Category: News

Introducing the Worldchefs Academy and Its Advisors

Amro Al Yassin, Worldchefs Academy Arabic Advisor, VP of Emirates Culinary Guild (Dubai) and General Secretary of the Syrian Culinary Guild, and Jihan Sahawneh, Worldchefs Academy Arabic Advisor and Culinary Facilitator at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (Jordan), explain how Worldchefs Academy is helping young talents in their culinary journeys.

The Worldchefs Academy online portal and mobile app was established in 2018. How did the idea come about?
Worldchefs Academy was created to give aspiring chefs the chance to learn the basics in culinary arts — no matter their background or skills set — and to help culinary professionals review the basics and keep up to date with international standards. Offering interactive lessons and training videos, the free-of-charge Pre-Commis Chef Course is a great way to prepare for life in a professional kitchen. Participants can learn through the web-based platform or via the mobile app. Soon, they will even be able to download the courses and study at their own convenience.
Since 2018, 20,000 students have enrolled, and 5,000 students have graduated from the academy.

What does the curriculum cover?
The Pre-Commis Chef Course can be followed as a complete curriculum, while individual lessons compliment other existing courses or provide theoretical components to culinary apprenticeships. Participants must put their knowledge to the test as they progress through the courses. Once they pass the final assessment, they receive a Worldchefs Academy certificate and a digital badge that shows potential employers that they are ready for the job.

How is this program linked to the Worldchefs Certification?
Worldchefs Academy graduates are equipped with a Pre-Commis Chef certificate and a digital badge – an important prerequisite for anyone looking to apply for employment in a professional kitchen. Graduates with three years’ work experience under a supervising professional chef can apply for Worldchefs Global Culinary Certification as a Worldchefs Certified Professional Cook (Commis Chef). The Pre-Commis Chef Course helps aspiring chefs take their first steps toward a culinary career. Worldchefs is also launching Approved Courses, with training and learning programs provided by world-renowned institutions. Culinary professionals can find the best courses in hospitality to suit their ambitions and boost their careers.

What more can you tell us?
Adding to the lineup of free courses available for our global community, the Arabic Pre-Commis Chef Course has recently been added to the English, Spanish and Portuguese library. With the help of our partners, Nestlé Professional and Pro Gastronomia Foundation, and our language advisors and chef volunteers, Worldchefs Academy is also developing the Pre-Commis Chef Course in Italian, German and Mandarin, which is set to launch in 2021.
The Worldchefs Academy mobile app can be downloaded from the App Store, Google Play and our website.

To learn more, visit worldchefsacademy.com.

This article was originally published in Hospitality News Magazine. To read the article there, click here.

An independent Swiss family company, HUG has grown by these values – sincere, entrepreneurial and conscientious. Joining Worldchefs as a Premium Partner in March 2018, during their tenure as a Worldchefs partner HUG has supported our trade and industry progress with passion and commitment.

The history of HUG started over 140 years ago at a bakery in Lucerne. In 1877, Master baker Josef Hug-Meyer laid the foundation stone for success with the invention of the iconic Swiss bread – zwieback. Creating an essentially zero-waste recipe long before it was a trending topic, Josef cut unsold bread into slices and toasted them overnight in the hot oven. The twice-baked bread became zwieback, meaning twice-baked.

Four family generations later, HUG is led by Co-Directors Andreas and Anna Hug. The 5^th generation, too, is already shaping the future with Andreas’ son Fabian Hug joining the company in 2016. Through their hard work and dedication and that of their forefathers, the HUG Familie brands are synonymous with quality.

HUG’s product innovation has also continued through the years. Today, HUG is probably the world’s #1 manufacturer of ready-to-fill tart shells with the latest addition coming to their Filigrano Tartelettes line-up: Coffee Tartelettes. The Coffee Tartelettes exceptionally intense coffee aroma is owed to dark roasting 70 % arabica and 30 % robusta beans, with coffee beans nibs in the fine shortcrust pastry freshly roasted and gently ground. The coffee is thoughtfully sourced from fair and sustainable purveyors in Brazil, Honduras and Ethiopia.

For so many in our industry, 2020 brought unexpected challenges to navigate. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, HUG continued to forge ahead with their commitments to reducing the company’s ecological footprint, despite the turbulent year.

A new production site at their headquarters in Malters is helping to build a more resource-efficient infrastructure for production and logistics. The energy supply system utilizes groundwater as the main source of energy, as well as internally generated waste heat to supply heating and cooling for buildings and production processes. With these new investments in technology and offset energy, the Malters site operations will be entirely CO2-neutral. In addition, climate-neutral packaging is now being used.

