Recipe for success

Sitting on the back steps of the plush Chez Jimmy restaurant, Ho Yue-tsung (何岳宗) and Johnny Lin (林凱) enjoy the winter sun. Next to them on a ledge are small pots of mint, a styrofoam box with newly planted chives, and boxes of other fresh condiments. They are both studying to follow in the footsteps of Jimmy Chang (張振民), one of Taipei's most successful western chefs.

Chang, who trained in Japan and Paris, now operates three restaurants in Taipei under the label Chez Jimmy. He provides a number of internships each year to students from the Kaohsiung Hospitality College (KHC, 國立高雄餐旅學校), from which both Ho and Kai have been selected. Ho said he was happy to have found a place at Chez Jimmy, for although the work is hard and the hours long, he has an opportunity to gain invaluable practical experience. "It is really about learning as much as possible," Ho said.

This is a world away from Anthony Bourdain and the drug-crazed culinary underbelly of his successful Kitchen Confidential, published last year. The spotless kitchen and the quiet, assiduous cooks all have an atmosphere of studiousness that bodes well for Taiwan's culinary future. "There is a strong job market out there," said Wu Shan-hsuan (吳杉弦), who recently completed his internship at the Grand Hyatt in Taipei.

"Over the last 30 years, Taiwan's chefs have come a long way," Chang said. "Before, we knew nothing. We didn't even know the difference between milk, pouring cream and double cream. Whenever a western chef said something, we could only say `yes.' Now, we are able to say `no.'" Part of his success has been based around finding a style of French cuisine that suits local tastes, but remains true to European methods.

To acquire this method, Ho works a 13-hour day, starting at 9am and finishing his work around 10pm. "I must get this experience while I am still strong," he said, adding that while the work schedule at Jimmy's kitchen was hard, it was worthwhile. "Classmates who have gone to hotels to work find that they are given really routine stuff to do, and they don't have as much opportunity to learn."

Immeasurable improvement

But overall, with the establishment of the KHC, the environment for students wishing to enter the industry has improved immeasurably. The college first started accepting students six years ago, and last year its restaurant management department had 1,350 applications for 100 places. "On average, we can only accept one in five applicants," said Lee Ming-huei (李明輝), director of research and development at the college.

With the economy in a slump, many young people still see enormous opportunities in the hospitality industry, especially now that the government is making a strong commitment to support the training of new talent. According to Stanley Yen (嚴長壽), a founding director of the school and director of the Ritz Landis Hotel (亞都麗緻大飯店) in Taipei, there has been an important turnaround in the hospitality environment since the Kaohsiung school was established.

"Fewer and fewer young people wanted to go through the traditional training [to become a chef]," he said, "and as there were no formal educational channels, those that did had to wait until they completed the nine years of compulsory education [before they could begin]. It was very important to bring new talent into the industry," he said, regarding the establishment of the KHC, which already offers a bachelors degree and will commence a masters program this year.