So you want to be a cook

COOKING IS THERAPEUTIC and home-cooked meals are a guaranteed safeguard of health, but here’s the thing: Not everyone is a born kitchen wizard. The solution is to take a course, and fortunately Thailand has almost as many good teaching chefs as it has great restaurants. Following are profiles of three of the top-ranking cooking schools in the Kingdom.

If you don’t want to devote a great deal of time to your culinary education, the Issaya Cooking Studio at Central Embassy – yes, Issaya as in the restaurant of internationally acclaimed chef Ian Kittichai – can get you set up quick in a flurry of classes, three sessions a day. 

Opened in 2014, the modern-looking studio covers Thai and foreign dishes, baking, desserts, advanced techniques and even beverages. 

“My partners and I felt there was a need for this type of facility in Bangkok,” says Ian, “something more than just a cooking school for tourists that would also appeal to both professional and non-professional chefs.

“I also feel the need to ‘give back’, because along my career path I was fortunate to work with, learn from and be inspired by many different people in the hospitality industry. My hope is that new generations can find something helpful at the studio.”

This is a 170-square-metre “classroom” that’s readily converted into a “chef’s table” – an intimate dining area – or a place to host events, complete with a bar and library lounge. Tuition starts at Bt800 per class and all instruction is in English. 

“We have classes for all levels of cooks, even someone who’s never boiled water,” Ian says. “One of our goals is that it offers something for everyone, but it’s also multifunctional – good for wine-tastings, cocktail parties, photo and video shoots, etc. We can also arrange bespoke classes and hosted events to suit clients’ needs. And I can honestly say we have the best equipment, since we partnered with Sub Zero and Wolf in the US. Their products are amazing and made-to-order.”

Over at the Dusit Thani Hotel, there’s another school for aspiring chefs that’s accredited by the Ministry of Education and awards a certificate of achievement upon graduation. The school on Petchaburi Road has programmes initially formulated for people seeking jobs in the hospitality trade anywhere in Southeast Asia, but home cooks are just as welcome. 

There are four levels, ranging from Basic Certificate to Skills and Diploma, the latter including managerial training. The curriculum is more serious all around here, best suited to those thinking of running their own business. Applications are accepted year round, with sessions beginning in August, November, February and May and lasting anywhere from six to 18 months.

Healthy cooking is the focus at the Evason Hua Hin, where celebrity chef Matthew Kenney’s new culinary academy teaches how to cook raw food.

“The academy meets a growing demand for culinary tourism by offering an unmatched experience in one of the world’s most beautiful destinations,” Kenney says. 

The Evason resort is indeed gorgeous, and the organic ingredients available locally are the stuff of haute cuisine. The 51-year-old American chef, who specialises in plant-based food, has authored 12 cookbooks and is the founder of the lifestyle firm Matthew Kenney Cuisine and the Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy with branches in California, Maine and Florida and also online. The Hua Hin school is his first outside the US. 

Kenney points out that raw food has really caught on around the world because it brings the full benefit of the uncooked, unprocessed ingredients, including shedding the kilograms. And, if it all sounds like salad and diced veggies, the academy will open your eyes. Students learn how to make tasty cheese, pasta and even chocolate and other desserts, all from uncooked plants. 

The academy also offers more in-depth courses on topics like nutrition, “superfoods”, food photography, juice cleansers and other means of detoxification, gluten-free bread and, yes, raw food for kids. 

Perfect for anyone wanting to revamp their diet and for restaurant chefs seeking to tap into the “raw” possibilities, the courses – in English – range from one day to a full weekend with prices starting at Bt8,000.

 

GRAB A CHEF’S HAT

The Issaya Siamese Club is on Level G at Central Embassy. Call (02) 160 5636 and see www.IssayaStudio.com.

The Dusit Thani Hotel School is on Petchaburi Road. Call (02) 013 9999 or check out www.DusitThaniHotelSchool.com.

The Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy Thailand is at the Evason Hua Hin. Call (032) 632 111 or visit MatthewKenneyCuisine.com/MKC-Thailand.