New generation chefs to become ambassadors of Armenian cuisine abroad
11.03.2019,
17:52
In an exclusive interview with Novosti Armenia news agency David Yeremyan, the founder and the Yeremyan Project CEO of Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality, said the academy will open in the spring of 2019.
YEREVAN, March 11. /ARKA/. In an exclusive interview with Novosti Armenia news agency David Yeremyan, the founder and the Yeremyan Project CEO of Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality, said the academy will open in the spring of 2019.
Q. Why the Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality?
D. Yeremyan - In my opinion, cooking is not just a job. Cooking is an art, and the kitchen is a place to reveal talent, a place where people create. Often in the kitchen, I see how much effort and soul is invested in each dish. I experience a truly aesthetic pleasure from the sense of satisfaction that chefs receive in the process of creation new, savory and beautiful tastes and aromas. We are the "creators of dishes." Since the establishment Yeremyan Projects with its restaurants has been a company that reveals ancient Armenian dishes, and presents them in a new way - in accordance with modern requirements, taste, a company that reveals and presents dishes in a new way, a company creating new dishes.
Today in Armenia there is a strong potential for the development of tourism. I believe that with every year the changes are becoming more and more obvious. It is no secret that many countries are known for their national cuisines, where the restaurant business is an important direction of economic development. Our cuisine is not inferior to neither French, Italian, Chinese, nor Georgian cuisines. We even have advantages. Armenia is rich in natural products, and this is a huge advantage that few countries can boast of. Thanks to this, our dishes are better and tastier, and we manage to be one step ahead of the culinary traditions of many countries. The Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality is aimed at the establishment of a hospitality institution in Armenia, which in turn will enhance the development of the tourism sector. For us, gastrotourism is a priority. I think that in this respect the name of the academy is absolutely consonant with its goals and mission.
Q. What prompted the idea of creating a culinary academy? What was the motive and what problems it is going to address?
D. Yeremyan – Structurally a restaurant is a single long chain. The kitchen cannot work well, while the service is bad, or vice versa. We just could not help but pay attention to this most serious problem. For our city, our country, it is a matter of honor to be able to meet guests, to serve and see them off in such way as to make them come back again.
We have a wonderful, pro-active young people, ready to learn and master new knowledge. It is only necessary to direct them in the right direction, help them in the issue of vocational guidance. In general, when it comes to choosing a profession for young people, there are various interfering false and formal reasons and stereotypes in the public consciousness. We have to fight precisely with these phenomena. Since 2006, the mission of our company has been the development of the restaurant business, we have made a serious contribution to the development of this sector in our country.
In recent years, the development of the restaurant business has been spasmodic, resulting in an increased demand for chefs. As a result, people who have not shown themselves in other areas have begun to appear in the field. In fact, they did not like cooking, and neither had the desire and willingness to learn ...
The same happened in the service sector ... We must understand that the waiters are not only people for bringing and taking away dishes, they create an atmosphere, give mood and warmth. One of our priorities is to popularize Armenian cuisine and hospitality throughout the world, presenting all this as a brand. Today, Armenian cuisine is highly demanded abroad, in the near future it can become more in demand, which we can achieve only through consistent and competent work.
By providing the young people with the right vocational guidance and education, we will be able to develop a restaurant business culture, create a competent and professional team that will join the ranks of the staff of HoReCa sector organizations both in Yerevan and in other regions of the country as well as abroad.
Q. Can anyone become a cook, a waiter, a manager, and so on, or does this require special skills?
D. Yeremyan - In this regard, I would like to emphasize one important circumstance - not everyone who wants, but the one who has a great desire, who will dream about it, strive for it - such a person will succeed in his profession and business. If you want to be a cook, you must love cooking.
Not all soldiers, who fight in war, become army generals. We need both warriors and generals. We will work to train skilled, professional personnel, and we, in fact, have always worked in this direction. From the very first days of our organization’s activities, we were engaged in the education of our team. We started working with people who were new to this field, so immediately there was a noticeable need for their training, development of skills.
We will involve in the learning process both beginners and working chefs. Like other professionals, cooks also need to develop their professional skills. We will provide a wide range of advanced training opportunities.
We will prepare "new generation" chefs, who are creative, hardworking, persistent, ready to learn, experiment, acquire new knowledge, create the most sophisticated tastes. In fact, a cook should be a little crazy, ready for bold improvisations, they should not be afraid to experiment, should not be afraid of new approaches, should own the latest technologies, tools that provide a wide range of opportunities for working in the kitchen. They should also be armed with knowledge of the principles of cooking and the ability to use them in practice.
Our goal is to ensure that the chef always has his own recognizable handwriting, which will be known both in Armenia and abroad. And for this, in addition to professional skills, it is necessary that our graduates also have communication and presentation skills. New generation chefs of the Yeremyan Academy will become our business card, our ambassadors in the matter of presenting Armenian cuisine in the international market.
