INTI International College Subang’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts (SOHOS) launched the Bachelor of Food Service Management with Culinary Arts (Hons) 3+0 programme in collaboration with CY Cergy-Paris Université on 2 November 2022. The event was graced by Chong Kok Wai, Chief Executive Officer of INTI International University & Colleges, Sébastien Le Tacon, Director of CY Gastronomy and Hospitality Institute, CY Cergy-Paris Université and Virginie Bioteau, Chargée d’Affaires, Embassy of France in Malaysia.
Chong Kok Wai, Chief Executive Officer of INTI International University & Colleges acknowledged that INTI and CY Cergy-Paris Université share a similar mission, which is to provide students with skills – not just hospitality competencies like culinary arts and food service management but also critical and creative thinking skills for an entrepreneurial mindset.
This programme will train students to manage various food service operations holistically with specialization in food service management and culinary arts. It is designed to prepare students to operate a restaurant, supervise kitchen operations and manage teams working in an international environment. Furthermore, students pursuing this programme will not only develop the knowledge and skills required to handle the job but will also acquire adaptability towards the constant changes in food service trends.
During his speech, Kok Wai acknowledged that INTI and CY Cergy-Paris Université share a similar mission, which is to provide students with skills – not just hospitality competencies like culinary arts and food service management but also critical and creative thinking skills for an entrepreneurial mindset.
Sébastien Le Tacon, Director of CY Gastronomy and Hospitality Institute, began his journey in the field of gastronomy at the age of 16 prior to becoming a lecturer in one of the universities in France.
“New demands, challenges, and changes will require professionals and future talents who are able to face these head on with the right attitude and skills. This programme we are launching today is indeed timely for a post-pandemic food service industry which requires the ability to adapt to current trends and engage in problem solving.
“INTI prides itself in equipping students with hands-on experience and skills for their future career. Through the School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, we can provide students with international exposure, practical skills, as well as professional and personal development,” shared Kok Wai.
Virginie Bioteau, Chargée d’Affaires, Embassy of France in Malaysia, hopes that this partnership will further strengthen the relationship between France and Malaysia.
The Bachelor of Food Service Management with Culinary Arts programme will welcome its first intake in January 2023. Students of the programme will also be registered as students of CY Cergy-Paris Université, which gives them access to three internships that can be completed in France and a two-week study tour overseas – all of which allows them to further explore French gastronomy and culture.
On top of that, facilitators from the Gastronomy Institute of CY Cergy-Paris University will also be flying in to teach students at the INTI International College Subang campus which will facilitate an exchange of knowledge and widen perspectives among faculty and students.
The management team from INTI International University & Colleges and CY Cergy-Paris Université launched the Bachelor of Food Service Management with Culinary Arts (Hons) 3+0 programme by unveiling the programme banner at INTI International College Subang’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts.
With a primary aim of serving students, CY Cergy-Paris Université combines education for all with academic excellence and a geographical location that has an international appeal. The campus strategically located in the capital city of France and within the vicinity of many Michelin starred restaurants, has a track record which is further amplified through various collaborations between CY’s Gastronomy and Hospitality Institute and world-class Parisian chefs.
Sébastien, who also addressed the guests, said the partnership with INTI takes place in a field that is absolutely crucial for both France and Malaysia.
“Food, culinary arts, and gastronomy have always gathered people in every part of the world, sometimes spurring engaged and passionate debates on the process and composition of ingredients and spices of a traditional recipe. Culinary arts then became a science in their own rights, through transversal research in sociology, anthropology, economics, management, chemistry, and health fields of studies,” he said.
According to Sébastien, fine catering and hospitality, as an industry, is less than a hundred years old. As such, it requires technicians, managers, operational and strategic directors to further enhance the field’s technical aspects. In-house trainings were deemed as not sufficient to produce the manpower needed for the development of this industry, hence, hospitality schools were designed and developed globally to train students.
Chef Eddie Tan (first from left), Dean of School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Virginie Bioteau (fifth from left), Chargée d’Affaires, Embassy of France in Malaysia, Dr. Eric Olmedo (fifth from right), Principal Research Fellow of Kita Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and ambassador of CY Cergy-Paris Université for Asia, Sébastien Le Tacon (fourth from right), Director of CY Gastronomy and Hospitality Institute, CY Cergy-Paris Université, Chong Kok Wai (third from right), Chief Executive Officer of INTI International University & Colleges, Dr. Jane Lim (second from right), Vice President, Campus Academic Operations and Chief Executive of INTI International College Subang together with other representatives from INTI International University & Colleges and CY Cergy-Paris Université posing for a group photograph at the end of the launch ceremony.
“The CY Gastronomy and Hospitality Institute presents several programmes encircling culinary arts and restaurant industry that begins from a bachelor’s degree and professional bachelor to a master’s degree. With its headquarters located on the university site of Gennevilliers, France, and having a presence in Vietnam, Mexico, Mauritius and now Malaysia, the faculty incorporates values related to gastronomic excellence and culinary innovation through its programmes.
“We are very happy and proud to include Malaysia as a major strategic partner in the region, thanks to the hard work and commitment from the management team of INTI International University & Colleges, Chef Eddie Tan, Dean of SOHOS, together with Dr. Eric Olmedo, who is the Principal Research Fellow of Kita Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and ambassador of CY Cergy-Paris Université for Asia,” he said.