“Chefs are the new rock stars. Everyone wants to be a chef,” said Ian Padilla, a Filipino chef at Parisian restaurant Taillevent, a Michelin two-star establishment.
These days, there are about 300 cooking schools with many more sprouting up each year. This is hardly surprising given a global scarcity of cooks and chefs. However, there are critical differences in the schools and the opportunities they offer. Some cooking schools are for very low level skills and quickly prepare students for jobs as short order cooks in local restaurants. Some are more comprehensive and train cooks for overseas positions on cruise liners. Others teach culinary arts and have fully qualified chefs giving the instruction, while others have a justified reputation in both academe and industry for their top level programs and the excellent work ethic of their graduates. One such school is the famous chef school, At-Sunrice, located in Fort Canning, Singapore. All students who enroll at At-Sunrice receive an apprenticeship salary of SGD$500 to SGD$750/month.
The next course At –Sunrice starts in November. For more information, contact Roger Bartholomew of International Education Specialists in Makati at www. intl_edu_specialists@pldtdsl.net or call 819-1001. You may also send e-mail to Ryan Toh, overseas admissions director at ryan_toh@at-sunrice.com.