Other than the usual grind of mixing, garnishing and plating, today's chefs have their share of typing, creating presentations, and reconciling inventories as part of their profession. This is especially true for Christine Zarandin, Executive Chef of Mezze in Greenbelt 2.
At 32, Christine is a successful young professional in the field of culinary arts whose talent has been recognized both here and abroad. In 2003, she was chosen as the Junior Chef of the year by the American Culinary Federation's Fraternity of Executive Chefs in Las Vegas. This young achiever has been using technology in her day-to-day activities and attributes a part of her success to it.
Christine has mastered the art of delivering the small plate dining specialties at Mezze and managing all the needed deliverables she needs at work. With a laptop as part of her tools, she has proven that those involved in culinary arts, chefs in particular, can be techno-savvy in their workplace, too.
"Most people would think that technology isn't relevant to my being a chef, but since I've realized that there is so much possibility in using technology, I have managed to integrate it into my work ever since," shared Christine.
Technology has enabled Christine to get rid of the tedious manual paperwork, as she uses applications such as Microsoft Office Word to create different documents; Microsoft Office PowerPoint for presenting menus to prospective clients interested in holding their functions at Mezze, and tracking and managing all inventories of stocks and financial reports through Microsoft Office Excel.
"Microsoft believes in empowering people through technology by providing them with the right tools that will enable them to realize their full potential, and become more productive individuals in whatever field they are in. It's great to see that someone like Christine - who doesn't operate in a traditional workplace - realizes the power of technology and uses it to her advantage," enthused Chay Saputil, Windows Product Manager, Microsoft Philippines.
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In terms of connectivity, communication, and access to information, the information that is readily available through Internet Explorer helps Christine to be 'in the know' about the latest trends and new techniques in the culinary profession. "Looking up new menus is very easy," she enthused. E-mail and instant messaging are particularly useful for Christine's hectic schedule. "I see to it that I check my Hotmail account every time I have the chance. I get to send an e-mail or an instant message to my family, friends, and peers in the industry without taking up too much of my time," said Christine.
Having seen how technology has worked for their executive chef, Christine's colleagues have also integrated technology in their own preparation and planning. "We actually don't understand anything other than Microsoft Windows and Office that's why the computers that we have at Mezze run on the Microsoft operating system," said Christine.
Currently, this young and dynamic Mezze chef is working on a new menu for power lunches and wellness specially designed for people who are on the go but would still appreciate a well-balanced meal. She got the idea for this from researching online.
"Technology has certainly made life in the kitchen a lot easier. It's great to know that the technology we have now is built to cater to the varying needs of the people, making it more accessible and easier to use," added Christine.
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