NWU Culinary Arts goes global
Northwestern University has sent 30 Culinary students (and counting) to different places in France, the United States, and Canada since November 2022, and continues to do so with other courses under the NWU Culinary Arts program and the College of Business Education.
The opportunity for cross-cultural interaction and cooperation is one of the most enjoyable features of international culinary on-the-job training. Working with neighborhood cooks and kitchen workers promotes knowledge, skills, and idea exchange. While embracing and assimilating the culinary traditions of the host nation, trainees also share their own culinary experiences. As a result of this partnership, new and inventive meals that blend various culinary inspirations are produced.
“My experience there was very good because they taught me their different specialties in France, but in the first month of my working there, it was very difficult because I couldn’t understand what they were saying, so I couldn’t avoid being scolded,” said Anjyll Jericho Taroma, one of the international OJT students in Sarl Le Steger Restaurant, Socx, France.
“But I told myself that I just did what they asked me to do until they realized that even if they didn’t watch me at my work anymore, they were amazed at my speed and called me ‘the machine.’ The NWU Culinary Arts school helped me a lot because everything my teacher taught me was correct, so everything they asked me to do in France was easy for me because I remembered everything,” he added. Taroma finished his 7-month internship program this May of 2023.
Culinary professionals have the chance to immerse themselves in a variety of culinary traditions from across the world through on-the-job training at the NWU Culinary Arts International On-the-job Training Program. Trainees get hands-on experience with real cooking techniques, ingredients, and flavor combinations by working in diverse kitchens and with chefs from varied ethnic backgrounds. They broaden their horizons and gain a profound understanding of the variety in the world’s cuisine thanks to this experience.
