The Post-Graduate Diploma in Culinary Arts, known popularly as PGDCA, does not limit itself barely to training its students in the best ways to prepare delicacies but grooms them to emerge as the overall masters of the kitchens, with a strong grip over all the processes, right from the point of the procurement of raw materials, their hygienic storage, the final preparation – to the stage when a dish is ready to be put on the guest’s table. The PGDCA study therefore deals with the finer aspects of what the personnel at the cooking range might not be able to see – e.g., training and development of staff, keeping the team’s morale high, menu planning, innovative presentation, food cost control, introduction of modern trends in cooking, obtaining competitive information and handling the supply-chain management
Here it is worthwhile for us to specify that the French word ‘Chef’ does not mean a cook. It means The Chief and in France the heads of governments, the generals, admirals, air marshals and the CEO’s of companies are called Chefs, who are the at the helm of affairs. In French, the term used for a cook is, in fact, Commis. Easy, though it may seem, the process of selecting the correct ingredients, being aware of their seasonality, the geographical location of the establishment, the government regulations, the religious sentiments of the guests, the nutritional aspects of the dish, its shelf life, the choice of vendors and the means of transportation are indeed intricate and complex matters, a thorough study and mastery of which is what makes a talented, skillful, dexterous and, indeed, an accomplished Chef de Cuisine.
Such specialized culinary programmes get wings when they are run by renowned institutions, especially the ones which are backed by internationally ranked and highly recognized institutions like Institut Vatel of France. Adding further to its credibility, the Sushant University has forged an agreement to run this culinary programme in collaboration with the Roseate Hotels, which is a collection of Uber luxury hotels consisting of 6 niche properties across India and in the U.K with several new projects on the anvil. This PGDCA programme has several bonuses; it is operated by the Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School, in the state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories and the kitchens of the Sushant University, in collaboration with a celebrated hotel chain and backed by what the French are world famous for – the art of gastronomy. This leaves no scope for anybody to imagine anything better.
Any process of learning, wherein a student is given to do things with own hands, is allowed to make mistakes, is encouraged to ask the why and how of the various methods and processes, proves to be the best and the most practical way to delve deep into the subjects and imbibe from their very roots, the various practices and progressions, especially when the field of study is the vast world of gastronomy.
With a view to launch the PGDCA, the Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School organized a Webinar on Thursday, May 13, 2021, wherein Ms. Priyanka Tandon, the learning and development manager, Chef Rajesh Sharma and Mr. Kush Kapoor, the CEO of Roseate hotels participated to elaborate further upon the dynamics of this well-curated programme and to make the prospective students come to terms with the fact that enormous scope lies in this field not only with regard to getting a suitable employment, but also to acquire confidence, the poise and the acumen to run own enterprises and businesses.
What added a big feather into the cap was an open declaration by Mr. Kush Kapoor enumerating upon the robust diversification programme of the Roseate Hotels, thereby beginning to create its footprint in the various continents of the world. “A Chef is an experience creator. The Vatel School will have done more than half of our job of training and grooming the students as future chefs, fitting these students into the various job roles emerging at various Roseate locations around the globe will not be any problem for us at all” said Mr. Kush Kapoor.
Dr. Garima Parkash, dean, Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School thanked the participants and the attendees for sparing their precious time and reiterated the fact that this programme, wherein one will get the opportunity to learn in the University’s classrooms and experience the same at the well-structured and synchronized training programme within just two semesters is indeed an incomparable programme for all those who wish to make a fulfilling career in the dynamic and every-changing world of hospitality.
Chef Rajesh Sharma of Roseate hotels demonstrated from his well-equipped kitchen, a live cooking process of making Quinoa salad, thereby exhibiting his dexterity, skill and his agility about the simple and yet a delicate process…