THE Malta-based Corinthia Hotels International (CHI) has signed an exclusive collaboration agreement with the Association of Master Chefs of France that will enable CHI to regularly send a number of its chefs from its 20 hotels worldwide to France for specialised training in the art of French Cuisine and kitchen management.
The agreement was signed by CHI Chairman Mr Karmenu Vella and the French Association’s President Monsieur Michel Blanchet, at the Hotel Group’s Malta flagship Corinthia Palace Hotel.
Through the agreement, each selected Corinthia chef from the company’s 20 hotels will spend up to six months in France as a culinary ‘godson’ of one of the French association’s master chefs.
During the allotted period, the student chef will undergo extensive training in the various aspects of French cooking methods and kitchen management techniques, such as menu planning, purchasing, hygiene, staff management and handling of kitchen equipment. At the end of the training period, the French master chef will follow his ‘godson’ to his country of origin to ensure that the knowledge he has gained is put to good and effective use in his particular work environment.
Says CHI chairman Karmenu Vella, “French cuisine is widely recognised as being at the forefront of the world’s culinary profession. To have this opportunity presented to us by none other than the President of France’s most celebrated master chefs’ association is both an honour and an endorsement of Corinthia’s efforts at striving to offer high quality cuisine and service in all our hotels. This initiative fits in perfectly with our adopted ‘Spirit of Corinthia’ values of Warmth, Colour and Vitality, while raising even further the level of cuisine in our hotels.”
As part of the agreement, Corinthia Hotels International will be holding yearly French cuisine promotions in all its upscale city centre hotels, thus helping the association to further promote it’s country’s culinary art. This will also be the next step in helping to cement the young but already fruitful relationship between the two sides.
As a measure of their appreciation, the French chefs presented Corinthia Bab Africa catering director Stefan Hogan with full membership status of the exclusive Academie Culinaire de France, which was founded in1883 by Joseph Favre, author of the Universal Dictionary of Cooking.