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Who trains the kitchen staff?By Richard Frisbie
"Hospitality is big business. There are 15,000 companies in the hospitality
business in the Basque region. Most are small bars or inns, but 4000 are larger
restaurants, and 500 are hotels. "Wine is now at the forefront of the restaurant business. Last year we started a two year program of academic study for sommeliers, and added a 40, 50 and 80 hour course in all aspects of wine for the smaller businesses. In conjunction with the local government, we also provide a 1000 hour course teaching kitchen skills to the unemployed.
The
school's restaurant, La Escuela, is a beautifully appointed dining room in the
original section of this converted seminary, with windows looking down into the
'bowl' of Bilbao, and the surrounding region. With wine tourism experiencing huge growth, and gastronomy tourism a staple of the Spanish economy, we have people like Kepa Olabarrieta to thank for providing this remarkable training ground for the chefs of tomorrow. WHEN YOU GO
All photos by the author |
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TM
Spain
is the worldwide leader in gastronomy tourism, with the top chefs of Europe
creating culinary headlines in their restaurants, but did you ever ask, "Who
trains the kitchen staff?" After the November 17th, 2006, graduation ceremony
for 50 students of the Escuela Superior de Hosteleria, a school of hotel
management founded in 1991 in Bilbao, Spain, the Director, Kepa Olabarrieta,
took a few moments to answer that question, and explain the school's mission.
The overall population here is 2 million people. That's one commercial kitchen
for every 130 residents. We train the people who work in these kitchens."
"Our
students come from all over the world because of the Basque cuisine. They don't
focus on it in their studies - we teach technique - but it is essentially the
technique of cooking Basque cuisine, so that is what they learn. We started in
1991 with two 3 year programs of study, one teaching the chefs, and one teaching
the hotel managers. Both have a strong focus on the business end of the
hospitality industry. The students are expected to complete three forms: lessons
in theory, reproducing their lessons in the laboratory (test kitchen), and
practice in our on-site restaurant. Then they intern at local businesses"
The menu features traditional Basque cuisine with entrees between 15,00 - 30,00
Euro. In addition, there are two Table D'Hote tasting menus for 32,00 and 42,00
Euros each. La Escuela is completely staffed by students and recent graduates of
the school.
The
Escuela Superior de Hosteleria is high on the ridge overlooking the Guggenheim
Museum.