Cooking has never been the author’s strongest suit, but by the end of this online cooking class by Chef Him Uy de Baron, she was able to whip up a two-in-one meal inspired by an Italian classic with a Filipino twist that was “to die for.”
By Amanda Julia S. Masigan
Cooking is a love language in itself and the universal gesture of a welcoming home. People’s childhoods are often made up of flavors and scents of home-cooked meals and memories of their parents and grandparents preparing dinner. Indeed, it’s an everyday activity that everyone can relate to. Whether it’s sharing a favorite dish or bonding over the messiness of creating one, cooking is so much more than meets the eye.
Chef Him Uy de Baron understands this all too well. His passion for food inspired him to create Himpossible, a family business that embraces the new normal by providing both cooks and non-cooks easy and delicious recipes along with online cooking classes that anyone can do at home.
The idea came to him last July when Chef Him started to feel weighed down by the effects of the pandemic. Instead of wallowing in misery, he and his collaborators began experimenting on recipes and holding trial-run classes in succeeding months. In due time, they decided to finally introduce their brand of cooking to an online audience.
“The initial results were promising. I found that I still enjoyed it very much, as it brought me back to my early teaching days,” he says.
But best of all, the participants immensely appreciated the pilot classes and the food they created that they wanted to learn more. So, Chef Him decided to take it to the next level by holding more frequent and more challenging online classes.
It’s a family affair
Himpossible is a family affair. The fledgling company’s logo, for instance, was drawn by Chef Him’s daughter. She outlined a circle and doodled an image of her father in the center, creating an endearing and relatable brand emblem.
“It was a lot more meaningful to me because my daughter made it,” Chef Him shares. His wife Kirsten is also actively involved with both the logistics of the business and the cooking class itself. She explains how one of their main icons on social media is an image of the whole team, seven people composed of the couple, their three kids and two trusted employees.
On top of their various roles in the business, Kirsten and the five other members of the team have an additional assignment as official taste testers for all the recipes. It’s a crucial task, really, and they’re certainly not complaining.
Initially skeptical
When I took part in his class recently, I was skeptical of its online aspect, especially with something as physical an endeavor as cooking.
But, soon enough, I was pleasantly surprised by the easygoing atmosphere I witnessed—people chatting and laughing about as if there was no boundary between us. Admittedly, I’m not so much into cooking. In fact, it’s one aspect of college life away from home, which I didn’t particularly enjoy doing.
Prepping ingredients and following recipes have never been my forte. Chef Him, however, anticipated this. Not only did he eased my anxiety by sending over all of the prepped ingredients, he also throw in a cocktail for each member of his class to enjoy while cooking.
Lucban Longaniza Squash Rissotto was on the menu, a savory and rich Italian classic with a Filipino twist. To his credit, Chef Him took us through an engaging step-by-step process of how to create and curate the meal.
How did this perennially reluctant cook do? Not bad, actually.
A combination of patience, a Negroni and the ceaseless stirring of Japanese rice resulted in a meal that was to die for. The dish was topped with crispy longaniza, while a side of kale salad cut through the richness of the risotto. It’s a simple yet elegant meal that’s perfect to impress your family.
Dedication to his craft
Chef Him’s patience and dedication to his craft was evident throughout the class. Aside from dictating the instructions via Zoom, his method of online teaching also consisted of a Powerpoint presentation his students can study beforehand and multiple recordings of himself cooking the meal. While listening to him talk, I became convinced that his knowledge and understanding of each ingredient are unmatched.
“Teaching was one of the first things I did when I came back from Australia. It was one of my first jobs here when I was filling out my resume. I taught Asian classes. It’s something I grew up to love, to teach people how to cook,” he tells us.
For now, Chef Him and his team are still hosting cooking classes for those who are interested. He offers two types of classes. Held usually on weekdays, his Express Class tries to teach participants quick and convenient recipes within 90 minutes or less.
Held on weekends, his Themed Class is a bit more technical and complicated. A typical class, which lasts for about three hours, tackles a three-dish menu that falls under a specific cuisine.
All available classes can be found on Instagram at @himpossible.recipes, and Facebook, himpossible recipe, where people can book and view the chef’s menus. A website is also in the works to make everything even more convenient and accessible for future students.
