If not, well, let me tell you: you’re missing out on a lot!

Let me tell you, there’s a reason why it’s priced that way… and why Food Magazine declared his artisan Ensaymadas as the “Rolls Royce of Ensaymadas” back in 2016 –  it’s SO GOOD!

Of course, there’s more to Chef Joey than just his ensaymadas. If you’re a fan of delicious and indulgent desserts, you’d want to know more about this amazing chef. 

Curious about his teaching and cooking? Well, a blogger calls all his recipes “to die for”, and well, here’s what Bailiwickers have to say about him:

Want to know more? Well, without further ado, let’s take a quick look at one of the most beloved expert chef instructors at The Bailiwick Academy, shall we?

Who is Chef Joey Prats?

Now, Chef Joey Prats is a highly-accomplished chef, so to even summarize his achievements is hard, but we’ll try. Here we go!

Chef Joey is a highly distinguished pastry chef and baking consultant who started baking at the age of 12. He apprenticed in the Attic Inn, a family-owned restaurant, under the guidance of his mother Myrna Prats, herself a very-well known chef. 

Chef Joey earned the distinction of being the Philippines’ youngest Executive Pastry Chef at the age of 20 while working in the Hyatt Terraces Baguio’s kitchens. And after he graduated from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and Business Administration, he traveled to New York City to further his education.

He got an Associate Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts from The Institute of Culinary Education (formerly known as Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School).

And from there, let’s just say he has done a lot, such as (in no particular order):

• Being one of the people who trained and mentored Chef Miko Aspiras and Chef RV Manabat, two of our TBA instructors
• Worked in different capacities for various restaurants and culinary schools such as Golden Bakery Inc., Puratos (Phil) Inc., The Mario’s Group, Rich’s Products Corporation (New York), Center for Culinary Arts Manila, De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde, The Culinary Institute of Aristocrat, The Embassy of Chocolate (Indonesia) and more
• Has established the Joey Prats Group of Companies – a holding company that houses 3 of his subsidiaries: the Joey Prats School of Baking & Pastry Arts, Joey Prats Ultra Mixes, and Luxury Sweets by Joey Prats, or now known as Froey’s Bakeshop Specialties.
• Various cooking and baking demos such as this one and this one
• Written columns for Food Magazine like this one

Pretty impressive, wouldn’t you agree?

How did Chef Joey Prats join The Bailiwick Academy?

No one knows about this story, but this is how I met Chef Joey Prats. 

Back in 2017, I purchased his recipe eBooks. I was able to do all the recipes which were all good, but I wasn’t satisfied. Because I looked up to Chef Joey, I wanted to meet this amazing chef in person, pick his brain, and just soak in his wisdom!

So you know what I did? I attended his face-to-face class in Paranaque back in April 2017. After the class, I approached Chef Joey and asked him to be one of the instructors at The Bailiwick Academy.

Here’s something you should know: The Bailiwick Academy wasn’t even established yet! But yes, I asked Chef Joey anyway. Hey, you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, right?

But if you predicted that he would say no, you’re absolutely right. And it wasn’t even once, it was twice!

But after so many follow ups (seven to be exact), Chef Joey finally said yes to featuring one of his classes: The Artisanal Ensaymada. After that, the rest is history! Chef Joey’s classes here at TBA are now 40, with more to come!

Who knows if he would have joined if I wasn’t persistent, right?

What are some of Chef Joey’s classes?

Do you know why Chef Joey Prats’ classes grew to that amount? My theory is that it’s because some of his classes are the top best-selling classes at TBA – and that makes Bailiwickers just want to learn more from him!

Some of his top sellers here are the Artisan Ensaymada class:

Special Celebration Cakes:

Ultimate Bibingka:

Flaky Gourmet Empanadas:

And Ube Jam!

All these have good reviews from our students. See more of his courses – click here!

Quick lessons from the master chef

One thing I and many other people really LOVE about Chef Joey is that aside from him being an icon in the baking and pastry industry in the Philippines is that he’s a really great teacher! An example here is when a student tagged him inside The Bailiwick Academy Student Lounge asking for help:

He immediately responded with this:

And because he’s an amazing teacher, it’s kind of hard to summarize his various nuggets of wisdom in one blog post. In fact, every time we have him as a guest on our various LIVE sessions, they usually end up going for more than an hour!

