Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz has accomplished yet another feat—pursuing her passion for a career in culinary arts.
The Filipino lifter posted a video on Instagram that included glimpses of her recent attendance at the Center for Culinary Arts Manila (CCA) for a brief session on the foundations of culinary arts.
She learned how to debone fish, slice vegetables finely, and make various delicacies there.
Always a dream
Cooking is not that simple and her new hobby has made her appreciate the effort that chefs and culinary specialists put in.
"It's been my dream to learn how to cook properly and take culinary courses since 2013, when I was preparing to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. After winning a silver medal in Rio, I didn't pursue the course because I couldn't find culinary programs in college that would allow me to also prepare for Tokyo," she said in her post.
"In 2025, I told myself I would finally do the things I've always wanted to do. Luckily, I saw a post from CCA on Instagram just three days before their fundamental culinary class was about to start. I decided to give it a try, and I'm really enjoying it."
Hidilyn received a degree in Business Administration with a Major in Management from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde in 2023.
Effort and practice
She knew that her dream would start with a lot of practice and work.
"Everyday masaya, everyday iba't iba ang natututan ko. Everyday parang iniisip ko it's an exciting day, it's a new learning,” Diaz said.
In addition, she stated that she intends to apply her abilities to her next venture in Jalajala, where she also established a weightlifting school in July 2024.