Q. Let's talk about the teaching staff and curricula.
D. Yeremyan - The exclusive partner of the Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality Yeremyan Projects is the UK City of Oxford College. We had a long thought about who to start cooperation with and, as a result of a study, we found out that the methodologies, approaches and programs offered by this center fit our goals best.
A month ago, we met with the head of the international educational group at Oxford College, Niko Phillips, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which marked the beginning of cooperation between Yeremyan Projects and Activate Learning-City of Oxford College. Together, we will develop and introduce educational programs implemented by the Academy, develop the capacity of teaching staff and ensure the mobility of both teachers and students for the exchange of experience.
In a month our British colleagues will visit Armenia again, then the process of accreditation and retraining of teachers will begin. We have reached clear agreements. To replenish the teaching staff, we will choose the best personnel in the field who will receive special retraining from Oxford College specialists.
Among the teachers there will be not only the chefs of Yeremyan Projects, but also all those best chefs who will have the desire and willingness to get involved in our team, to transfer their knowledge and skills. In addition, we will constantly have foreign guests, specialists of the sphere, who will share their experience and knowledge.
Q. What is the duration of the educational process? Which are the learning conditions?
D. Yeremyan – As for conditions, the academy is exceptional in its kind, there are all the necessary conditions. We have created a beautiful environment to ensure the comfort of students and to promote the effectiveness of the educational process. Our academy is equipped with the latest technology to facilitate and make the work of cooks more efficient. Our students will also learn how to work with them in practice. In this way, we break the stereotype regarding studying in “dark and miserable audiences”, and students will love to do their work. There will also be a cafe in the building, from where parents, friends and all interested visitors will be able to observe the training process of our future chefs and waiters, their results.
Duration of training is 6 months. During the first five months intensive theoretical and practical classes are planned. In the last month students will have practical training in specific restaurants. Theory and practice will be interconnected: during classes our students will have the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge gained in the classroom in the state-of-the-art kitchen.
And, as I have already said , not only professional subjects will be taught, but students will also have the opportunity to master communication skills - languages, communication culture and so on.
Upon graduation, certificates will be issued to the Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality and Activate Learning-City of Oxford College.
The academy is located at 91, Teryan Street. Now the repair and the layout of the interior of the Yeremyan Culinary Academy are underway.
We have a very bold and ambitious goal - to make the “Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality” a center of excellence in the region. Our doors are open for those who want to learn from Georgia, Iran, Russia and other countries. -0-
Q. Why the Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality?
D. Yeremyan - In my opinion, cooking is not just a job. Cooking is an art, and the kitchen is a place to reveal talent, a place where people create. Often in the kitchen, I see how much effort and soul is invested in each dish. I experience a truly aesthetic pleasure from the sense of satisfaction that chefs receive in the process of creation new, savory and beautiful tastes and aromas. We are the "creators of dishes." Since the establishment Yeremyan Projects with its restaurants has been a company that reveals ancient Armenian dishes, and presents them in a new way - in accordance with modern requirements, taste, a company that reveals and presents dishes in a new way, a company creating new dishes.
Today in Armenia there is a strong potential for the development of tourism. I believe that with every year the changes are becoming more and more obvious. It is no secret that many countries are known for their national cuisines, where the restaurant business is an important direction of economic development. Our cuisine is not inferior to neither French, Italian, Chinese, nor Georgian cuisines. We even have advantages. Armenia is rich in natural products, and this is a huge advantage that few countries can boast of. Thanks to this, our dishes are better and tastier, and we manage to be one step ahead of the culinary traditions of many countries. The Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality is aimed at the establishment of a hospitality institution in Armenia, which in turn will enhance the development of the tourism sector. For us, gastrotourism is a priority. I think that in this respect the name of the academy is absolutely consonant with its goals and mission.
Q. What prompted the idea of creating a culinary academy? What was the motive and what problems it is going to address?
D. Yeremyan – Structurally a restaurant is a single long chain. The kitchen cannot work well, while the service is bad, or vice versa. We just could not help but pay attention to this most serious problem. For our city, our country, it is a matter of honor to be able to meet guests, to serve and see them off in such way as to make them come back again.
We have a wonderful, pro-active young people, ready to learn and master new knowledge. It is only necessary to direct them in the right direction, help them in the issue of vocational guidance. In general, when it comes to choosing a profession for young people, there are various interfering false and formal reasons and stereotypes in the public consciousness. We have to fight precisely with these phenomena. Since 2006, the mission of our company has been the development of the restaurant business, we have made a serious contribution to the development of this sector in our country.
