Cooking Schools in Asia
There are many top-notch cooking schools in Asia, most notably in Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and India. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Japan
Japan has become a mecca for the culinary arts. Among its most prestigious schools is Hattori Nutrition College, site of the Iron Chef television show. Overseen by Japan's Ministry of Health, Hattori educates its students in the full gamut of culinary know-how: confections, breads, wines, as well as menu planning and the historical origins of food service. Foreign students who wish to enroll must meet the school's Japanese language requirements.
Le Cordon Bleu also has schools in Japan, one in Tokyo and the other in Kobe.
Thailand
Sequestered inside the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok hotel, the Oriental Thai Cooking School is one of Thailand's most prestigious. Dishes range from stuffed omelets to red curry to mung-bean sticky rice dumplings, but menus vary by season. Regardless of the menu, however, all students will learn the fundamental techniques of stewing, frying and paste-making. Cooking classes are held every day from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Another prestigious cooking school in Bangkok is Baipai Thai Cooking School.
Singapore
Named after its founder, Shermay Lee, Shermay's Cooking School offers courses for both novices and professionals. Shermay selects its guest chefs on the basis of teaching acumen, most of them having at least 10 years of cooking experience and representing a variety of culinary practices. Preserving classical Asian cooking is part of the school's mission, but classes are diverse; students can study Korean, Japanese, Chinese and European culinary arts.
Singapore is also home to Cookery Magic and At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy.
South Korea
South Korea's leading cooking school is Le Cordon Bleu, housed in Seoul's Sookmyung Academy. As with other Cordon Bleu schools, the program of study features beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of cuisine and pastries. When students have earned their cuisine diploma and their pastry diploma, which requires passing all levels of cooking instruction, they receive the Grand Diplome. All diplomas from Le Cordon Bleu are recognized worldwide.
At the Sookmyung Academy, students may pursue additional classes in hospitality and tourism.
India
The Culinary Academy of India in Hyderabad is among India's top cooking schools. Students have access to five different programs of study, one in catering technology and culinary arts, another in food production and patisserie, and the other three in cooking on cruise ships. The Culinary Academy has a special affiliation with Costa Crociere, an Italian cruise ship company.
Other notable cooking schools are the College of Hospitality and Tourism in New Delhi and the Mumbai College of Hotel Management and Catering Technology.
Tags: Cordon Bleu, cooking schools, culinary arts, South Korea, cooking school, Cooking School