This December, Discovering Hospitality was invited to join the International School For Culinary Arts & Hotel Management’s (ISCAHM) open day. Here’s a quick rundown of what we learned and what the school has to offer.
We were invited to come see the Quezon City campus which is located on busy Katipunan Avenue. The school is easy enough to find, and once you get to their floor, the hustle and bustle of the outside is drowned out. ISCAHM has other campuses as well, one in Pampanga, and another in Cebu City.
What makes this school stand out is that they have an exclusive partnership with Culinary Solutions Australia International (CSAI) as well as TESDA-certified courses. The school was founded by three chefs, Norbert Gandler, Ulrich Willimann, and Hansjorg Schallenberg. Some of the chef instructors also gave a quick talk on the courses they teach and what they have to offer in terms of short-term and long-term courses.
It was also clear to see that the school and the instructors pride themselves on the fact that they are very hands-on when it comes to educating their students and that they deliver a well-rounded education when it comes to the culinary world. This is also reflected in their history of being the only school in the country that has won 3 major culinary competitions, The Chef’s On Parade, National Food Showdown, and The Philippine Culinary Cup. Very impressive indeed!
When it comes to the courses they offer, there’s a whole list to choose from. They have a Professional Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management Course, a Professional Pastry and Bakery Arts and Kitchen Management Course, NC II Certificate in Cookery, NC II Certificate in Bread & Pastry Production, Fundamentals in Culinary Arts, Fundamentals in Pastry Arts, Fundamentals in Bread Baking, Fundamentals in Japanese Cuisine, Savory Asia, as well as Senior High School (K-12), Junior Chefs League, and Gingerbread House Making. Some courses are about a month long while other more in-depth courses are up to a year. Depending on the course, there can be hybrid classes with some things being taught online and in-person classes.
What’s nice about their courses is that if you are looking to change careers or start up your own food business, they have courses that can get you on track quite quickly. For example, just by taking a fundamentals class, you can probably already start an at-home pastry business and such. You don’t have to worry about having a lack of knowledge going into these courses since they will teach you everything you need to know. The chef instructors were very detailed in the way that they explained the parts of each course. It seems that you can go into it without much prior information and you’ll be in very capable hands that will bring you up to shape by the end of your studies. From what we heard, some courses also delve into the business and economic sides of the culinary world and running food businesses. These are also taught by chefs and educators who have been in the industry for quite some time, so the information and wisdom that is being passed on is practical and sometimes cannot be found by simply researching or reading a book. Nothing quite beats real-world experience that is passed on from teacher to student!
