Centre for Culinary Arts Excellence

One of the biggest criticisms levelled against the formal education system in general and the culinary education in particular is that the culinary & hospitality curriculum doesn’t allow students to use and demonstrate their naturally endowed sense of imagination, creativity and intuition besides the programs vary in length, depth of foundational knowledge, class structure and focus . The culinary discipline calls for a fine balance between art, aesthetic and science and professionals believe that freedom must be given to students to explore their innate sense of creativity and intuition. There is also a school of thought that believes that not everyone that graduates from a culinary school is cut out for a role in the kitchen – as excellence in the kitchen is largely a function of one’s ability to play with fire & knives. CCAE can thus, be viewed as an ‘training ground’ to explore whether the potential Chef in the making can withstand the backbreaking work for insanely long hours; has the hands and physical stamina to wash utensils ;clean and dress the produce; the eyes to withstand the pungent odour of onions and garlic and the ears to bear the constant roaring of the mixers, grinders and other mechanical gadgetry in the kitchen.

The CCAE is the essence of the hospitality business. People working in the kitchen are the unsung heroes and their work often goes unnoticed and at other times, taken for granted. The CCAE can, therefore, also be seen as a laboratory to discover one’s suitability for a demanding role in the kitchen.

Typically, all Culinary Arts Programs feed on a staple diet of passion, help students develop sensibilities and a philosophy about food, it’s presentation, ingredients, cooking techniques and the art and science of a fine dining experience. Academic programs in Culinary Arts prepares students for a rewarding career in the Hospitality industry . They begin with the fundamentals in food production , procurement, cost control, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, management skills and then graduate to advanced levels in computers, liberal arts courses in history and writing and business. In effect, academic programs do provide students with the educational wherewithal to obtain a basic academic Certificate, Diploma or Degree – but not necessarily the proficiency, insights depth of understanding and maturity to cater to customer’s specific culinary requirements.

The Centre, will work alongside a student as a skill development partner in their professional growth, development and progress and be an in-house resource centre to continuously experiment, explore, innovate and achieve new benchmarks in professional excellence. The CCAE will provide 24 hours access to ‘Caboose – The Culinary Studio’ and thus the state- of – the – art facilities, infrastructure and resources to give expression to a student’s culinary talent.

The CCAE is a well-conceived and designed educational ecosystem that provides all kinds of opportunities – be it educational, externship and internships, mentorship, motivational and hands-on to both students and the Chef’s in the making to advance culinary education, skills and the required psychology to make a positive difference to the larger culinary community. The CCAE is committed to bring in excellence in all the areas of culinary arts through a repertoire of highly imaginatively conceived, designed and executed programs, initiatives and approaches.

The Centre will enable students to learn about advanced culinary techniques ,technologies, food safety practices, leadership skills, business management skills, sustainable initiatives in hospitality, such that they are able to lead and manage business on all these issues. CCAE , as a CoE, will partner with the other CoE’s and the Servo Hospitality School to provide state of the art educational experience and prepare & groom the next level of culinary leaders.

Programs and services offered by the CCAE:

• Plan your events Program:

Your event is a reflection of your personality and professionalism; a reflection of your skills, competencies and culinary excellence. It’s a reflection on your training, learnings and your institution. The events could be birthday party, anniversary party, departmental meeting

,student organization, campus cafe, a small social gathering or any other event selected by the student.

In all these events, you will do all the planning, from menu design, preparation of cost sheet, selection and sourcing of all ingredients from the market, estimate quantity of food in keeping with count of guests, design room layout, design the dining experience and cook the curated menu under the expert guidance of your Chef. As these are one-off events, they must be planned at least 3 months in advance so that the events get logged into the institutional calendar.

• The Internship/ Externship and Mentorship Program:

The Centre will provide abundant opportunities for internships and externships of varying duration with strong Mentorship under the Executive Chef of Ramada Hotel, Dehradun. The Chef in the making can acquire, cultivate and develop the under-mentioned characteristics :

1. Attention to detail
2. Physical stamina
3. Organization skills
4. Culinary expertise
5. Business sense
6. Willingness to accept criticism
7. Creativity
8. Ability to handle stress Duration :1 week to 1

• The Chef’s Cauldron Program :

The metaphor of a ‘cauldron’ has been deliberately used to suggest unrest and agitation with the traditional ways of cooking and the boiling (to create fusion) of different types of cuisine, various cooking methods and techniques, new flavors, new ingredients etc. In short, a potpourri of contemporary and classical methods.

The Chef’s Cauldron Program is a highly technical; non – teaching bespoke program that has a global focus and enquiry. The reason for positioning such a program in the larger culinary repertoire is not far to seek: regardless of the duration of the culinary courses, there is only so much space in a culinary curriculum to explore and experiment and no more. It is an ideal Program for aspiring Chef’s to be used as an R&D centre.

The reality, however, is that even in small geographies in the world there can be typically dozens of cuisines that are all unique and interesting in their own unique ways. In culinary education, there comes a point where one has to leave the traditions behind and don the hat of an adventurer in order to learn new things.

