(archive article – Sunday, April 22, 2007)
AS I WALKED into the kitchen, the incredible aroma of Chinese food enveloped me, and once I saw the menu, I couldn’t wait to tuck in.
I was in the training restaurant of the Higher Hotel Institute Cyprus (HHIC), which is open to the public every Tuesday and Thursday, offering a huge range of international cuisine such as French, Italian, Mexican, Far East, Barbecue and Health.
Since its establishment, the HHIC has aimed at providing the hotel industry with highly and fully trained personnel.
In over 40 years of existence, the Institute has provided education and training to thousands of young people in Cyprus, as well as in more than fifty other countries.
At present, the HHIC offers three-year courses in Culinary Arts (Greek and English) and two-year courses in Hotel Operations (English). At the same time, training and upgrading courses to those already engaged in the hotel industry are provided.
On the day of my visit, nine main courses, six salads and three desserts were on offer for an incredible £6.50. The food had been prepared by 14 students over the course of two days, with enough to feed 60 people.
Marina Tanti was in charge of the menu, and the 20-year-old explained that she has, “always been interested in food and cooking. I used to try out different things when I was young and love all types of cuisine.”
When asked what she had learned over the course of her degree, she said it was a variety of different skills such as, “working under pressure, hygiene, recipes and organisational skills.”
The head of the Institute’s Culinary Arts Programme said that, “in the last four to five years, over 50 per cent of students go to the UK or US to undertake Masters or Bachelors degrees.”
Savvas Sakkadas went on to say that the programme enables the graduate to meet professional challenges with a systematic approach to quality and quantity of food production and service as practised today in hotels, fine dining establishments, institutional catering facilities and other food service operations.
“In this programme, practical skills of basic and advanced cooking, baking and pastry are blended harmoniously with the relevant theoretical basis,” he said. “In addition, contemporary cooking concepts are incorporated in the programme, however remaining true to the principles that govern good cooking.”
Chef Andreas Paraskevas has been a culinary instructor at the Institute for four years and he proceeded to explain what is involved.
“Being a chef is a hard job, involving long hours and weekend work,” the 30-year-old said. “You are always standing on your feet and need a lot of patience as you have to deal with many different types of people with different needs. Some want a good fry up, while others are always thinking about their weight.”
He added that prospective chefs must display the organisational and communication skills and talent required. “They must be able to balance different tastes and know to mix and match ingredients to create the desired taste.”
The Institute’s library is truly something to behold and is a gourmand’s paradise, featuring thousands of titles in many different languages.
It is the most comprehensive library on gastronomy in Cyprus and is used by all hotels on the island.
Anything you can possibly think of is there, with one book I saw devoted solely to chocolate Easter egg making.
According to the librarian, some books are so rare, their value is estimated at over £400.
So, having been given a tour of the kitchen and the Institute’s facilities, it was finally time to sample the delicious-looking buffet.
Starters included a noodle salad, a spinach and sesame salad and a ‘Bang Bang’ chicken salad. However, I chose to ignore all of these and went for the crab with avocado and asparagus salad. I didn’t regret my decision, with the dish proving to be my favourite of the day.
Next up were the main courses. Again, I skipped several dishes of fried pork with baby corn, stir-fried pork with cashew nuts and the stir-fried vegetables, in favour of chicken in lemon sauce, sweet and sour chicken, spare ribs in barbecue sauce, spicy shredded beef, spring rolls and, of course, fried rice.
Fifteen minutes later, with my stomach protesting, Sakkadas rose from his chair and announced it was time to visit the dessert trolley. Despite my initial reservations, I somehow found room to tuck away a ginger cr?me br?l?e as well as an amazing fried banana with honey and vanilla ice cream.
Upon leaving, I thanked my generous hosts, with my thoughts quickly turning to my next visit. Now all I had to do was decide upon what kind of cuisine I fancied.
n For reservations, contact: 22-404815
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