Mindful that their ecological footprint is also dependent on the raw materials used, HUG is committed to Swissness, sourcing most of the raw materials from Swiss agriculture. HUG’s products are made with with free-range eggs and nuts, cocoa and palm oil from certified sustainable sources.

“Over the past years, HUG has been a great supporter of the Worldchefs community. We so value their strong guiding principles and sincere interest in delivering quality, creativity, innovation and convenience to culinary professionals. We are proud to continue our close collaboration into the future,” said Ragnar Fridriksson, Worldchefs Managing Director.

For more on HUG’s natural and smart products for the professional kitchens of the world, visit www.hug-foodservice.ch.

For inspiration and recipes, visit HUG’s recipe database. You can now find a filter function exclusively for pastry shops and bakeries to help deliver the best products to your sales counter.

About the HUG family

The HUG Familie consists of three brands, HUG, Wernli and DAR-VIDA, and employs around 380 people in Malters, Willisau and Trimbach. Established as a bakery in Lucerne in 1877, HUG still remains a family business to this day and it is now run by the fifth generation. Andreas Hug and Anna Hug manage the company according to three main principles which are characteristic of HUG: humanity, entrepreneurship and responsibility. With its three well-established brands, the company offers a wide range of products, from typical HUG Swiss biscuits such as the Willisauer Ringli to Wernli specialities such as the Choco Petit Beurre to a large selection of DAR-VIDA crackers. All three brands share core values: pleasure, naturalness and authenticity. In addition to retail products, HUG offers an extensive range of high-quality baked goods such as HUG tartlets for the catering industry.

About Worldchefs

The World Association of Chefs’ Societies, known as Worldchefs, is a dynamic global network of 110 chef associations worldwide. A leading voice in the hospitality industry, Worldchefs carries 91 years of history since its founding at the Sorbonne by the venerable Auguste Escoffier. Representing a mobilized international membership of culinary professionals, Worldchefs is committed to advancing the profession and leveraging the influence of the chef jacket for the betterment of the industry and humanity at large.

Worldchefs is dedicated to raising culinary standards and social awareness through these core focus areas:

Education – Worldchefs offers support for education and professional development through the landmark Worldchefs Academy online training program, a diverse network of Worldchefs Education Partners and curriculums, and the world’s first Global Hospitality Certification recognizing on-the-job skills in hospitality; 

Networking – Worldchefs connects culinary professionals around the world through their online community platform and provides a gateway for industry networking opportunities through endorsed events and the biennial Worldchefs Congress & Expo;

Competition – Worldchefs sets global standards for competition rules, provides Competition Seminars and assurance of Worldchefs Certified Judges, and operates the prestigious Global Chefs Challenge;

Humanitarianism & Sustainability – Worldchefs Feed the Planet and World Chefs Without Borders programs relieve food poverty, deliver crisis support, and promote sustainability across the globe.

For more information about Worldchefs, visit us at www.worldchefs.org.

Even in 2020, we keep making sustainable cooking the preferred choice.

2020 has been a difficult one, no doubt. But we have been working so hard to make sustainable eating and cooking the preferred choice, and transforming so many people’s lives, that we couldn’t just stop now.

Without expecting it to be so, this year became a great challenge to adapt our Like A Chef program, but now we can proudly say: We did it!

Before the lockdown started in Curitiba, Brazil, Like A Chef was a 12 week program in an Electrolux Kitchen, followed by 24 students per wave and a group of chefs that used Worldchefs’ curriculum to train them in sustainable cooking. This meant daily meetings of 25 to 28 people, in a close space, for 3 consecutive months, where they’d be cooking and taking food to their homes. Clearly, this wasn’t the model we could keep using during 2020 but we still wanted to help people improve their lives by learning how to live a healthier life and get the tools they needed to find a job or become entrepreneurs. With the global employment rates going down and the hospitality’s industry taking the worst part, our goal became more important than ever and that’s why we developed our new Like A Chef’s blended learning program!

Blended Learning Program

3 weeks of online training + 1 week of practice in the kitchen. The first week is all about the basics. Using the Worldchefs Academy app, the students get to learn everything they need to start into the culinary world. Terms, utensils, mise-en-place, types of cuts and more. This online course is open to everyone, its certifiable and available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Do you want to check it out? Just have to click here.

During the second week, the students get the chance to put everything they’ve learned online into practice. Divided into 2 groups of 6 students each, the 12 selected people get to cook and learn with well experienced and recognized chefs in the Electrolux kitchen, always following the safe distance measures and every health recommendation. In this new format, we reduced the physical exposure time in 91,6% and the number of students in 75%.

