CHEF TRAINING
COURS STUDENTS
ARE THE CHANGE
AGENTS

If we wish to keep future generations healthy and guarantee a habitable planet, then an active and well-founded basic attitude is needed, starting with education. The current students at the chef training courses are the future change agents. These future chefs make up the primary target group within the field of education that Dutch Cuisine is focused on.

Showcase

Unique Dutch Cuisine training course underway

The unique level 4 Specialised Chef/Dutch Cuisine training course features the following items on the menu: ‘what is sustainable and healthy’, ‘how important is the soil’, ‘preparation from head to tail’ and ‘no waste’.

 

 

Dutch Cuisine within education

At the Willem I College in Den Bosch and the ROC Friese Poort in Sneek, the first level 4 Specialised Chef/Dutch Cuisine training course was launched. “Through this unique training course, we are motivating students to contribute to the catering industry and kitchen of the future, and get them to think about current food issues, such as transparency, food security, sustainable production, health and consumption”, according to Twan Musters, educational supervisor of chef levels 2, 3 and 4 of the Koning Willem I College.

The Koning Willem I College and ROC Friese Poort have developed the training course in conjunction with SVH Master Chef Albert Kooy. The training course is being held both in Den Bosch and Sneek. The main focus of the training course is the five principles of Dutch Cuisine that were developed by Albert Kooy. This Dutch Cuisine philosophy is 100% sustainable and future-focused, with something to be gained by all: producers, consumers and the planet. Students will attain experience through internships, both in restaurants and also partially at catering companies during the training course. This way, the prospective chefs of the future will be presented with a wide future perspective.

The representatives of both catering industry courses are proud to have developed this training course together. Gerard Voskuilen, internship business coordinator and work experience lecturer at the ROC Friese Poort: “This training course lends added value for our students, enabling them to broaden their application, and it also ties in with the need for chefs who operate in a different manner”. Both the Koning Willem I College and the ROC Friese Poort are already offering level 2 and level 3 chef training courses, based on Dutch Cuisine.

Projects

Implementation of sustainability in chef training course
Following an assignment from DuurzaamDoor (Rijksdienst for Ondernemend Nederland) Dutch Cuisine conducted research into sustainability within Dutch chef training courses in 2015 and 2016. The results were published in the report: ‘Research into the implementation of sustainability in chef training courses in the Netherlands’. In the same period, various inspirational workshops for catering industry teachers were held.

Green Deal for sustainable food consumption
The Green Deal for sustainable food consumption, which is scheduled to run from November 2015 to November 2018, is aimed at making it easier and more attractive for consumers to eat healthier and sustainably. Dutch Cuisine helped initiate this cause and cooperates with national and municipal governments, businesses and social organizations. A Green Deal offers businesses, citizens and organizations an accessible opportunity to work with the government on green growth. Where initiatives encounter obstacles, the government can smooth over barriers, facilitating and accelerating these initiatives. Additional partners to the Green Deal are Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Foundation Nature and Environment, Sligro, Albron, City of Amsterdam, City of Rotterdam, City of Groningen, City of Ede, Rabobank, Mattmo Creative, Wageningen University, Koppert Cress and GroentenFruit Huis.

Smaaklessen (Taste lessons)

Tasting, smelling, hearing, feeling and looking: children explore their daily food intake with all their senses. ‘Taste lessons’ is a unique curriculum about food and taste for groups 1 to 8 of the primary school in the district of Ede. The key focus is on the experience of food. Through taste lessons, children will accrue knowledge about food, as well as experiencing healthy and sustainable options. A renewed programme is being developed together with Green Deal partners such as Ede council, WUR and Koppert Cress. For additional information, go to: www.smaaklessen.nl.