Vocational School of Justice
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF STUDENT CHEFS
As part of an agreement with Les Toques Blanches Lyonnaises, established by world-renowned chefs of France, students of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Department of Culinary Arts and Management do their internship in France. Students gain international experience while learning the specifics of their professions from the award-winning chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants in Lyon, France. Over the last six years, 86 student chefs have interned with award-winning chefs, and this year 14 more students will gain new experiences in France.
Chef Tolgahan Kamiloğlu, lecturer at IUE Department of Culinary Arts and Management, said students do their 3-month internship at Michelin-starred restaurants in France every year, and that they get to experience the world-cuisine abroad while using their knowledge and techniques they learned at university. Kamiloğlu added, “Our students are trained for the professional life with practice-based education rather than a theoretical one. They learn about the unique tastes in both world and Turkish cuisines on site. Throughout the academic year, they work with world-famous chefs and experience the Turkish cuisine with lecturer chefs during the international events held in our city. Our students who do their internship alongside chefs affiliated with Les Toques Blanches Lyonnaises in Lyon, the capital of gastronomy, gain work experience there. This way, they advance in the techniques of French Cuisine while improving their second foreign language skills at the same time.”
‘Internship program in France has been running for 6 years’
Kamiloğlu said that students return from their internship with work experience gained abroad and added, “Students doing their internship abroad can put their training into practice. As part of the internship program running for six years, 86 students have worked alongside award-winning chefs at various restaurants in France. Our students sometimes begin their professional life at the restaurants where they finished their internship. Our successful graduates, who pursue their career abroad thanks to the internship program, become our source of pride.”
‘Internship brings experience’
Berker Özkan, who completed his internship at Le President Restaurant, said, “That our university has ties with France offers a wonderful opportunity. I have not only gained experience thanks to this internship program, but also learned the specifics of the French cuisine while introducing my country and cuisine.”
Berrak Ölçüm, who is doing his internship at Daniel & Denise Restaurant, said, “This internship program has been a tremendous experience for me. I have learned how to stay calm at a stressful environment”