More often than not, life doesn’t go as planned. Due to various reasons, one takes a different path versus what is intended. Take as an example our Cowrie Grill’s Pastry Chef, Phoebe Grace Palileo.
Chef Phoebe’s delight for desserts is not her first love. As a teen, she dreamed of becoming a nurse. Lo and behold, because of her fear of blood, she cannot pursue this dream. So, she tried to dabble with numbers and took accountancy. While she was not able to complete her college degree, she was able to apply her knowledge as a bookkeeper.
Realizing her Passion
Just like other girls, Chef Phoebe’s role model is her mom who loves cooking. She remembers how she used to watch her mom prepare home-cooked meals for the whole family. When her mom got the chance to pursue her own dream, Chef Phoebe initiated to take the helm and be in charge of the kitchen. Soon after, she realized she wanted to pursue a career in culinary arts and enrolled herself in the Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy in 2017.
The Apple of Her Eye
When the pandemic hit, it brought havoc to all. Plans derailed, lives altered, but it also opened new doors to some. This was what Chef Phoebe faced after she graduated from culinary school in 2019. When her plan to work abroad was put on hold, she turned into baking as a means of income. Chef Phoebe was able to create and sell different types of bread and pastries, with her special Apple Pie being the bestseller. She believes that what makes her Apple Pie standout is the flaky pie dough that she created from scratch.
The Rose among the Thorns
The culinary industry is evidently male-dominated but when Chef Phoebe joined the Cowrie Grill team in 2022, she did not feel any hostility from her male co-workers.
As the pastry chef of Cowrie Grill, Chef Phoebe is responsible for creating and preparing baked goods including the crowd-favorite Baked Alaska. But she doesn’t stop asserting her skills in the dessert station as she also steps in to other stations, like the hot kitchen, when needed. Her versatility proves that she is a team player and that her peers can depend on her.
Chasing the Dream
Follow your passion and do not be discouraged easily: this is her advice to other women interested in starting a career in the culinary industry.
As for her future aspiration, Chef Phoebe would like to open her own restaurant in her hometown in Valenzuela that serves high-end Tex Mex cuisine. For now, she hopes that she’ll be able to showcase to the patrons of Cowrie Grill her own version of a fancy French dessert, Entremet.
Cowrie Grill recognizes equality of women in our society and celebrates their achievements particularly this International Women’s Day. Kudos to all the women who make a difference!
