Tourism ministry to tie up with global culinary institutes
The govt is looking at three institutes including The Culinary Institute of America to provide training in modern cooking
New Delhi: The central government, which is setting up a chain of culinary institutes in the country, may tie up with The Culinary Institute of America for launching a training programme that will also include research on modern techniques such as molecular gastronomy.
Molecular gastronomy is a science dealing with the physical and chemical transformation of ingredients that takes place in cooking. The term, coined by Oxford physicist Nicholas Kurti and French physical chemist Hervé, refers to a modern style of cooking that leverages technical innovations to explore social, artistic and technical aspects of cooking.
The government laid the foundation stone for the first culinary institute in Tirupati on 2 September, the day the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) completed 100 days in office.
This will be followed by the setting up of similar institutes in Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi; Panchkula in Haryana; and in Kolkata. Around ₹ 160 crore has been allocated for this project, a top government official said, declining to be named.
The tourism ministry is looking at three global culinary institutes, including The Culinary Institute of America, one of which it will team up with.
“A government official will be travelling to the US for talks with the institute next week,” a government official said. This is a part of the government’s strategy to raise the standard of education in the hospitality industry.
In August, the government forged a partnership with Switzerland-based hospitality school Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne to upgrade the Indian Institutes of Hotel Management to the elite status enjoyed by the Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management.
These institutes will offer bachelors, masters and PhD programmes. While the B.Sc course will train students in all kinds of cuisine, the higher level courses will include research on Indian recipes and modern techniques of cooking.
The partnerships will give the Indian tourism sector more visibility, said a New Delhi based hospitality analyst who did not wish to be named.
“The intent is to raise the skill set in the hospitality industry as well as attracting more foreign tourists who may be interested in molecular gastronomy recipes,” the analyst said. “There is likely only be a small market which will be passionate about food prepared through modern techniques.”
Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
MoreLess
First Published:24 Sep 2014, 03:56 PM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High