"What I love about cooking is seeing simple ingredients evolve into something completely new! I love the creativity it takes to get to that point."
Helping evolution along isn't anything new to Chef Michelin Dapo. She does it with the dishes she creates, the students she mentors, and the Sydney-based Filipino ice cream business she co-founded with her husband.
Chef Michelin Dapo Source: Michelin Galang Dapo
Highlights
- Chef-instructor Michelin co-founded Manila St. with her husband.
- They supply ice cream to Filipino stores and stockists and, collaborates with other chefs, cafés and restaurants.
- A solid community, uniqueness and taking time to perfect their offerings led to their success.
Chef and teacher
A graduate of College of St. Benilde in the Philippines, one of the successes Michelin takes pride in was her four-month stint in Qatar as a pastry chef for the Asian Games.
"I just graduated and saw the ad for the job in my uni. I was only 20 at that time and it was a different culture and environment," she shares, adding, "It was great - it opened up a lot of opportunities for me after."
One such opportunity was advancing a scholarly pursuit in the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney in 2006.
Fresh off of culinary school, Michelin took on a 4-month stint as a pastry chef for the Asian Games in Qatar. Source: Michelin Galang Dapo
"When I finished, I went back home and pursued my culinary career again. What I realised about working as a chef and mentoring interns was that I enjoyed teaching. I loved being able to pass on what I knew and having a good impact on others."
From this realisation, Michelin began teaching while continuing her culinary career. Later on, she took on the position of Offshore Director of Studies for the TAFE South Western Sydney Institute in Manila.
In 2012, she permanently moved to Sydney with her husband.
Michelin as a chef instructor in the Philippines Source: Michelin Galang Dapo
"I began working as a chef for hotels while teaching as well. Eventually, I landed the role of success coach for business and culinary students. I help motivate students and support them in their career goals.
"After all, success isn't just about the degree - it's about employability after the course. It's about finding the right path for you."
Success Coach Michelin with Chefs Manu Feildel and Adam Liaw at an industry speaker series Source: Michelin Galang Dapo
Super-premium
The right path for Michelin was Filipino ice cream.
"I have gelato-making experience from when I used to work in an Italian restaurant in the Philippines. My husband learned ice cream-making while working as a chef in America. We combined what we learned to create Manila St., our own brand of super premium Filipino ice cream."
According to Michelin, the choice to focus on super-premium products was a conscious one.
"We're introducing Filipino flavours to the Australian market, so we want to make the best ube [purple yam] and cheese milk ice cream we can.
"We're introducing Filipino flavours to the Australian market, so we want to make the best ube [purple yam] and cheese milk ice cream we can." Source: Manila St.
"There are four ice cream categories - economy, regular, premium and super premium. There are a lot of factors that affect the ice cream - one of which is the air in it or 'overrun'."
Michelin shares that while air makes ice cream scoop-able, there is less of the actual product in regular and economy tubs.
"Ice cream you buy in shops are either economy or regular. These usually have 100% overrun or 50% air. That's why when you hold the tub of an economy or regular in your hand, it feels light. Half of what you're paying for is air."
There are a lot of factors that affect the ice cream - one of which is the air in it or 'overrun'." Source: Louie Pelaez
Super-premium ice cream, on the other hand, contains only 30 per cent air, making it heavier and denser.
"What makes super-premium ice cream better as well is the use of real ingredients. With our ube ice cream, for example, we use real ube from Davao."
A focus on real ingredients and better quality ice cream has seen Michelin and her husband creating 500 tubs a week to producing 500 an hour.
A focus on real ingredients and better quality ice cream have seen Michelin and her husband creating 500 tubs a week to producing 500 an hour. Source: Louie Pelaez
"My husband and I have our own ideas about what we should put out there, but we make sure to compromise. We focus on uniqueness, on getting things right - whether it be the flavour and texture of the ice cream or the packaging we use.
"We can't force what we want just because we want it. We always look at what the market wants and needs."
Collaborations
And what the market seems to be calling out for are more sweet concoctions and collaborations between this ice cream-producer and other culinary creatives.
"We collaborate with other chefs, restaurants and cafés. We share ideas, look at what they do and give our thoughts as well.
Manila St.'s collaborations: Sansbar [sansrival ice cream bar] with Hanmades Bakehouse [L]; and Ube French Toast with General Charlie [R] Source: Manila St. / Meidiana Kusuma
"For example, we supply to General Charlie [a cafe in Sydney]. They serve French toast with an ube anglaise and we thought our ube ice cream would compliment it really well."
"It's nice having a community you can talk with. It's great bonding for all of us," Michelin says, adding, "Plus you're bonding over food like ice cream! When you're stressed about work, about the pandemic...no matter if it's hot or cold outside, ice cream is comfort food. It makes things better."
Condensed milk ice cream at a Filipino Food Movement Australia event: "It's nice having a community you can talk with. It's great bonding for all of us." Source: Louie Pelaez
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