Like the time we had what we called Sweet Talk with Chef Joey last year. There were so many value bombs he dropped especially for people who want to get into the food business. I’ll summarize the five major ones, in no particular order:

1. Focus on one product.

When starting out in your food business, it’s best for you to focus on just one product at a time. That way, you can go full blast making it, up to the point that you perfect it and become known for it. 

The best example? Chef Joey, of course, with his artisan ensaymadas! Obviously, you know he’s more than capable of cooking and baking different kinds of food. But for some holidays, he has chosen to focus on his version of this pastry.

And this tip is related to number two, which is:

2. Don’t put too many items on your menu.

You know another reason Chef Joey only wants to focus on his ensaymadas? Well, having too many menu items can be overwhelming for you, especially if you’re just starting out. The end result is that you may find yourself with items that are not as prepared well. 

Also, it can overwhelm your customers with them having a hard time making a decision about what to buy first. And they won’t be able to associate that product with you, which is helpful for marketing purposes. 

Focus on a small, well-curated menu when you’re starting out.

3. Do your projections early.

Did you know that your product pricing should be flexible – but in a way that helps you out? You see, when you buy ingredients from your suppliers, they won’t keep their prices the same all the time. You have to be ready for them to increase your price – and for yours to increase too.

As much as you want to keep your prices the same, can you really afford to not make a profit with your products when running a business? According to Chef Joey, that’s not a good business practice! 

4. Choose products that have long shelf lives and are logistically friendly.

Here’s one thing to help you choose a product to sell: sell something that will last a long time (like his Best Ever Cookies) and something that will stay together even if it’s being transported. That way, you won’t be worried if you need to hire a motorbike or other delivery service and you end up with a driver who’s not a careful driver.

Also, on the off-chance that you encounter a bad day and you only have a few sales, or someone orders from you but is a scam, at least you know that your products won’t spoil right away. You can sell them at a lower cost or something.

5. Treat all your customers well.

This goes without saying, but whoever your customer may be, be sure to treat them well. Don’t discriminate whether they’re celebrity customers or regular ones. Always make sure you give them the best service possible.

Once they become your fans, you might find that they’ll be the ones bringing more customers to you!
Of course, there can be difficult clients, but we’d need more context into how to deal with those.

For more amazing business lessons, make sure to watch Chef Joey’s other videos on The Bailiwick Academy’s Facebook page and YouTube channel!

What’s next for Chef Joey Prats?

Well, you can be sure a chef as busy, as well-known, and as good as Chef Joey will always have plenty of projects scheduled. But as for The Bailiwick Academy, well, you can always expect him to come out with many more courses that will help you turn your passion for baking and cooking into profit!

If you haven’t yet, make sure to enroll in Chef Joey Prats’ courses here.

And if you want the chance to see him demonstrate one of his delicious recipes LIVE and IN-PERSON, make sure to join us at The Bailiwick Academy’s 5th year anniversary!

Not only will you get to talk to Chef Joey, ask him all the questions you want, and see his techniques personally…

But you’ll also get to TASTE his creation when he’s done, as well as take home loot bags that The Bailiwick Academy team has compiled for attendees. I’m sure you’re going to love the goodies inside!

Oh, and did I mention there’s going to be a raffle? And that you’ll get the chance to take home amazing prizes?

And before I forget, not only will you get to talk to Chef Joey and experience his baking, but you’ll also get a recording of his live demonstration. It’s like you paid for one of his courses here at TBA!

Slots are limited to the anniversary though – make sure to get your ticket at the TBA shop!

Chef Joey and I would love to see you there – so… see you there, I hope!

In the meantime, make sure to sign up at The Bailiwick Academy if you haven’t yet and experience our world-class courses!

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Keep coming back to The Bailiwick Academy blog for more kitchen tips, tricks, and much more!

The post Chef Joey Prats: The Bailiwick Academy Spotlight appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.