The past few years have seen a rise in the number of people who have changed careers or have opted a degree in culinary arts instead of more traditional professions. Chefs locally are being recognized for their creativity and hard work in producing food that the public loves. Even though we as a nation love our food, the under fifty generation has only begun to realize the work that goes into making great food. This interest in food has allowed culinary schools to open up across Pakistan. So if you would like to enjoy a one day class, are a food enthusiast or want to take it up as a career, one of these four cooking schools could totally be your future.
COLLEGE OF TOURISM & HOTEL MANAGEMENT (COTHM)
COTHM opened its doors in Lahore in 2002 and is one of the leading culinary institutes in Lahore. They are recognized internationally and affiliated with international awarding institutes for hospitality, travel, tourism and culinary education. COTHM. They are affiliated with various awarding bodies in the UK and USA. All their students are trained at par with international standards of their awarding bodies. For students in professional degrees, they offer internship and work placements abroad. COTHM offers a wide range of classes at reasonable prices due to which they have a buzzing student body. They offer classes for enthusiasts as well as professional diplomas, post graduate diplomas and masters courses.
The culinary courses currently being offered at COTHM are:
- Certificate in Professional Cookery (3 months)
- Specialization in Pakistani Cuisine (3 months)
- Diploma in Culinary Arts (9 months)
- Advanced Diploma in Culinary Arts (18 months)
- Graduate Diploma in International Culinary Arts (18 months)
- Certificate in Barista Skills and Fast Food (3 months)
- Diploma in Cake Decoration and Fondant Art (6 months)
- Certificate in Cake Decoration and Fondant Art (3 months)
- Certificate in Professional Baking (3 months)
- Certificate in Professional Fast Food Baking and Cookery (3 months)
- Diploma in International Patisserie and Baking (9 months)
- Advanced Diploma in International Baking and Patisserie (18 months)
- Graduate Diploma in International Baking and Patisserie (18 months)
If you are interested in health and food safety to supplement your culinary degree, they also offer a range of courses in Health and Food Safety. In addition to this, COTHM also offers diplomas, certificates and post-graduate diplomas in travel, tourism and hospitality management. You can learn more about their courses through their website: http://cothm.edu.pk
SCHOOL OF CULINARY ARTS & FINE ARTS (SCAFA)
SCAFA is a Dubai based culinary institute that opened its doors in Lahore about 4 years ago. Since then SCAFA has made quite the name for itself. It provides City and Guilds diplomas in culinary arts as well as baking and patisserie. SCAFA has an impressive faculty of international chefs coming from Michelin star restaurants to major catering setups in Barcelona and Switzerland. SCAFA provides 3 types of degrees at both its schools in Lahore and Dubai. In addition to this SCAFA is also collaborating with BHMS in Switzerland to provide their students with a chance to undertake their B.A in Culinary Arts abroad through a bridging programme. SCAFA has a state of the art school set up and also run a chefs table 7-course menu during the week. In addition to this SCAFA has also opened its bistro, Scafé in Lahore.
SCAFA Is currently offering the following programmes:
- Professional Pastry (3 months)
- Professional Kitchen (3 months)
- Professional Finishing (3 months)
- Home Pro Programme (3 months)
- Combination Programme (6 months)
- Upon completion of the Pro Kitchen and Pro Finishing programmes, students can apply for a B.A in Culinary Arts at BHMS through SCAFA.
In addition to this SCAFA also offers one-day courses and fundamental of cuisine and kids classes. Details of their courses can be found on their Instagram page as well as their website. https://www.instagram.com/scafa.lahore/?hl=en and http://www.scafa.pk/index.html
THE COOKERY LAHORE
The Cookery Lahore offers classes for amateurs conducted by professional chefs. They offer one day classes for amateurs and children. They have a purpose built and can accommodate up to 16 people. They run classes from Wednesday through to Sunday. Their classes are often theme based so you can decide what class you want to take. The Cookery Lahore provides customers with hands on experience unlike many conventional amateur classes in Lahore. They take care of everything from the supplies down to your apron. They are currently running a five-day beginner course as well as kids classes during the summer holidays. For more details you can visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheCookeryLahore/
THE CULINARY STUDIO
The Culinary Studio is the newest addition to culinary schools in Lahore. They are also affiliated with and award City and Guilds diplomas. Their chef instructors are graduates of schools local and foreign and have received training from international chefs. They offer both amateur and professional classes. They are currently offering the following courses:
- International Diploma in Food Preparation and Culinary (3 months)
- Professional Cooking (3 months)
- Professional Baking and Patisserie (3 months)
For further details: http://theculinarystudio.net/index.html
