Long ago – so long ago in fact that restaurants as we think of them today didn’t exist – people cooked and ate at home, the rich threw parties while travellers ate at the inn. Then along comes this little Frenchman Auguste Escoffier, so short apparently he couldn’t reach a regular kitchen stove, who revolutionised menus and cooking and created some of the first ‘restaurants’ and kitchens that bear a resemblance to those you eat at today.
Known as the Ambassador of French cuisine Escoffier, who was born in 1846, was not only an astonishing chef. He also simplified the cooking and creation of French food, devised the idea of food stations in kitchens, originated the idea of dining ‘a la carte’, co-created the Ritz Hotel chain and wrote the cookbooks Le Guide Culinaire and Ma Cuisine. For good measure he also campaigned to make it legal for women to eat in public and knew 600 ways to make eggs.
Deliciousness
That many of Escoffier’s ideas and concepts remain in use today is a tribute to man’s genius. He was also one of the first food scientists, mixing veal stock, which contains natural MSG (monosodium glutamate), with other foods to enhance their flavour and ‘Deliciousness’.
Auguste, who began working in a kitchen at 13, loved to create and is rumoured to have once said “A cook is a man with a can opener, a chef is an artist. ” Many of his dishes are still popular today including Peach Melba (named for the Australian opera star Nellie Melba), Dauphine Potatoes (for the French court of the Dauphine, which included Marie Antoinette) and Cherries Jubilee for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee.
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Michel Escoffier, the Great-grandson of Auguste Escoffier, visited Hong Kong recently to announce the launch of a new course “Disciples Escoffier Diploma in Pastry”. Michel like his great grandfather has a passion for food and wine and is the President of The Auguste Escoffier Foundation and Museum situated at Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, France, where Auguste Escoffier was born and where the Escoffier Museum is located. He sits on the board of both the Escoffier Online International Culinary Academy and Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.
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Disciples Escoffier
Established in France in 1954, Disciples Escoffier International is a non-profit association dedicated to the culinary arts and upholding the legacy of Auguste Escoffier in classic French cuisine. The Association’s philosophy is to foster the transmission of knowledge, promote and teach the essence of high-quality French cooking and to further the permanent evolution of gastronomy.
Locally Disciples Escoffier is partnering with Towngas Cooking Centre to offer two professional cooking courses at their fully fitted out cooking centre in Causeway Bay. The “Disciples Escoffier Diploma in Culinary Arts” teaches aspiring Chef’s how to cook French cuisine to a professional standard – such that graduates are awarded the “Level 5 Certificate of training in French Cuisine”, which is fully accredited by the French Ministry of Education.
The curriculum of the 580 hour course is based on the tradition and fundamentals of French gastronomy. While integrating some of the latest techniques, equipment, and plating trends, the core program is firmly rooted in the classic foundations of Auguste Escoffier’s “Guide Culinaire”, the “Bible” of French cuisine.
A new course starting this year is the “Disciples Escoffier Diploma in Pastry” which is being taught by Matthieu Godard, Master Teacher–Pastry of Institut Culinaire Disciples Escoffier and former Head Pastry Chef at Amber the 2 Michelin-starred restaurant in The Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Godard trained under French chef, Thierry Marx.
The 480 hour course offers a comprehensive training programme on the creation and interpretation of traditional, classic and regional French pastry recipes – such as petits fours, millefeuille, gâteaux de voyage. Enabling students to master classic French techniques and adapt them worldwide with a contemporary vision. As well as practical training on the advanced and creative use of simple pastry ingredients.
https://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2017/Michel-Escoffier-TownGas-November-2017/i-bCz7swJ
Escoffier Diploma Course Information
Programme Name: Disciples Escoffier Diploma in Culinary Arts
Programme Duration: 540 hours
Course Fee: HKD$198,000 up*
Programme Name: Disciples Escoffier Diploma in Pastry
Programme Duration: 480 hours
Course Fee: HKD$153,000 up*
*Prices after discount
Starting date: 2017
Location: Towngas Cooking Centre
(9/F, Lee Theatre, 99 Percival Street, Causeway Bay)
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This article was brought to you by Towngas Cooking Centre
