The Miele Guide launches Culinary Scholarships in Asia

The Miele Guide, an independent restaurant guide, has launched two new culinary scholarships for young aspiring chefs through the brand new The Miele Guide Culinary Scholarship Programme.

The guide is offering two The Miele Guide-At-Sunrice Scholarships, one will be awarded to a citizen or permanent resident of one of the Asian countries evaluated in the Guide with the exception of Singapore and the other will be awarded to a Singapore citizen or permanent resident. Applications for the two scholarships will be accepted up to 30 September 2008 and will be awarded to two deserving young Asian talents on 1 November 2008 at the launch of the inaugural 2008/2009 edition of The Miele Guide.

The Miele Guide's first edition evaluates restaurants in 16 Asian countries - Brunei, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It will rank and profile Asia’s top 20 best restaurants, along with a select list of the other top restaurants in the region, categorised by country, city and cuisine.

The Miele Guide Culinary Scholarship Programme has been created in conjunction with the guide’s launch to promote formal culinary education and to further excellence and continuous achievement in the culinary field in Asia. With two The Miele Guide-At-Sunrice Scholarships being offered this year, two young and talented chefs will have the opportunity to attend the Diploma in Culinary Craft and Service Excellence (DCCSE) course at the renowned At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy (At-Sunrice).

“With these scholarships, we aim to recognise the talent of young budding chefs in Asia and give them strong, foundational training. Ultimately, we believe that greater commitment to professional training will help the restaurant industry in Asia grow. This is the overarching goal of The Miele Guide. We hope that by recognising Asia’s best, as well as Asia’s new talents, the industry will continue to flourish and develop,” said Tan Su-Lyn, Director, Ate Media Pte Ltd which publishes The Miele Guide.

The 15-month professional course will equip the recipients with fundamental culinary skills and techniques of both Eastern and Western cuisine. The recipients will be under the tutelage of the distinguished international chef faculty at At-Sunrice, which includes experienced chefs and executive chefs who have worked at highly acclaimed establishments internationally, as well as award-winning food authors. As part of the course, the recipients will also acquire professional kitchen experience over 12 months through apprenticeships at some of Singapore’s finest restaurants. Recipients who perform outstandingly in the course will get the chance to work at a prestigious international dining establishment upon graduation.

“The At-Sunrice diploma courses combine a rigorous ‘Study & Work’ curriculum and we work in partnership with some of Singapore’s best restaurants and food services providers. Students are schooled in the cuisines of the East and West, and are taught Old and New World techniques of cooking. Our annual TalentMatch event, a graduate placement fair, places our graduates in top establishments in many countries. Student diversity, student experience and industry savviness are three of our key success factors. Our goal is to produce young chefs qualified to pursue the global chef path. By the time they turn 30, they will have worked in three countries. Having seen and worked with the best in the world, these young chefs are poised to become Asia's rising stars of tomorrow,” said Christophe Megel, CEO of At-Sunrice.

The Miele Guide Culinary Scholarship Programme will be funded through a percentage of the worldwide sales revenue of the 2008/2009 edition of the guide. This year, it is jointly sponsored by At-Sunrice as well as supported by Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications framework (WSQ). As revenue from the sales of the guide grows, more scholarships will be created.

To qualify for The Miele Guide-At-Sunrice Scholarships, applicants should possess a minimum level of culinary or kitchen experience. This includes a recognised culinary certificate or at least six months of commercial kitchen experience. All entrance requirements will be in accordance to the current criteria set in place at At-Sunrice.

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