessions are directed by executive chef  Pancho Bringas of the Sugarland Hotel and a graduate of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver, Canada.

I’m finding the course very absorbing and it’s fascinating to see just how complex cooking can be. For example, I had no idea how difficult it is to make beef consommé. My first attempts were a disaster, but encouraged by Chef Richard, I practiced at home and my last attempt was passable.

I like cooking for friends and relatives whether it’s just simple pica-pica, a picnic or a full-blown dinner party. After this course, I hope to be proficient enough to do everything myself without relying on outside help.

I’m already gaining more confidence as I start to understand terms and procedures that were previously rather intimidating.  In many ways, I wish I’d learnt more 30 years ago as I’ve clearly missed out on a lot — but better late than never.

As for any future career as a chef, I think I’m a little too old to be applying for a job in a professional kitchen and, in any case, the reality is that most employers nearly always reject older applicants. 

I’d enjoy working as a relief chef on a private estate or in a country hotel back in England each year for a few months, but I really can’t see myself cooking up dinner in a bustling restaurant kitchen for 100 people every night. I’ll leave that to the youngsters.

But I am looking forward to the internship. I thought I’d start at the top so, a little tongue in cheek, I applied for a short-term student chef’s position at Buckingham Palace. They’re thinking about it.  I haven’t told them yet how old I am.

If that fails, I’m in touch with a top hotel in the Philippines.  I might also apply to do my internship on a cruise ship.  In 1964, I spent my college holidays working as a steward on Cunard’s 22,600-ton passenger ship ‘Franconia’ sailing from my home town of Southampton in England to France, Ireland and Canada. Maybe, they’ll take me back for a couple of months.

And if all these come to nothing, Chef Richard is ready to assist with possible openings in a range of hotels in the Philippines, the US and in Hong Kong.

Whatever, the outcome, I’m thoroughly enjoying being back at school and doing something I really delight in and with such a warm and friendly bunch of fellow-students.

My mother is an excellent cook as was my late father.  She was a little bemused by my taking up culinary arts in retirement, but she firmly believes age is no barrier to learning.  As she said to me on her 87th birthday on Feb. 12, “When you’re too old to learn, you’re too old”. 

The writer  is a British national residing in Bacolod City. He is a trustee of the Negros  Forests and Ecological Foundation and the immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Bacolod Marapara and a director of the  Metro Bacolod chamber of commerce and Industry. He is also the British community warden in Bacolod City.