Four instructors from La Consolacion College Bacolod’s culinary and hospitality programs are bringing fresh, real-world insights into the classroom after completing a weeklong industry immersion at the Makati establishments of Chef Jessie Sincioco.
Chefs JP Pascual, Apple Villaran and Nestor De Asis Jr., along with Christelle Grace Sycayco, completed the immersion from June 8 to 13 at Chef Jessie’s Place and Chef Jessie Restaurant at Rockwell Club.
The program was designed to expose instructors to current industry practices in kitchen operations, catering, pastry production, dining service and restaurant management — giving students lessons informed by updated professional standards, not just textbooks and demonstrations.
“Our immersion was held in two venues — Chef Jessie’s Place for catering and Chef Jessie Restaurant at Rockwell Club,” Pascual said. “We started June 8 and completed the immersion on June 13.”
The week began with a pre-orientation and facility tour at Chef Jessie’s Place on June 8. The following day, the instructors met Sincioco and her team at Chef Jessie Restaurant at Rockwell Club before beginning their hands-on assignments.
Sincioco is a Filipino chef known for her fine-dining restaurants and catering services. She also prepared meals for Pope Francis during his 2015 visit to the Philippines.
Pascual, De Asis and Villaran were assigned to back-of-the-house operations, while Sycayco focused on front-of-the-house service.
Villaran worked in the baking and pastry section, observing and taking part in production processes that could enrich classroom instruction in pastry preparation, precision and kitchen organization. Pascual and De Asis worked in the hot kitchen and food preparation areas, gaining direct exposure to workflow, food preparation standards and coordination in a professional kitchen.
Sycayco focused on the dining and service area, gaining practical insight into guest relations, table service, service sequencing and front-of-house operations.
Together, the assignments gave the LCC Bacolod team a fuller view of how kitchen and service staff work together to deliver a complete dining experience.
Pascual said one of the most valuable parts of the immersion was being mentored by Chef Jessie herself.
“We were very fortunate because throughout our stay at both Chef Jessie’s Place and Chef Jessie Restaurant at Rockwell Club, Chef Jessie was there to personally mentor us during the immersion,” Pascual said.
On the final day, Chef Erap and Chef Reo, the restaurant’s kitchen heads, hosted the instructors for lunch in a private dining room, serving Pasta ala Jessie and the restaurant’s signature halo-halo for dessert. The chefs and the restaurant manager joined the group, turning the meal into an exchange of industry experience and ideas.
“During lunch, the chefs and the restaurant manager sat with us for a casual conversation and exchange of ideas about our industry experiences and practices,” Pascual said.
LCC Bacolod President Sister Flolyn S. Catungal, OSA, said the immersion reflects the school’s commitment to preparing students for the real demands of the hospitality and culinary industries.
“When our faculty members continue to learn from the industry, our students benefit directly,” Catungal said. “They bring back current standards, updated practices and real stories from professional kitchens and service areas. These are the lessons that help students understand what excellence looks like beyond the classroom.”
Faculty immersion, Catungal said, is an important part of ensuring instruction remains relevant and responsive to the profession’s changing needs.
“In hospitality and culinary education, students must be formed not only to cook or serve, but to work with discipline, teamwork, creativity and care for guests,” she said. “This experience allows our instructors to teach from renewed practice and deeper industry exposure.”
The immersion supports LCC Bacolod’s continuing faculty development initiatives and its goal of strengthening industry-aligned learning in its hospitality and culinary programs.
School officials said the experience will help instructors translate professional standards into classroom activities, laboratory work and student mentoring, particularly in kitchen workflow, pastry production, hot kitchen operations, catering preparation, dining service and customer experience.
Catungal said the immersion’s ultimate value will be seen in students who are better prepared to meet real workplace expectations.
“Our students deserve teachers who continue to grow,” Catungal said. “By bringing industry standards back to the classroom, our faculty help prepare students to enter the workplace with competence, confidence and the values of service that are central to LCC Bacolod education.”