Learning to love food at Whirpool Academy
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Anatolian Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 07, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Whirpool Culinary Arts Academy is the one and only in Turkey offering professional courses for those who want to become a chef. The graduates of the academy also hold the diploma of British City and Guilds, which is valid all round the world.
Whirpool Culinary Arts Academy, or WCAA, offers cuisine enthusiasts the opportunity to become international-level cooks. It is Turkey’s first and only private cooking school certified by the Ministry of Education.
"There is high demand for people in the food and beverage industry in Turkey," said WCAA founder and director, Mehmet Kemal Aksel. "But when the matter is education, there is no serious organization. The gastronomy departments of universities are insufficient," he said. Aksel said in order to fill the industry’s gap, he opened Turkey’s first and only professional culinary school in 2004. He said WCAA holds certification from City and Guilds, which was opened by British Queen Victoria in 1878. He said that the academy’s graduates hold diplomas valid worldwide.
For professionals and amateurs
The WCAA is a recognized school that has set an example in Europe. Teachers are not just professionals with good intentions. They are real trainers, said Aksel. "Our school is divided into two groups, professionals and amateurs. Our professional course is eight-months and includes baking and cooking lessons. The first five months are applied education and the other three months are for internships in Istanbul’s best five-star hotels and restaurants. We have had 500 graduates so far," he said.
Aksel said a culinary course that meets international standards generally costs $19,000. He said that the WCAA’s price was 9,500 Turkish Liras but it will increase in the coming months.
Employment in big hotels
Aksel said most of his graduates had previously worked in big hotels but many of them came to the academy and started from scratch. He said being a cook was not limited to cooking but it also includes, planning, menus, human and financial management and health and safety. "Some students quit their cooking jobs but many are new to the industry and just want to make a change in their life. Now there is a more positive view in Turkey about cooking than in the past," he said.
Aksel said that relevant departments in Turkish universities attached importance to theoretical education but not practice. "Anyone can become a cook. But it is necessary to add something personal to the education to create a good chef that can cook a good meal or write a book."
He said Turkish cuisine was among the best in the world, as the number of places offering real Turkish cuisine has increased.
"There is high demand for people in the food and beverage industry in Turkey," said WCAA founder and director, Mehmet Kemal Aksel. "But when the matter is education, there is no serious organization. The gastronomy departments of universities are insufficient," he said. Aksel said in order to fill the industry’s gap, he opened Turkey’s first and only professional culinary school in 2004. He said WCAA holds certification from City and Guilds, which was opened by British Queen Victoria in 1878. He said that the academy’s graduates hold diplomas valid worldwide.
For professionals and amateurs
The WCAA is a recognized school that has set an example in Europe. Teachers are not just professionals with good intentions. They are real trainers, said Aksel. "Our school is divided into two groups, professionals and amateurs. Our professional course is eight-months and includes baking and cooking lessons. The first five months are applied education and the other three months are for internships in Istanbul’s best five-star hotels and restaurants. We have had 500 graduates so far," he said.
Aksel said a culinary course that meets international standards generally costs $19,000. He said that the WCAA’s price was 9,500 Turkish Liras but it will increase in the coming months.
Employment in big hotels
Aksel said most of his graduates had previously worked in big hotels but many of them came to the academy and started from scratch. He said being a cook was not limited to cooking but it also includes, planning, menus, human and financial management and health and safety. "Some students quit their cooking jobs but many are new to the industry and just want to make a change in their life. Now there is a more positive view in Turkey about cooking than in the past," he said.
Aksel said that relevant departments in Turkish universities attached importance to theoretical education but not practice. "Anyone can become a cook. But it is necessary to add something personal to the education to create a good chef that can cook a good meal or write a book."
He said Turkish cuisine was among the best in the world, as the number of places offering real Turkish cuisine has increased.