For the third week, we partnered with SEBRAE, the Brazilian Agency to support Small Entrepreneurs. For 5 days in a row, our students got online classes related to markets, trends, business administration and everything they needed to know in order to start their own business, even in the middle of a pandemic.

Finally, the fourth week counted with the following 3 how-to workshops:

• “How apply for a job” by the Electrolux HR Team
• “How to manage food waste by Sodexo”
• “How to develop your own digital business on a food delivery mobile app” by Rappi

Followed by the closing event which, during this first pilot, consisted of preparing 160 Christmas meals to donate via “Mulheres do bem”, a local NGO that’s been working hard for a while into the pandemic now, bringing food to those who needed it the most.

Results

The feedback we received both from the chefs and students was amazing!
Everyone was happy about this new format, especially because they found it easy to teach in smaller groups. Of course, not everything was perfect due to current circumstances, there’s still a lot to improve when it comes to online learning environment (interactions aren’t the same, it gets harder to learn when you can’t practice while you’re receiving the information, there’s a lot of distractions going on at everyone’s home…) and in this type of program, everyone would love to spend more time in the kitchen. But even so, we managed to deliver the Like A Chef new frame work starting with the first group of 12 students and successfully graduating 8 of them.

We gladly counted with the participation of one former student as the chefs’ assistant for the whole week of practices. 5 different chefs shared their knowledge with our students, 2 of them being completely new to the program. 13 different recipes were taught, 160 meals were donated, and nobody got sick during the whole experience!

For us, this counts as a huge win for Like A Chef program, otherwise severely hit by the restrictions of the pandemic. Now we can’t wait to implement its new format in all the countries we’ve already worked before and to see it growing and reaching new locations, always with the purpose of making eating and cooking sustainably the preferred choice.

Everywhere.

Feed the Planet is an initiative founded by Worldchefs to inspire sustainable food consumption among communities and culinary professionals as well as to support people in need through education. Powered by Electrolux Food Foundation and AIESEC, the vision of Feed The Planet manifests in 4 major projects: Like A Chef, Food Heroes Challenge, Food Waste Challenge and Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals. Since May 2020, the webcast Sustainability Around the World hosted by chef Chris Koetke is broadcasted, featuring outstanding culinary sustainability enthusiasts across continents.

Learn How to Serve, Pour, and Plate Tea – From Soups to Sauces and More!

Ever wondered if you could get certified in tea? Now, you can – while on the go! Become a certified Tea Aficionado at the world’s only Worldchefs accredited Tea School, online. Visit www.schooloftea.org and purchase the course you’d like to follow. Next, download the Dilmah School of Tea app to access any module, and take the tests to get certified wherever you are, at any time. Earn a Worldchefs accredited certificate at the Dilmah School of Tea today!

The first Dilmah School of Tea was established in 2009 at The Institute Paul Bocuse with the aim of upholding the traditions of tea, by cultivating a respect for tea and sharing its rich cultural heritage. It is a tea program that seeks to inspire passion in tea through knowledge of the artisanal aspects of tea amongst hospitality professionals, tea aficionados and tea drinkers.

Learn how to craft tea experiences for the 21^st Century 

Plant-based cuisine, from marketing to meals.

Pro-Veg International’s new brochure Plan(t)s for Professionals provides background information and practical tips to meet the rising demand for plant-based offerings in the foodservice sector.

Would you like to impress your customers with tasty, healthy, and environmentally friendly menus? As the world population re-evaluates their dietary choices and moves towards more plant-based foods, foodservice professionals worldwide are embracing and supporting this shift. Plan(t)s for Professionals examines the drivers behind this ongoing global trend and provides useful information on adding more plant-based options to your menu.

The brochure gives a product overview of plant-based alternatives, as well as hands-on information for creating recipes – so you can discover new flavour profiles or simply adjust your favorite menu items. Plus, learn how to increase your sales and customer satisfaction by implementing effective marketing campaigns, using nudging methods, and training your staff in plant-based catering.

There are numerous benefits of plant-based diets in terms of their impact on the climate, the environment, and public health. By integrating more vegan or vegetarian options into your menu line, you can not only reduce your company’s CO2 footprint, but also serve delicious, creative, and health-promoting meals to more customers, all while saving money. By applying the tips provided in Plan(t)s for Professionals, you will be ready to design or adapt a diverse, healthy, and sustainable menu that satisfies the demand for more plant-based options and promotes increased quality of life.

“Modern, healthy, and close to nature: plant-based cuisine offers an enormous diversity of options for the foodservice sector to take advantage of. Additionally, meeting the growing global demand for more plant-based options also caters to varying dietary and cultural requirements.”

