Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland will host its very first online culinary competition, Cook ‘N’ Battle, in a positive twist to students’ current inability to travel to campus. Highlighting a local ingredient from where they live, participants will be challenged to surpass themselves and push their skills to the limit of culinary excellence.
Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, established in 2006 as part of César Ritz Colleges Switzerland, is an internationally renowned institute for culinary education based on the quality and excellence of Swiss hospitality traditions. In a desire to connect and reach out to new students who will begin their studies at Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland in July or October 2020, the school has decided to host a virtual culinary event showcasing the creativity and diversity of future students, as well as encouraging sustainability through the choice of local ingredients. The competition is open to all students enrolled before the 15th May for the July or October terms, as well as to anyone over the age of 16 who is interested in pursuing culinary studies in Switzerland.
For Tanja Florenthal, Dean at Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland Le Bouveret, “This is a great opportunity to showcase talents, even during this difficult time. We look forward to seeing the creativity of the participants. Cooking is an art and the participants will need to show their passion with originality and inspiration.”
In order to qualify, participants are invited to submit a five-minute video which showcases themselves presenting and preparing a home-created dish, per competition guidelines, before May 24. After review by a Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland jury, seven finalists will be selected to move on to the final round. Each finalist will be mentored by one of the Academy’s Chef Instructors before competing live from the comfort of their homes in an online cooking battle hosted on Zoom.
“One of the biggest takeaways for finalists is to be mentored by our Chef Instructors. The participants will gain tremendous knowledge, learn from the best chef instructors, and receive personalised coaching,” said Tanja Florenthal.
Finalists will have the honour of being judged by a professional jury of five world-famous chefs: Anton Mosimann (Jury President), highly accoladed Swiss culinary icon; Pooja Dhingra, India’s Pastry Chef, Founder & Head Chef of “Le15” patisserie (Mumbai, India); Vladimir Mukhin, Head Chef & Co-owner of “White Rabbit”, Moscow, Russia, No.13 in “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” 2019 listing; Franck Giovannini, Head Chef of three Michelin-starred “Restaurant De L’Hôtel De Ville” (Crissier, Switzerland); and Matthew Downes, Corporate Chef at Mane (Vouvry, Switzerland), Founder of Vegan Chef Consulting.
The finalist that scores the highest according to an exhaustive list of criteria – ranging from technical skills and use of ingredients to hygiene and sanitation as well as creativity, presentation, and the value placed on local ingredients – will be declared the winner of the virtual Cook ‘N’ Battle culinary competition 2020. The winner will be awarded a scholarship worth CHF 7,500.00 and will be featured in an upcoming video. The first and second runners-up will also receive scholarships. The cooking battle will take place on Zoom and be live-streamed on the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland Facebook page, 6th June 2020, at 2pm (CEST).
Click here to download the flyer for Cook ‘n’ Battle culinary competition
Click here to visit the competition website for more information, and to submit your entry
About Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland
Established in 2006 as part of César Ritz Colleges Switzerland, the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland is an internationally renowned institute for culinary education based on the quality and excellence of Swiss hospitality traditions. The Bachelor programme, awarded by University of Derby (UK), prepares students for their future career, focusing on entrepreneurship as well as kitchen skills, whilst the Swiss Grand Diploma programmes offer an alternative, shorter-term option, with three 11-week themed modules on Culinary Arts or Pastry & Chocolate Arts.
Sharing the campuses of César Ritz Colleges Switzerland in Lucerne and Le Bouveret offers students a unique exchange with hospitality management students. Thanks to numerous partnerships with the likes of Ritz Paris and the Ritz Escoffier School, students benefit from a very rich expertise and exceptional internship opportunities in some of the most renowned institutions in the world. Additionally, top chefs including Chef Anton Mosimann (OBE) and the first Swiss female chef to be awarded a Michelin star, Irma Dütsch, are counted as friends of Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland.
With five schools based across six campuses throughout Switzerland, Swiss Education Group is Switzerland’s largest private hospitality educator. In total, the Group has over 6,000 students from over 110 countries and the campuses are located in the French and German-speaking regions of Switzerland. Partnerships with the University of Derby (UK), Northwood University (USA) and Washington State University (USA) ensure that students’ qualifications are internationally transferable. Courses are conducted in English and all schools offer Diploma, Bachelor, and Master programmes, with a variety of subjects and specialisations.
As a worldwide ambassador of best practices in Switzerland, Swiss Education Group enjoys the benefit of being highly esteemed by tourism and hospitality industry professionals. Locally, the group is an esteemed economic player, bringing many international students and visitors to the regions where the schools operate.