In recent years, the development of the restaurant business has been spasmodic, resulting in an increased demand for chefs. As a result, people who have not shown themselves in other areas have begun to appear in the field. In fact, they did not like cooking, and neither had the desire and willingness to learn ...
The same happened in the service sector ... We must understand that the waiters are not only people for bringing and taking away dishes, they create an atmosphere, give mood and warmth. One of our priorities is to popularize Armenian cuisine and hospitality throughout the world, presenting all this as a brand. Today, Armenian cuisine is highly demanded abroad, in the near future it can become more in demand, which we can achieve only through consistent and competent work.
By providing the young people with the right vocational guidance and education, we will be able to develop a restaurant business culture, create a competent and professional team that will join the ranks of the staff of HoReCa sector organizations both in Yerevan and in other regions of the country as well as abroad.
Q. Can anyone become a cook, a waiter, a manager, and so on, or does this require special skills?
D. Yeremyan - In this regard, I would like to emphasize one important circumstance - not everyone who wants, but the one who has a great desire, who will dream about it, strive for it - such a person will succeed in his profession and business. If you want to be a cook, you must love cooking.
Not all soldiers, who fight in war, become army generals. We need both warriors and generals. We will work to train skilled, professional personnel, and we, in fact, have always worked in this direction. From the very first days of our organization’s activities, we were engaged in the education of our team. We started working with people who were new to this field, so immediately there was a noticeable need for their training, development of skills.
We will involve in the learning process both beginners and working chefs. Like other professionals, cooks also need to develop their professional skills. We will provide a wide range of advanced training opportunities.
We will prepare "new generation" chefs, who are creative, hardworking, persistent, ready to learn, experiment, acquire new knowledge, create the most sophisticated tastes. In fact, a cook should be a little crazy, ready for bold improvisations, they should not be afraid to experiment, should not be afraid of new approaches, should own the latest technologies, tools that provide a wide range of opportunities for working in the kitchen. They should also be armed with knowledge of the principles of cooking and the ability to use them in practice.
Our goal is to ensure that the chef always has his own recognizable handwriting, which will be known both in Armenia and abroad. And for this, in addition to professional skills, it is necessary that our graduates also have communication and presentation skills. New generation chefs of the Yeremyan Academy will become our business card, our ambassadors in the matter of presenting Armenian cuisine in the international market.
Q. Let's talk about the teaching staff and curricula.
D. Yeremyan - The exclusive partner of the Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality Yeremyan Projects is the UK City of Oxford College. We had a long thought about who to start cooperation with and, as a result of a study, we found out that the methodologies, approaches and programs offered by this center fit our goals best.
A month ago, we met with the head of the international educational group at Oxford College, Niko Phillips, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which marked the beginning of cooperation between Yeremyan Projects and Activate Learning-City of Oxford College. Together, we will develop and introduce educational programs implemented by the Academy, develop the capacity of teaching staff and ensure the mobility of both teachers and students for the exchange of experience.
In a month our British colleagues will visit Armenia again, then the process of accreditation and retraining of teachers will begin. We have reached clear agreements. To replenish the teaching staff, we will choose the best personnel in the field who will receive special retraining from Oxford College specialists.
Among the teachers there will be not only the chefs of Yeremyan Projects, but also all those best chefs who will have the desire and willingness to get involved in our team, to transfer their knowledge and skills. In addition, we will constantly have foreign guests, specialists of the sphere, who will share their experience and knowledge.
Q. What is the duration of the educational process? Which are the learning conditions?
D. Yeremyan – As for conditions, the academy is exceptional in its kind, there are all the necessary conditions. We have created a beautiful environment to ensure the comfort of students and to promote the effectiveness of the educational process. Our academy is equipped with the latest technology to facilitate and make the work of cooks more efficient. Our students will also learn how to work with them in practice. In this way, we break the stereotype regarding studying in “dark and miserable audiences”, and students will love to do their work. There will also be a cafe in the building, from where parents, friends and all interested visitors will be able to observe the training process of our future chefs and waiters, their results.
Duration of training is 6 months. During the first five months intensive theoretical and practical classes are planned. In the last month students will have practical training in specific restaurants. Theory and practice will be interconnected: during classes our students will have the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge gained in the classroom in the state-of-the-art kitchen.
And, as I have already said , not only professional subjects will be taught, but students will also have the opportunity to master communication skills - languages, communication culture and so on.
Upon graduation, certificates will be issued to the Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality and Activate Learning-City of Oxford College.
The academy is located at 91, Teryan Street. Now the repair and the layout of the interior of the Yeremyan Culinary Academy are underway.
We have a very bold and ambitious goal - to make the “Academy of Culinary Art and Hospitality” a center of excellence in the region. Our doors are open for those who want to learn from Georgia, Iran, Russia and other countries. -0-
