A chef’s recipe for entrepreneurial success

MANILA, Philippines - Planning to pursue a culinary career but fear that the cost of enroling in a cooking school is too high? Fret not. There are affordable centers that will be happy to give you the necessary training to become a global chef.

Global Academy, which has schools in Ortigas, Quezon City, Makati City, and Alabang, makes it possible for aspiring Filipino chefs to get the best culinary training at the most cost-effective package.

“Global Academy is an affordable culinary school that will get you ready for the real world and a career in the kitchen,” begins Chef Benjamin “Benny” Ledesma Jr., who co-founded the culinary academy with Chef Rob Pengson. The two chefs met when they were in grade school and have been close since. They both dreamed to provide a wider range of their compatriots an opportunity to learn how to cook and bake professionally.

“We wanted to create an affordable top quality culinary school. We realized this idea due to the mismatch of who we thought could work in the culinary industry for a long time versus those who could afford culinary education, which was very expensive before. The academy offers professional courses for aspiring chefs, pastry chefs, and hospitality professionals for affordable tuition fees,” Ledesma says.

Pushing the boundaries of quality culinary education, chefs Benny and Rob went against more established and expensive schools at the time. Although the school boasts of more affordable fees, the two young chefs ensured that quality was not sacrificed.

“I was fortunate enough to study culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu in Australia. I  had a high standard benchmark to strive for and even improve upon—from the quality of the ingredients, instructors and course implementation—when we decided to open up Global Academy,” says Ledesma, who has the experience and expertise in both the front end and back end of the restaurant business. He acquired his exceptional aptitude in cooking and restaurant management through his work experience in the Westin, Hilton, and Rushcutters Bay Hotels in Australia. Ledesma also took up wine studies in Adelaide, Australia, which is famed for its exceptional wine regions, including the Barossa Valley.

With two power chefs at its helm, Global Academy introduced professional and lifestyle courses that provide not only proper cooking techniques and skills for its students but also instill in them the “burning” desire for the profession. The academy, in its pursuit for excellence, continues to upgrade its facilities to bring in cutting edge and modern techniques of cooking to complement the traditional methods being taught in the school.

“On our first year, things really took off and we expanded to one branch a year until we had four branches. We were also able to improve the quality of our education by the instructors we were able to convince to join our cause, improvements in curriculum to individual training, winning culinary competitions, improving our facilities, and getting our international certification,” Ledesma says.

Global Academy is the first culinary school in the Philippines and seventh in Asia to be recognized by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS). According to Ledesma, the recognition means that the school’s culinary programs have met WACS’ high quality standards of culinary education. “With this new recognition for quality culinary education from WACS, it does not only bring the school to the next level but also raises its profile in the international global culinary landscape,” he says.

Ledesma also shares that the school invests in the growth of its students by exposing them to international and local competitions. Last year, the Global Academy team, composed of student-chefs and chef coaches, was recognized as the overall champion in the 4th Philippine Culinary Cup. Indeed, it was a testament to the kind of training that the academy provides its students.

“We wanted to make culinary education accessible and affordable for Filipinos in order to create job opportunities locally and abroad,” says Ledesma, who also says that a number of Global Academy graduates are now proudly working in international kitchens.

So what’s the recipe for his sweet success? Ledesma enumerates four not-so-secret ingredients that make his business palatable: a full pack of chef-friendly family atmosphere, a bag of internship venue tie-ups, a pinch of innovation and constant reinvention, and a full set of high standards in training.