Aim should be to make students efficient, confident and enthusiastic about their career.

Hospitality Management has become one of the most booming career choices for centennials. With the industry growing at a rapid pace, more and more conglomerates are broadening their businesses by stepping foot into this specific industry. The increasing number of Culinary Schools and Hotel Management Colleges has made it quite accessible for any human being to get enrolled and choose hospitality as their career. Moreover in India the opportunities are at an all-time high. With the government having its own chain of hotel management colleges (Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology) and more private institutions popping up every year, it is quite assuring to say that this industry is booming.

A lot of these Indian hospitality institutions are following a similar kind of curriculum with their core subjects being - Food Production, Front Office, Food and Beverage Service and Housekeeping. These are often accompanied by a few allied subjects like Human Resource Management, Sales and Marketing, Hotel Engineering, Accounts, Communication and sometimes even a foreign language. The most common department young students fall in love with is food production/ kitchen/ culinary education. It is definitely the one where one can showcase their creativity through experiments; learn more from the mistakes they make; and get inspired by the world's best chefs and restaurants. So it is a great responsibility for the institutes to make sure these fresh minds follow the right direction and be ready for whatever challenges their workspace throws at them. Few steps are necessary for these institutes to inculcate into their curriculum to make the students efficient, confident and enthusiastic about their career: Unmask the reality – A lot of these students join such courses and choose hospitality as their career by getting inspired by television shows and seeing international chefs. There is a perfect work order and balance during a service. Efficient communication, hard work, creative decision making and eye for details are the features that make a kitchen brigade successful.

Gordon Ramsay, David Chang, Massimo Boturra, Gaggan Anand, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, and many other world-renowned chefs may be enjoying loads of fame and fortune but the harsh reality is that even they were once at such a stage. There is no shortcut to success other than hard work, long duty hours, etc. Every aspiring chef must keep this in mind while working towards their goals. Bring in new concepts – The culinary industry is constantly changing and the archaic teaching methods don't do justice. The cliched ways of working and creating clueless labor force against stimulating the brain and working towards achieving excellence. It is required for every student to have a stronghold of the basics. The industry demands smart and future proof employees. Topics like molecular gastronomy, deconstruction of food, food presentation and professional kitchen management are often left out - therefore the students do not really have the ability to expand their knowledge and interests into the culinary world.

Back To Basics – A versatile culinary student must have a good grasp of the modern techniques while still having a very strong basic knowledge. Without knowing how to make a proper bechamél sauce or makhni gravy while concentrating on molecular gastronomy is of no use and leads nowhere. The key to a good culinary educated individual literally is that the person has the basics at their fingertips. Diversify – A good curriculum must allow the students to venture into the unknown, make mistakes and diversify their knowledge. It is of no use by sticking to one particular cuisine. A good culinary student must learn how to combine techniques, recipes, flavor composition and ingredients to create a more efficient way of cooking. To succeed in the culinary department of the hotel industry one must be well versed in all cuisines and techniques. 

Focus on Practical Examples – 80% of Culinary Education is all about practice. Bookish knowledge is vital during the starting period with books such as Larousse, The Professional chef, Le Cordon Blue, etc forming the pillars of cookery, but practical knowledge is crucial. Practical knowledge opens a student's eyes to modern trends and techniques. Having hands-on practical classes, internships/training makes the student industry ready and always prepared during the times of crisis and rush hours. This builds a good work ethic amongst them and they are ready to take on any challenge.

Diversify – A good curriculum must allow the students to venture into the unknown, make mistakes and diversify their knowledge. It is of no use by sticking to one particular cuisine. A good culinary student must learn how to combine techniques, recipes, flavor composition and ingredients to create a more efficient way of cooking. To succeed in the culinary department of the hotel industry one must be well versed in all cuisines and techniques.

Focus on Practical Examples –80% of Culinary Education is all about practice. Bookish knowledge is vital during the starting period with books such as Larousse, The Professional chef, Le Cordon Blue, etc forming the pillars of cookery, but practical knowledge is crucial. Practical knowledge opens a student's eyes to modern trends and techniques. Having hands-on practical classes, internships/training makes the student industry ready and always prepared during the times of crisis and rush hours. This builds a good work ethic amongst them and they are ready to take on any challenge.

Thus, Culinary Education is at the forefront of the Hospitality Industry and it is high time the Indian Institutes adopt such techniques to create smarter, efficient and industry ready candidates. A well-groomed individual must not only meet the standards of the industry but also exceed it and elevate the standards of the establishment. This must be the goal for all Hotel Management Colleges and Culinary Institutes.

 
  By::
  Chef Indranil Chowdhury
  The author is Assistant
  Professor at Amity School
  of Hospitality in Kolkata