Taking a cue from France’s le Cordon Bleu and USA’s Culinary Institute of America, the Tourism Ministry also has a blue print ready for its very own Culinary Institute of India. This is expected to cater the demands of growing national and international hospitality industry and also help preserve and promote the Indian culinary arts and skills.
The Ministry plans to set up the primary institute in Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh and affiliated centres in Panchkula near Chandigarh, Salt lake City in Kolkata and Noida in the NCR.
“We are moving fast on this project. We hope to lay the foundation stone for the institute by the year end,” said a senior official from the Ministry of Tourism.
“While the lands for Tirupati, Kolkata and Panchkula have been identified, the UP Government provided us with the space at Noida for the project last week,” said the official.
The Ministry plans to develop the institute for aspiring chefs to learn about gastronomy, local foods and an opportunity to study Indian culture.
“While the hospitality industry is growing at a fast pace, India is not able to provide trained man-force. There are several small private institutes all over the country but none give degrees to the graduating students,” said the official.
“We plan to make it a degree giving and affiliating institute, where students spend good three years to earn their specialisation. It will not be any run-of-the-mill kind of institute where students touch on every subject and master none. They will graduate as specialists,” he said.
The Ministry plans to develop the course structure in lines with the internationally acclaimed le Cordon Bleu and Culinary Institute of America.
The plan is to develop a course structure where students are trained to master basic to advanced culinary techniques, which could be applied to both local as well as international cuisines. The ministry also plans to offer courses in hospitality management.