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Young chefs look to education as a means to compete
(Volume 26, No. 520)
AS the number of hip bars and restaurants expands, particularly in Yangon, young Myanmar chefs are looking to capitalise by equipping themselves with the right qualifications and knowledge to compete with foreign chefs. Still, with food hygiene standards lacking and unease among some parents about letting their children study culinary arts, the new breed of chefs have their work cut out for them.
Ma Khaing Si Thar Lwin, 34, has loved cooking since her childhood, but her initial desire to study the subject was met with skepticism.
“I studied tourism in Australia as I couldn’t afford to learn cooking. But things are changing quickly and people’s mindsets too. I am sure I’ll be a successful chef although I realise that it is not easy for Myanmar chefs to gain acceptance internationally because many foreigners think that Myanmar food is not clean enough.”
To gain greater credibility, young chefs like Ma Khine Si Thar Lwin have enrolled in internationally recognised diploma courses in places such as Singapore.
Ko Wai Phyo Kyaw, 29, tells a similar story. He gave up his engineering course and moved to Japan where he began working in a restaurant. At first he was just washing dishes but after seven years of working his way up he was finally given responsibility for running the kitchen.
“I’ve now earned a diploma from At-Sunrice culinary school in Singapore,” said the chef, who envisages a career working in international hotels. “I want to work in different hotels and restaurants so that I can learn about food from many different countries; the diploma that I have is the first step in supporting me,” he said.
Still, Myanmar chefs face many barriers to success, ranging from an inferiority complex to outright discrimination.
U Aung Kyaw San, is managing director of Crown Education, which specialises in Singapore education.
“I think it will take time to build up customer trust and an identity of our own. It requires patience; if you are going to run your own restaurant it’s not such a problem but if you are entering hotel life, you need years of experience to get to a high level from the stage of cook, even if you are holding a culinary diploma from an internationally recognised school,” he said.
Ko Thaw Tar Tun, senior sous chef at Traders Hotel, Yangon believes that while qualifications are useful, if Myanmar chefs want to succeed then they have to be more confident in their skills.
“Although we have potential, we daren’t show our talent in front of foreign chefs. We are all men so if they can do it then why can’t we? Some people are weak in communicating with foreigners, they are afraid of making mistakes in front of them.”
