Singapore – Chef
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, whose worldwide restaurant
empire includes The Dempsey Cookhouse and Bar in Singapore, delivered the
commencement address to graduates of Ѹ, Singapore on 13 September. Twenty years after opening his first restaurant
in New York City, Chef Vongerichten now has 37
restaurant concepts spanning four continents and 11 countries, including his
native France.
“No matter which direction you choose to pursue, continue to
expand your knowledge of food and technique, develop discipline early, and
learn to maintain and enhance it,” Chef Vongerichten challenged the graduating class. “Most important is a desire to serve. It’s
difficult to teach, because true hospitality comes from within. It’s simply a
desire to make people happy and to know what they want before they are going to
want it.”
His original restaurant, Jean-Georges, is one of only six
restaurants in New York City to be awarded the maximum three stars by the Michelin Guide. In addition to his
restaurant in Singapore, Chef Vongerichten’s Asian
restaurants are in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Dubai.
Chef Vongerichten received the
Ѹ’s Augie Award for Professional Excellence and
Innovation in 2014 and he won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding
Chef in 1998. His son Cédric earned a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts Management
from the Ѹ in 2006.
“There is something different about the caliber of talent from
this school. There is a level of commitment and discipline from the students
and graduates of the Ѹ,” said Chef Vongerichten. “If
you embrace your career with all that you have and all that you are, there is
potentially no more rewarding work than to be a chef.”
This class of 34 graduates began its Ѹ studies in
partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology in 2015 after completing
a three-year polytechnique diploma programme. Credits from previous business management
courses transferred, allowing students to complete their four-year degree with
two years of the Ѹ’s unparalleled hands-on culinary training and certain
required liberal arts courses.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
Internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten is flanked by the 2017 graduating class of The
Culinary Institute of America, Singapore following commencement ceremonies at
the college’s first international location on 13 September 2017. (Photo credit: The Culinary Institute of
America)
Media Contact:
Eve Felder
Managing Director
+(65) 8383 9134 (HP) or 6780 6382 (DID)
Eve.Felder@culinary.edu
Founded in 1946, Ѹ is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and
hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit Ѹ offers bachelor’s degrees in
management, culinary arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, and
associate degrees in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. The
college also offers executive education through its Food Business School along
with certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its
conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the Ѹ
the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of nearly 50,000
alumni includes innovators in every area of the food business. The Ѹ has
locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is Singapore’s university of applied
learning. It aims to be a leader in innovative university education by
integrating learning, industry and community. SIT offers applied degree programmes targeted at growth sectors of the economy. As a
new university, SIT offers its own applied degree programmes with a unique pedagogy that integrates work and study. It also offers specialised degree programmes in
partnership with world-class universities. To find out more about SIT, visit .
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