The Professional Diploma in Culinary Arts:

An intensive program, open to beginners, covering over 200 recipes and 150 techniques, designed to set students on a path to become junior chefs or rising culinary professionals.

The program has been thoughtfully designed to teach you the core elements of culinary arts. You will learn new skills in each class, and step by step, you will progressively build upon them. The pace accelerates as you progress through each level, and learning is cumulative and fast.

Beginning with fundamentals such as hygiene, safety and knife skills, your evolution will continue through the development of culinary techniques such as dry and moist heat cooking methods, sauce making, restaurant service simulations and pastry, for instance. Your Master Chef-instructor will help you identify products and train your senses, guiding you through an incredible range of tastes and flavors, from herbs and condiments to vegetables and meats.

Since our curriculum covers a vast amount of material in a short period of time, this program is intensive in nature, and your Master Chef-instructor will guide you to work quickly and efficiently from day one.  Your instructors are passionate, accomplished professionals eager to share their expertise, and you will appreciate the kind of hands-on experience, personal attention, and support that can build your confidence and skills.

Our objective is to prepare you to meet the demands of working in a professional kitchen, with the proper techniques and work habits necessary to succeed in the industry. We aim to equip you not only with the skillsets and practical know-how that are in high demand among employers, but also with the disciplined and rigorous mindset that in the long run will allow you to climb up the ladder as a rising culinary professional.

Our ultimate goal is to give you the essential tools and building blocks from which you can improvise, explore your own creativity, and contribute to the evolution of gastronomy.

The Program structure:

The curriculum is firmly rooted in the traditions and fundamentals of French gastronomy, while integrating some of the latest techniques, equipment, and plating trends.

The program is taught over 540 hours, organized into two levels.

 

Level 1: Culinary Arts Fundamentals (270 hours)

The Level 1 “Culinary Arts Fundamentals” welcomes all beginners and experienced students alike. You will cover a vast amount of material in a short period of time, including the basic concepts, properties and applications that are the essential “toolkit” of a chef.

You will start with essentials such as professional knife-handling, safety & hygiene, then as the program moves forward, you will progress with cooking techniques that constitute the core elements of French cuisine, such as stocks and sauces, cooking methods, or pastry doughs. Through practical sessions and demonstrations, you will begin to explore the classics of French culinary traditions, and learn to create a wide range of recipes.

Skills & techniques covered:

  • Safety and hygiene
  • Introduction to the professional kitchen
  • Knife skills
  • Stocks, sauces and soups
  • Fruit and vegetable-based side dishes
  • Cooking methods
  • Eggs
  • Fish and shellfish
  • Meat and poultry
  • Introduction to pastry

Recipes covered:

  • Beef Consommé with vegetables brunoise
  • Asparagus with mousseline sauce
  • Beef Tournedos Henry IV, béarnaise sauce
  • Green crust lamb rack, vegetables “tian”
  • Duck breast orange style, curved baby artichokes and potatoes
  • Veal marengo
  • Seabream filet with vegetable scales
  • Dover sole “Colbert” style
  • Apple tart Tatin

 

Level 2: Advanced Culinary Arts (270 hours)

Students need to have completed the Level 1 Culinary Arts Fundamentals in order to enroll into Level 2 Advanced Culinary Arts.

Through cumulative practice, you will begin to build upon and master the fundamental techniques covered in Level 1. Your proficiency will allow you to explore more advanced and modern methods, such as sous-vide and low-temperature cooking. You will learn to prepare complex traditional recipes, based on the diversity of France’s culinary heritage, as well as more contemporary dishes inspired by Michelin-star chefs.

With a focus on precision and efficiency, the course aims to prepare students for the workforce, but also enhance individual creativity and artistic skills. Your will delve into menu composition and personal creativity themes, focusing increasingly on plating skills that are essential to succeed in the fine dining industry.

Skills & techniques covered:

  • Auguste Escoffier recipes and French classic cuisine
  • French regional “terroir” specialties
  • International cuisine
  • French Pastry classics
  • Low temperature, sous-vide cooking and other advanced techniques
  • Butchery, filleting & deboning
  • High-quality ingredients and seasonal produce
  • Kitchen organizational skills
  • The art of plating and personal creativity
  • Creativity on designing your own recipe
  • Gala dinner event organization

Recipes covered:

  • Salmon terrine
  • Crispy chicken breast roll in puff pastry, garlic flan, brown glaze vegetables balls
  • Beef Tournedos Rossini, sauce Marchand de Vin
  • Crispy potatoes tube, potato risotto, potato foam, truffle jelly cube
  • Scallops carpaccio marinate with vanilla, avocado bavarian, sesame tuiles
  • Trout canon with lemon crust, Maltaise sauce, vegetable tagliatelle
  • Chocolate & coffee éclairs
  • Pigeon pastilla

Teaching method:

At Institut Disciples Escoffier, teaching is very hands-on with 85% practical in the kitchen lab. Background reading materials are also regularly handed out to students, who study at home for the theoretical components of the course.

Our teaching method is highly interactive. A typical class starts with a short explanation from the Master Chef-instructor who will outline terminology, relevant food history, the reasons behind various cooking techniques, and the rationale behind following procedures in a specific order. Thereafter, the class alternates between the Master Chef-instructor conducting short demonstrations, and students preparing the recipes and repeating techniques observed during the demonstrations. Each class ends with a final tasting with the Master Chef-instructor to develop your palate. The pace of the program accelerates as you progress through each level.

Since our program is intensive in nature, an essential requirement to attend and successfully complete the program is a high degree of motivation! Are you concerned you will not be able to do it? You will not be on your own. Our classes are small, and our chef-instructors and chef assistants will be there to help you every step of the way, to provide direction and guidance as you practice.

 

Language of instruction: English

Classes and examinations are delivered in English language (with an additional Mandarin translator in China). It is important, therefore, to have a reasonably good level of English in order to successfully complete the program. Some French cuisine terminology is covered.

 

Entry requirement:

  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • 18 years or older
  • Competency in English language
  • Interview
  • No prior culinary experience is required

 

Location: Bucharest, Hong Kong

Assessment:

Practical examination and theory examination

 

Double certification:

Upon passing final exams, you will be awarded two certifications with worldwide recognition:

  • Professional Diploma in Culinary Arts delivered by Institut Disciples Escoffier
  • French National Certificate in Culinary Arts (level 3) delivered by the French Ministry of Education

Who is the program aimed at?

A program open to all passionate and motivated students!

Do you dream to launch one day your own restaurant? Are you aiming to begin a career as a cook in the Hospitality & Restaurant industry? Do you simply aspire to improve your talents in French cuisine and entertain your friends and family? If so, this program will provide you with a strong foundation.

The Professional Diploma in Culinary Arts has been designed for beginners. It is aimed at all those who are passionate about cooking, from food enthusiasts and young professionals, to career shifters wishing to venture in the field of culinary arts, or experienced chefs looking to hone their skills in French cuisine. Our students have a wide age range, they come from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, yet they all have a common goal: learning from highly qualified instructors the skills and techniques required to become a professional chef.