Katleen Haefele,
International Head of ProVeg Food Services & Events

 

Don’t miss the forward from Worldchefs Secretary General – Cornelia Volino CVC, CPBP – Certified Vegan/Plant-Based Judge and Instructor, and Worldchefs Academy Chief Advisor & Program Manager.

See more from ProVeg International and download the brochure here.

International Digital Food Service Expo: Engagement within the Gastronomy Sector Redefined

Originally published 12/14/21

INTERNORGA, IDX EVENTS and the Institut of Culinary Art redefined engagement in the Gastronomy industry and jointly launch a disruptive digital platform for the out-of-home market from 15th to 17th March 2021.

In it together for the industry – Under this premise, three strong partners  launch an innovative digital platform. In time of contact restrictions, the International Digital Food Services Expo (IDX_FS) is the virtual meeting place for all players from the Gastronomy, Food Services, and Hospitality Management fields. As an alternative to the leading international trade fair INTERNORGA in Hamburg, the top decision-makers in the sectors will now meet at the IDX_FS from 15^th to 17^th March 2021.  Complemented by the digital INTERNORGA supporting programme, IDX_FS will offer visitors and exhibitors a safe online platform for exchanging, networking, and discovering new trends and solutions. The synergy of the three partners INTERNORGA, leading international trade fair for the entire out-of-home market, IDX EVENTS, international company for digital technology and event management, and the Institute of Culinary Art, the network for the top decision-makers in the Food Services industry, guarantees the highest quality and relevance. 

“With the painful decision to cancel INTERNORGA 2021 as a physical trade fair in Hamburg, we felt obliged to offer our exhibitors and visitors, and thus the entire Food Services industry, an alternative exchange platform. In partnership with two strong players, we succeeded in developing an innovative digital solution to bring together all market players in these very challenging times. It is a matter close to our heart to enable first-class exchange and networking opportunities. Our concept is being received very well: Well-known companies such as MKN, Franke, RATIONAL, and Lekkerland have already confirmed their attendance. We are very pleased about that,” says Claudia Johannsen, Business Unit Director at Hamburg Messe und Congress.

The vision of IDX_FS is a simple one: Provide national and international players across the fields of Hospitality Management, Gastronomy, and Catering with a meaningful and sustainable virtual engagement platform to continue inspire their customers, showcase their product novelties, and lead their sales activities with more purpose than ever. “IDX_FS is much more than a virtual networking medium: It is a digitally enabled platform that leverages innovative technology and digital marketing expertise to redefine the sales and marketing engagement in the field”, explains Michael Buck, Managing Partner at IDX EVENTS GmbH, the Technology and Events company enabling the deployment of the IDX_FS globally. “It is an inviting platform for the the broader HoReCa industry to acquire the knowledge and the competences needed to navigate with confidence in the new normal”.

The ultimate purpose of this innovative digital approach to trade fair is to enable the entire out-of-home market to remain commercially successful and engaged in the future. “We believe the Hospitality Management sector should not only follow but create a new path – a new way to remain engaged with our trusted customers and partners, question and optimize the value chain, and explore new business opportunities”, says Gerhard Bruder, President of the Institute of Culinary Art and a mentoring force behind IDX_FS.

Visit Worldchefs

You can find Worldchefs at our interactive digital booth and be sure to tune in for Worldchefs President Thomas Gugler’s keynote address on Tuesday, 16 March at 12:30 CET.

Get a free ticket to the IDX_FS International Digital Food Services Expo 2021!

Don’t forget to visit our digital booth and tune in for Worldchefs President Thomas Gugler’s keynote address on Tuesday, 16 March at 12:30 CET.

About INTERNORGA

INTERNORGA has been the leading international trade fair for the Hospitality Management, Catering, and Bakery & Confectioneries sectors for 100 years and is held annually in March at the Hamburg Messe und Congress site. Due to the Corona pandemic, the event cannot physically take place in March 2021. Instead, the first IDX_FS powered by INTERNORGA will take place digitally from 15 to 17 March 2021.

Visit www.internorga.com to register and find them on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

About  the Institute of Culinary Art

The ICA is the exclusive networking platform for the top decision-makers in the Food Services industry. It aims to unite, inspire, and develop professionals and top international decision makers in the Food Services industry by providing a safe, robust, and independent enablement platform for knowledge transfer, networking, and personal development.

About IDX EVENTS

IDX EVENTS is a globally operating Digital Technology and Event Management company based in Cologne, Germany. The company works with global consumer and B2B brands to enable the conceptualization, technological enablement, and operational implementation of their global digital events and sales engagement platforms

You can hear more about the event and the future of trade shows on the latest World on a Plate episode with IDX_FS founder Michael Buck. Visit latest.worldchefs.org/podcasts for more.