A slice of hard work, a cup of passion, and a dash of luck – that’s one recipe a culinary school doesn’t teach you, but it’s the best this celebrity chef has come up with and one which he constantly whips up to build a successful career.

Chef Mark Uy, who hosts the television show “Healthy Cooking,” did not take the relatively simple path of going to a culinary school to learn and stockpile the best recipes of the trade.  He worked his way up the kitchen ladder, so to speak, with passion and dedication.

This Filipino-Canadian celebrity chef started building his dreams after graduating cum laude with a degree in BS HRIM (Hotel and Restaurant Institution Management) at De La Salle University, College of St. Benilde. He started as a steward in the kitchen department, before he was given an opportunity to work as a line cook for topnotch restaurants like George’s at the Cove in La Jolla, California and Chef de Partie for Shangri-La Mactan Resorts and Hotel.

These experiences have taught this young chef some precious lessons.  Creative plating and superb taste are two significant elements that he always strives to achieve, says this 28-year-old bachelor, because he believes there is no substitute for taste and artistry.  Taking simple ingredients and doing less with them to let the food shine on its own is his definition of the job of a culinary professional.

“In a restaurant, you’ll have to cook the same food everyday,” he explains. “And yet, everyday it will taste different. Tomatoes are tomatoes – but they taste different when they are not in season,” he adds. “While I was working in George’s at the Cove in La Jolla, we tried our best to make our menus as fresh as possible; we had the best suppliers in a 15-mile radius and bought local produce from local farmers.”

Applying the same standards back home, Chef Mark, who is a corporate chef and consultant for various resorts and restaurants in the country, ensures this through his partnership with Natividad Farms, one of the best organic suppliers in Tagaytay.  He always cooks, he says, like he’s cooking for his family. So chemical enhancers with harmful ingredients have no place in his kitchen so as to ensure that the dish is healthy.

And Chef Mark is eager to share this orientation and advocacy especially with the next generation of chefs.  Last July, he mentored the Chiang Kai Shek College BS HRM students to championship in the 2nd Philippine Culinary Tourism Expo.  An interschool grand culinary challenge organized by the Department of Tourism, the competition hopes to promote Filipino cuisine to both domestic and international tourists, using taste, plating, degree of difficulty and hygiene as the criteria for the competition.

“The best lesson that I learned from Chef Mark is to be humble in spite of any success that I might achieve,” says the champion team’s captain Adrian Chua.

Another ace up Chef Mark’s sleeve is his nursing degree – yes, he’s a registered nurse! – which probably explains why he’s big on healthy cooking.

“I never forget to instill values in what I share with people, because I do feel that I can make a meaningful contribution to the culinary industry and medical field. It has made me more credible,” he says.

As the host of a TV show that focuses on healthy cooking, Chef Mark not only showcases proper and efficient ways of cooking, but also educates televiewers through significant health tips.  For people who love good food but may have health issues, he offers recipes for tasty dishes that can actually address health problems.

Grilled bruschetta with tomatoes and onions, for example, is a dish he recommends for people experiencing prostate problems.  The tomatoes and mushrooms, which are two of the main ingredients of this recipe, are high in zinc, Chef Mark, the RN explains. Zinc, he adds, is known to be good in cleansing kidneys for proper excretion. •

“Healthy Cooking” is a cooking segment of Generation Rx, the only health and travel show in the country. Catch it every Saturday, from 7:30-8 a.m. on Studio 23. For more of Chef Mark’s recipes, visit chefmarkuy.com

Contributed photos