The Oriental Bangkok debuts its professional Thai Chef Academy to help further promote Thai cuisine worldwide

As a respected custodian internationally of Thai culture and a pioneer of the world's first hotel cooking school, The Oriental, Bangkok has just announced the launch of a culinary academy for Thai chefs - "The Oriental Professional Thai Chef Programme". The three-month course is accredited by the Ministry of Education and combines theoretical knowledge with practical culinary skills.

"Since 1986, The Oriental, Bangkok has been one of the pioneers in promoting Thai cuisine to the world through our famous Thai Cooking School and our Thai promotional trips overseas," says General Manager, Kurt Wachtveitl. "Today Thai cuisine is without doubt firmly established as one of the world's most popular cuisines. Its exotic taste and distinctive blend of flavours have universal appeal, which is evident in the number of Thai restaurants in nearly all the major capitals of the world."

In view of this, The Oriental, Bangkok is the first hotel worldwide to launch "The Oriental Professional Thai Chef Programme" for all Thai cooks based in Thailand who wish to improve their skills and perhaps take their culinary expertise abroad. The course also provides chefs with the necessary certification that would enable them to prepare Thai dishes to the internationally-acclaimed high standards of The Oriental, Bangkok. 

The classes, conducted in Thai, are limited to a maximum of 20 students. A special introductory fee for the three month course is 50,000 baht per student. External culinary lecturers include academic Professor Nisarat Suk-em, Head of Food and Nutrition at Rajabhat University.

Details of the Oriental Professional Thai Chef Programme are as follows: 

Course Description

· Course duration:
Three months (300 school hours) / 3 courses per year
Five days per week (Monday-Friday from 13.00 - 18.00 hrs.)
Monday: Fundamental Thai Cuisine Theory
Tuesday: Carving
Wed/Thurs/Fri: Cooking Class: 3 dishes per day/9 dishes per week
A total of 72 dishes in three months
· Tuition:
Three-month course @ Baht 60,000 per student (approx US$1,450)
(Special introductory offer of Baht 50,000 per students commencing in October 2002)

The award-winning hotel, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2001 and recently completed a luxurious room renovation, has been home to some of the world's most famous faces since opening its doors in 1876. 

Mandarin Oriental is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world's most prestigious hotels and resorts. In total, the Group operates 18 luxury hotels in key business and leisure destinations, with three additional hotels under development, including New York (opening late 2003), Washington D.C. (opening 2004) and Tokyo (opening 2006). Mandarin Oriental now operates some 7,000 rooms in eleven countries with nine hotels in Asia, six in The Americas and three in Europe.