CCA Manila Interactive - A Souffle Industry

A Souffle Industry

By Mio de la Cruz
July 06, 2008, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines – With so many cooking schools setting the local culinary scene on fire, it's bound to be the next casualty of the “hot pandesal syndrome,” where just about everyone rides on the current moneymaker. After all, with tourism pushing up the fine dining business, cruise liners demanding trained chefs and homecoming OFWs wondering where to invest their savings, students are flocking to culinary institutes to learn the hottest trade of the moment.

While most culinary schools in the country offer only short courses, a few of them offer both short- and long-term cooking courses, including the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA).

The CCA, for example, provides lengthier curricula, including a full two-year program on Culinary Arts and Technology Management and a one-year Certificate Program in Baking and Pastry Arts.

Graduates of the two-year program may initially serve as line cooks or, at times, chefs de partie in fine hotels, restaurants, and other food establishments locally and internationally until they become head chefs or restaurant entrepreneurs or celebrity TV hosts, like Rosebud Benitez of “Quickfire,” Christian Encarnacion of QTV, Nino Logarta, Miguel Alba and Darlo Lopez.

“Tourism is the single biggest factor that contributes to the growth of cooking schools in the country,” says JB Bolaños, CCA marketing manager. “With tourism comes the need for more restaurants and other food joints that cater to the needs of tourists.”

Not everyone, of course, is prepared - or able - to splurge close to P1 million for a cooking career or a simple cooking lesson. So, how does one choose a cooking school?

A major consideration will have to be what you want out of your education. Are you just seeking to improve your cooking skills or are you looking towards a career? If it's simply improving cooking skills and seeking a healthy recreational outlet that you're after, then the smaller, short-course culinary schools have more than enough cooking courses to satisfy your fancy.

But if you're after a definite career in the culinary field, then a special degree program may help you decide between the high-end Culinary Arts and Technology degree from the Center of Culinary Arts and the lower-end HRM and nutrition courses available in traditional colleges and universities.

In the end, your choice of a culinary school becomes a personal decision in terms of your budget and your reason for taking up cooking. If you are Judy Ann Santos and you love cooking, then your choice of school was perfect no matter what the cost was. But for Ryan Agoncillo and Derek Ramsay who needed just a little exposure in cooking for their roles in the telenovela “Ysabella,” then a one-day sit-in at the CCA was more than enough.

If you are determined to take up cooking as a career, then it is time to list down your preferences and narrow down your choice to the best school that is going to give you the best culinary education your budget can afford.

Link: Inquirer.net

Comments (0)

Write comment

You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

Login Form

User Menu

CCA Blog

Member Profile

Submit to CCA Blog

CCA BILLBOARD

(?)

Latest Message: 4 hours, 59 minutes ago

roxy : hello! can u please send me a copy of the tuition fee..so, that i can tell my mom how much..thx a lot
chum :
chum : i want to enroll but i dont know how much the tuition fee
dzen : hi maam i just want to ask how much is the total fee for your culinary arts program and can you send me the list of payments including its mide of payments. Thanks and good day
JAIME : wusthof knife nasa gourdous gateway. gourdous yung store. pero kumusta na si chef annali mariano?
suzaku_no_miko : hello guys, can i ask something? what is the ingredient that you add in bread, cakes, cookies and other pastries to prolong its shelf life.. coz i'm planning to start a litle business on baked goods but i need that information to prolong the shelf life of the said products, arigatou
erika0127 : dear ma'am , just wanted 2 know how much is your fee for the 2 year course on baking and pastry arts. could you e mail me your price list?? thank you very much
jadbolanos : hi ching. May i suggest that you call 9942520, 30 or 40 and look for Agnes, Martha or Carla. They would be most happy to assist you! Thanks
ching : guys, how much would it cost for culinary arts (2 years)? so i can inform my parents RE: pricing.
jeward : hello!

Please Login to shout..

Login Form

User Menu

Search the site

CCA BILLBOARD