Definitely not a case of: 'It's healthy, and to hell with it!'

“Mother: It’s broc-coli, dear.  Child: I say it’s spinach and I say the hell with it.” — E.B.White

 The days when healthy food meant chewing on tasteless cud of cardboard consistency are a thing of the past. With the growing consciousness that eating nutrient-packed fresh produce is one proven option to enhance wellness, it is not surprising that even the well-respected American actress Meryl Streep reportedly said, “It’s bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children’s health than the pediatrician.” Indeed, the concept of healthy eating has permeated our prevailing food culture so much that the chefs are constantly on their toes, with their thinking caps on, and endlessly dreaming up innovative ways to make healthful alternatives look and taste even more exciting

With Taal Vista Hotel’s Junior Chef’s Cup Challenge, the organizers up the ante by encouraging more people to eat healthy.

“We want to convey the message to the youth that freshness is basic,” says Aurora “Babes” Austria, executive chef of Taal Vista Hotel. “I believe that one major social obligation of a chef is to create good, healthy food.”

She explains that apart from encouraging camaraderie and sportsmanship among the participants, the project is a means of reaching out to the community. What makes the competition distinct is that the eight-to-12-year-old competitors, from various schools in Metro Manila and Calabarzon, will be encouraged to focus on cooking healthy food.

The Junior Chef’s Challenge will be held on the four weekends of September 2011, with elimination rounds being held on three weekends and the final match scheduled on the fourth weekend.    

Taal Vista Hotel is located at Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City.

Being a subscriber to the notion that good habits are best learned during childhood, chef Babes is a firm believer that culinary training is another means of imparting the proper sensibilities. “Cooking is character building. It requires a lot of patience, diligence, precision, gentleness, endurance and determination.

To be able to cook well, you have to love what you do.” And thus, another goal of the cooking competition is to instill a love for the culinary arts. “I don’t want to be cooking from a wheelchair,” adds chef Babes. “It is up to us to train the kids so that they can eventually take over in the kitchen.”

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), recognized for high quality and developing significantly leaner cuts of beef and lamb (that are nonetheless just as tasty) has been tapped to support the competition.

What makes this particular Junior Chef’s Challenge not just another contest is that it has chosen to support Project: Bravekids, an advocacy started by Paul and Sigrid Perez to support cancer-stricken children and their families. “What gives us the passion to continue an endeavor is personal experience,” says Sigrid. She shares that their son Seve Augusto Sabarre Perez was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in September 2005, one month after turning three years old. With medication, constant monitoring and a healthy diet, Seve has since then overcome the condition.

“For Taal Vista Hotel, this project is a matter of kids cooking for kids from the hotel with a heart,” concludes Bernardo M. Corpus Jr., general manager of Taal Vista Hotel, who shared that he is particularly touched by the plight of kids who suffer from cancer. And definitely, while Taal Vista “is ideal for leisure and business travelers who appreciate the sophisticated mix of modern luxury,” the hotel forges on into the future as a place where young people learn about healthy choices, responsibility, a good work ethic, and compassion for others — all these through cooking.

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Taal Vista Hotel is at Km 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City. For inquiries and reservations, log on to www.taalvistahotel.com. Or call (46) 413-1000; Manila sales office at 403-1000.