Before I Was Boss: Exec chef used to chop mountains of veggies

SINGAPORE - Cooking for 100 guests can be a nightmare to most people, let alone 1,000 finicky people and VIPs at a gala or state banquet.

The attempt could produce disastrous results or a magical feast that would make guests want to sing about it after that.

That was the stress award-winning chef Mr Eric Chua, 31, faced as a part-time banquet kitchen helper at the Shangri-La Singapore while he was a student at the Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre (Shatec) in 2002.

He did have a headstart in life when it comes to cooking though.

He started working in the kitchen of his family's catering business at the tender age of 13, taking on tasks such as peeling garlic and onions, to clearing and washing crockery on the weekends.

But it proved to be far more challenging in a much bigger banquet kitchen of a prestigious five-star establishment, which requires loads of discipline and clockwork precision, said Chua, who now helms Unilever Food Solutions as its executive chef .

Recalling his part-time stint at the hotel, he said: "I was paid $4.50 per hour, working from about 5.30pm to 11pm. But I didn't do it for the money. I wanted to see what it took to produce a banquet successfully for 1,000 people.

"When I was working for my parents, I was doing easy and monotonous jobs that were unimportant - I was their extra pair of hands."

The most important thing at the start of his fledgling career was being scrupulous in carrying out his duties according to a detailed schedule, said the man who speaks more like a responsible corporate officer with a tone of duty than one who handles pots and pans.

Chua explained: "Timing is critical. You have to calculate the time needed to produce a dish and know when to roll it out at so that it would taste at its optimum. You have to plan in advance which dishes require a longer heating time and what vegetables could be cooked last."

The experience at the top hotel proved immensely useful when he joined the Swissotel The Stamford in 2003 as he trainee cook.

He worked his way up to become the chef de partie, in charge of a kitchen team, at its Equinox Restaurant, which is popular with international visitors and people celebrating special occasions.

Training other chefs

Seven years ago, he joined global company Unilever as its executive sous chef, a job which requires him to help produce and promote its slew of kitchen solutions for restaurant operators and chefs - from cooking ingredients like ready-to-use sauces and mixes to working out recipes, menus and profitability.

In charge of its Singapore operation, Mr Chua takes the initiative to share with clients Unilever's research findings on international and local food trends - such as healthier food choices and flavours that have become a big hit locally - such as salty duck egg-yolk sauce.

Whether it is at the impressive fully-equipped kitchens at Unilever head office in Pasir Panjang or at trade events like the recent Food Hotel Asia at Singapore Expo, he cuts a confident figure when sharing with chefs how they could cut down some tedious steps or even boost the flavours of their dishes with Unilever products, from black-pepper and Hollandaise sauces to its rich chicken and scallop stocks.

His recommendations are especially useful to food establishments which have to standardise their desired flavours when catering to larger numbers and restaurant groups with many outlets.

It may sound like a breeze but he still reckons that a supervising chef still needs every ounce of patience when it comes to managing a small army of cooks and helpers.

That was what he learned much earlier as a part-timer and trainee.

Mr Chua recalled how a supervisor once told him to cut 5kgs of vegetables, which he understood to be cut in a brunoise way - that is, into fine cubes about 3mm or less - for making a soup.

With a chuckle, he said: "When I finished cutting everything, he asked me why I had cut them so small when he wanted them for making a stock, not a soup. I didn't think he was mean. He just wanted me to learn the art of patience in a kitchen,"

"The older chefs were really regimental. They shouted a lot. But I always believe tough training is good training."

These days, Mr Chua tries to prevent any impatience from boiling over at work. As the younger chefs of today are better educated, he would back up his explanations with facts in order to convince them instead of shooting off his mouth.

"When I feel stressed, I would go for a swim or spend time alone to think through the situation to see how to come up with the best solution. You've got to be tactful at some point of time. I do shout but much less than what the older chefs used to do," he said.

Bringing pride to Singapore

Mr Chua has also demonstrated his culinary prowess at many competitions as a member of the Singapore national team, winning awards such as the gold medal and first runner-up in a challenge held in Hong Kong at food and hospitality trade show Hofex 2009 and a silver medal at the WACS 2004 culinary challenge in Dublin.

He was a key member of the victorious Singapore National Culinary Team, which snagged two gold medals at the Culinary World Cup 2010 in Luxembourg. His national team came in overall champion in an international contest in South Korea in 2012.

The following year, the team cooked at a gala dinner during the Asian Masters gourmet festival organised by Singapore Press Holdings.

Indeed, Mr Chua has come a long way from cutting large quantities of vegetables to perfection, and he is now ready to deliver, even if it means cooking for royalty.

"Practice makes perfect. By doing something over and over again, you tend to minimise errors," he said.

chenj@sph.com.sg

This 8-part #BeforeIWasBoss series is brought to you by FastJobs, your fast track to part-time and non-executive jobs. Visit www.fastjobs.sg or download the FastJobs app on your iPhone and Android smartphones.