Hooked on food

Fritz Alami Cañedo gives cooking a delicate touch

By Deneb Batucan

FRITZ Alami Cañedo might be the young bachelor that ladies what to bring home to their parents. Intelligent, soft spoken, God fearing and with good looks to boot, Fritz definitely has that charm of being the Popoy to one’s Basha. But as dashing as he already is, there’s one thing that makes Fritz even more endearing.

Fritz can cook his way to a lady’s heart. As a chef, he can create masterpieces inside the kitchen. Being the proprietor of Delicate Catering, he was fueled by his passion for food and ended up making a career out of it.

Since Fritz was six years old, he was already hooked on cooking. What made him love cooking was through the influence of cooking shows on television. “I would watch cooking show after cooking show. I would watch those even more than cartoons,” he said.

But even though cooking is certainly his passion, Fritz had to learn cooking the hard way. “It wasn’t really a built-in gift or inborn talent. I had to learn cooking by myself since no one really cooks in my family. I would say I’ve surely made more mistakes in the kitchen than I could possibly think of than actually producing successful dishes,” he mused.

But admittedly, Fritz says that those mistakes made him want to be better at cooking and he never stopped practicing until he achieved perfection with his passion.

Eye on a dream

Loving food since he was a boy, Fritz charted his path to reach his dream of being a chef. He took up hotel and restaurant management as his bachelor’s degree in the University of San Carlos and took further studies in Australia at the internationally recognized culinary arts school, Le Cordon Bleu.

After finishing his studies, Fritz came back to his hometown in Minglanilla, Cebu, and worked on building his catering business, Delicate Catering, which started in October 2015. From chef to entrepreneur, Fritz had to move from the kitchen to the office where he oversaw the operations of his business.

“As a young entrepreneur, I came to realize that you need to know a little of everything. Of course, we cannot be masters of everything, but it is important to know how things work around your business from accounting, purchasing, inventory, kitchen operations, service, human resource, marketing, etc.” he said.

Every workday for Fritz is a challenge that he pursues with the aim of acquiring more knowledge and skills at his desired field. It’s one thing to learn how to cook, but being a chef is more than just knowing good food. It’s also about being a leader and knowing how to handle one’s staff.

Fritz takes from his chef idol, Jamie Oliver, when it comes to food. He’s all about honest to goodness, straightforward and delicious meals served by a polite and hospitable staff through beautiful setups that would make a happy memory to any kind of occasion. That’s what Fritz and Delicate Catering promises for their clients.

In focus

Aside from his business, Fritz is a devout Christian who offers his time and talents to the Lord. “I really want to emphasize more on this and make it clear that I am in this business because of God,” he shared.

Sometimes Fritz get so burdened with work that he loses focus. But he always gets back on track through prayer. “This is a very big part of my life. Being with God and trusting Him keeps me sane, especially with the amount of stress and pressure the business has,” he said.

Fritz has had a great start with his business, but he still has a long way to go. But in whatever kind of success he encounters, Fritz prays for a simple life no matter what God blesses him with. But as for his Delicate Catering, he dreams of expanding it from catering to opening venues for banquets and functions and eventually having a boutique hotel. And with the kind of passion Fritz possesses, the possibilities of his success are endless.

Photos: Alfred Gregory E. Bartolome
Grooming: Carlo Damolo and Jerwin Bastatas