Tourism industry needs trained local chefs

Establishing a professional training programme for chefs would enable more local cooks to get good jobs at the growing number of restaurants in the country, many of them located in hotels, experts have said.

In HCM City alone, employment centres receive 20 requests from hotels and restaurants for chefs every week, but they can find, on average, only two candidates for those jobs.

Vietnamese cuisine plays a key role in the tourism sector, according to Nguyen Nha, head of the Bep Viet (Viet Nam Chef and Cuisine) project, who spoke at a recent conference on the shortage of chefs in the country.

Last year, during a workshop on the tourism sector, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said that Viet Nam's chefs would receive more recognition if a new training programme was established.

Nha said researchers, trainers, authorities and enterprises should collaborate on the development of such a programme.

Vo Duy Lan, a lecturer at Sai Gon University, said that only 33 per cent of the chefs working at top restaurants in HCM City had received formal training.

Ly Sanh, chairman of HCM City's Professional Chefs, said that chefs must receive professional training in order to keep up with the burgeoning tourism sector.

However, he said that training and enrollment methods should shift from short to longer courses at vocational schools. The courses should offer training in all of the country's regional cuisines.

Chiem Thanh Long, director of the Binh Quoi Tourism Village, said the curriculum should include all the basic Vietnamese dishes from each region.

Nha suggested that courses be offered on the internet as well.

Phan Ton Tinh Hai, head of the Mint Culinary School, emphasised that modern equipment and techniques should be used during training.

Source - vietnamnet.vn