CCA, Manila strengthens culinary program
IN THE midst of a fast-evolving global economy, young adults need to be ready to face the challenges of the real world. To meet this need and for them to take control of their future, quality education — one that arms them with the fundamental competency tools needed to connect academic pursuits to successful career opportunities — is a crucial first step.
The country’s premier institution and leading provider of world-class professional culinary arts education, the Center for Culinary Arts, Manila (CCA, Manila), has been advancing such efforts to hone young chef talents and future food innovators for the past 21 years.
To structure training programs that will deliver maximum positive outcomes for both academic and professional career advancement purposes, CCA, Manila has nurtured sustainable partnerships with key institutional leaders over the years. Among these are with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Canada, Korean Food Foundation in South Korea, and the International Management Institute and International Culinary Institute in Lucerne, Switzerland. One specific milestone partnership is with the Hong Kong-based Institut Culinaire Disciples Escoffier (ICDE), a professional institute affiliated with Disciples Escoffier International, a France- based non-profit organization that has more than 25,000 members.
This synergy of two premier culinary institutions paved the way for the CCADisciples Escoffier Diploma in Culinary Arts program, a six-month intensive training program where students will learn the fundamentals of culinary arts, including over 100 recipes and 100 culinary techniques. At the end of the program, students will be assessed and evaluated by master chefs and by an assessor from the French Ministry of Education.
“One of the core strengths of this program is that it exposes students to a premium learning environment, under close supervision of French master chef instructors who have extensive experience in the fine dining industry. Our students also benefit from individual workstations. Our small class size (maximum of 20 students) and high teacher-to-student ratio is a hallmark of ICDE,” said Chef Robert Fontana, chairman of the board of the Disciples Escoffier International, Asia and ICDE Hong Kong.
As a multiple-diploma program, graduates earn three reputable diplomas: CCA, Manila Diploma, the Institut Culinaire Disciples Escoffier Diploma, and the French National Diploma by the French Ministry of Education. They also have exclusive access to a network of fellow Disciples Escoffier alumni, which includes Michelin-starred chefs.