So, some of the aims of the program are :

1. Practice local & sustainable menu development;
2. Learn contemporary cooking techniques;
3. learn world cuisine in the sense of using globally used ingredients and explore the unexplored;
4. Technology – take a look at computer generated recipes and task the Chef in the making to make them and also experiment with vastly different

All the above will collectively give an incredibly huge boost to the existing levels of understanding, knowledge, insights, experience and expertise, which will in turn make transitioning into a ‘professional environment’ that much easier.

The program will truly help students understand food from global culinary perspectives such as history and culture, the processes of cooking, the ingredients, the styles, the flavors and instinctively grasp how to pair products and look beyond.

As may be seen, this program is meant for hard core culinary professionals only.

The Chef’s Cauldron Program is indispensable to a young Chef who really wants to make a career in a professional kitchen. In the Chefs Cauldron Program , students have access to library resources, research, time to study and can positively hone culinary skills

Duration: 3 months to 1 year

• Chef’s Challenge Competition:

The theme is “doing more with less.” CCAE will host the Chef’s Challenge competition annually. The students participating in this contest will register as teams using limited tools and local produce. A special feature of the contest will be that students will be paired with local Chefs to create delightful offerings.

While the students get the benefit of training under some of the best Chefs in town, the experience can be just as meaningful for the Chefs. Apart from Culinary Arts, experienced Chefs can inspire students, mentor them and provide great lessons in group dynamics in the kitchen environment. The winning team shall be judged based on taste, presentation skills and professionalism.

Apart from being a part of the Chefs Challenge, students and Chefs can stay in touch with the culinary communities and continue their endeavours towards excellence.

• The Preparatory Culinary Arts Program:

The ‘Preparatory Culinary Arts Program’ is a specially designed one – off bespoke program, perhaps the only one of its kind in the Country designed to help students discover themselves; their attitude, interests & inclinations; their career aspirations and goals; basic temperament and beyond all, their innate passion for cooking and their decision to commit themselves to a career in the kitchen for life.

For their parents, who despite their interminable cycles of interactions with admission recruiters and counsellors, their professional advice on the suitability of the recommended Culinary Arts Schools, aren’t able to understand their children’s attitude & aptitude through the eyes of these Counsellors ; the need, if at all, for a formal education in Culinary Arts; the high costs associated with education ; the differences between ‘vocational’ and ‘professional’ education and as a consequence, the likely career paths that they will tread in their professional careers viz kitchen vs non-kitchen.

It must be said that students across the globe continue to chase an ethereal dream of running a successful kitchen, inspired as they are, after seeing various cooking shows anchored by celebrity Chefs, modelled on the lines of the “Cook’s Night Out” aired on the BBC and thereafter the various Country versions that have been running successfully for decades.

Thus, at a basic level, the Preparatory Culinary Arts Program seeks to bust fantasies and myths created by cook shows and cooking competitions; the reel and real depiction of restaurant’s life and culinary as a pathway to attaining a celebrity status. Culinary School enrollments have swelled over the years – but the million dollar question still haunts students: Is going to a Culinary School worth it?

In this context, the specially curated ‘Preparatory Culinary Arts Program’ will be a ‘curtain raiser’ of sorts to a formal Culinary Arts Program at the end of which both students and their parents can take hard decisions. Besides a hands-on approach to all aspects of culinary-arts during the currency of the program, interactions with the Chef, educators, restaurateurs and the newly minted graduates of the Servo Hospitality School, will greatly enable the novitiates to form well robust perspectives on the value of culinary arts education as well as the selection of appropriate institutions. All in all, the Preparatory Culinary Arts Program is a high value – high impact winning program.

Duration: 3 months

• The Culinary/Pastry & Baking Apprenticeship Program:

Apprenticeships were once the most common way that Apprentices in all the employment /employability trades learnt their craft. The Culinary /Pastry & Baking Apprenticeship programs are offered in two modes viz one, as a pure Culinary / Pastry & Baking as the case may be and the second, on a hybrid mode . Essentially, what it means is that the hybrid format will be customized to suit the specific needs and requirements.

Eligibility: 18 years or more. Duration: 12 months.

Structure: 70% kitchen time +30% professional development. Mode of certification :Examination in Culinary theory +practice.

Interestingly, the Apprenticeship program can also be done on a part – time basis, subject to fulfillment of the academic requirements. For more details, please contact the Centre Head.

• Culinary/Pastry & Baking Literacy Programs:

These are bespoke short duration programs where students learn food tasting, touching, feeling ingredients and build their perception of seasoning. Everything students learn in this program comes from the perspective of how and why things happen in the kitchen.

It will include introductory and fundamental culinary classes, basic techniques of cooking, culinary vocabulary, culinary environment, culinary culture and the dynamics & pace of a professional kitchen.

Duration: 3-5 weeks.

• Networking Events Program :

Potential students may want to just network with Culinary staff-in particular the Chef, Restaurant Manager and other food service professionals. The intent is to foster connections with the Culinary community.

This program is membership Fee based.

• Conversations with our Chef Program :

This is yet another very interesting, informative and educational forum where students can set up a conversation with our Chef. The areas of interest and interactions can cover- how to taste their dishes, operate outside of recipes, fix their mistakes, and correct the deficiencies in culinary education. This program is membership Fee based.