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What a night! Great fun and a great way to socialise - write on the wall - watch a video - eat drink and be merry
To book a table of 10 please contact us on 0847417471 CHOICE OF 5 STAR 4 COURSE MENUS
DINNERS/FUNDRAISERS WILL RUN (Tuesdays) DURING JUNE 2024
WITH GUEST CHEFS AND STUDENTS
Exciting Update from One Chef at a Time! 🎉
Hey Everyone!
Hold onto your chef's hats because we've got some great news from our soon to be foundation!
Training for Change: Our mission to empower refugees from Burma and hill tribe people from Northern Thailand is in full swing! We're rolling up our sleeves and getting down to business, providing training that opens doors to new opportunities and brighter futures.
Student happenings! Excerpt from a popular local magazine: An incredibly heartwarming moment for the Culinary Arts Foundation of Thailand (aka One Chef at a Time) to see it's graduates excel in the workplace surrounded by top Chiang Mai Chefs. The Foundation provides a 12-week professional credited cooking class for underprivileged students whom have no resources and/ or family support. This special dinner was a sold out event at the Aquaria Restaurant featuring five (5) of Chiang Mai's top Chefs.
Student placements in Chiang Mai
Chef's House
Lanna Oriental
Shangri - la Hotel
Terras Restaurant
Red Box
Aquila Restaurant
Aquaria Restaurant
and
Fullerton Hotel Singapore!
Building dreams Stage 1: Our new training kitchen is shaping up nicely! With the foundations laid and walls up, we're now onto the nitty-gritty of installing utilities. Huge shoutout to our amazing supporters for making it all possible! We are about 80% equipped for the heavy duty kitchen equipment.
Cooling Things Down: Our new bakery department will be air-conditioned. It's all about creating the perfect environment for our trainees to unleash their baking talents and creativity!
Looking Ahead: Stage 2 is on the horizon, with plans for an adjoining restaurant and meeting room. But first, let's get this kitchen up and running! We'll be starting training again in our brand new kitchen, towards the end of August
Advisory panel: With everything happening so fast I advertised for an advisory panel to help with admin, fundraising, social media , accounting etc etc. I'm delighted to tell you we had many volunteer applicants and we now have some excellent advisors with foundation experience to help us along the way. On behalf of myself and the students, a big thank you to those who quietly give up their time to help others..
Training support: We have a new training support book for students. With language barriers, its a great way for them to take their own notes and reflect back on the course after they start work. Everything we do on the course is covered in the book, including over 400 recipes! During the course we have a social media group and share pictures of what we've been cooking or preparing. Methods of cookery are recorded and are there for reference after the course.
On schedule: With Thai new year and temperatures over 40C /105F things slowed down a little but we are ahead of schedule to complete the build. The builders are amazing, working in difficult conditions. Our bricklayer is a Burmese lady who is just amazing. The speed she builds walls is stunning! With a little help from previous students
Future events: We will be hosting a series of fundraising lunches/dinners in the new building (while it is still a raw brick and concrete floor environment) with a surprise theme. We hope to have parties of 10 at a time. Some of the post grad students will be coming to cook for us. Please let me know if this appeals to you!
Community: Chiang Mai University (CMU) will be creating a brand new degree course in Culinary Arts. I have agreed to do some teaching and assist with the syllabus. Ultimately a collaboration between our Foundation and CMU can only benefit our own students with possibilities of future employment on the university campus and accreditation of our certificate.
So, it's all systems go! We are actively seeking corporate sponsorship from companies who would benefit from a charitable footprint in South East Asia. If you or your employer would be interested please ask for a sponsor pack. It is our intention to commit to sponsors who commit with us and the students. Right now, we need 160,000 baht to complete the next course.
We are so grateful for your existing support - please ask a friend if they would like to join us on our journey
Book a table of ten friends to come and experience a great dinner and a fun atmosphere in our half built commercial kitchen - tel 0861117766 or 0847417471 (Thai)
Thanks again for all your support
We have had some amazingly generous donations to help build the new training centre. We’re still short of cash but will sort it out one way or another. (a little thing like lack of cash won’t stop us!)
We have around 70% of the kitchen equipment and will start to place it when the tiling is finished in a month or two. To give you an idea the picture below is based on the equipment we have (except for the extractor hood)
We will shortly be opening applications for new students. Anyone who is passionate about cooking and fits our mission/vision statements can apply If you know of anyone (language/age (18+) is not a barrier) please let me know. You can email to bpern@hotmail.com with APPLICATION in the subject line.
Stage 1 - Training kitchen
Stage 2 with meeting room, training restaurant and classroom area for language studies
During this time we are (slowly) migrating our website to our new Foundation which should be completed by Autumn 2024. Please read on to see how we are growing from a small beginning into a larger foundation to continue our work guided by the same Mission and Vision statement. A link to our new foundation website is Culinary Arts Foundation of Thailand
Certificate presentation 0
When students first arrive to study, they are nervous and shy. By the time they complete the course they have gained confidence and are ‘ready’ to face the daunting challenges of their first full time employment.
Each student has a story to tell and it never ceases to amaze me how balanced and smiley they are considering the hardships they have endured in their young lives.
All students from this course have been placed with excellent employers. Before placing a student we chat with the potential employers and sponsors about the students’ strengths so they understand what is expected of them. This is fine but for most of them but it will be the first time alone, renting a room and starting work. Loneliness is a huge thing they have to deal with as, up until now, they have lived with others in dormitories or shared rooms. To rent a room alone in an unfamiliar area is daunting and can jeopardise employment if the student is not supported.
To this end we keep in touch with all student and they with us. Any problems, they can tell us in confidence and we try to help them as much as possible.
Once again , thank you for all your support and a special mention to thank Darryl, our treasurer, who for the last five years has meticulously recorded all financial details and minutes of meetings.
In a couple of months I will update on how these students are doing. They have been placed at: Chef’s House, Terra Restaurant, Aquila Restaurant, Seven Senses and Shangri-la
Until next time….
Cooking for the stars
We are thrilled to update you on the recent event where our student chefs had the opportunity to meet and cook a three-course meal for three of the top Michelin-star trained chefs in Chiang Mai. The Chefs were Chef Pomme (Nakara Le Jardin) Chef Phubase (Aquila) and Chef New ( Chef's House)
The students, who come from underprivileged backgrounds, were understandably nervous at the prospect of cooking for such esteemed guests. However, they rose to the challenge and created an impressive meal that wowed the chefs and guests alike.
The menu featured a variety of dishes, including Seabass mousseline with Shrimp bisque, Confit of duck with crispy garlic choux pastry balls, pickled beetroot and white kidney bean with toasted breadcrumbs. For desserts a hazelnut ganache coated with crunchy chocolate, praline, lemon curd, strawberry and raspberry coulis. The dessert had to be completed in the freezer working on iced granite slabs due to the extreme temperatures in the kitchen! . The young chefs put their heart and soul into each dish, and their hard work paid off when the top chefs praised the meal for its creativity, flavours, and presentation.
This event was a great opportunity for these young chefs to showcase their talents, work under extreme pressure and prove that they have what it takes to succeed in the culinary world. It also served as a reminder of the importance of supporting and empowering young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
We are incredibly proud of these young chefs and grateful to the top chefs for their participation and support. We hope that this event will inspire others to invest in the future of our youth and help them achieve their dreams.
Dear all,
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to update you on the progress of OCaaT’s Youth Chef's Training Scheme
Our 5 new students started training on 7th March 2023. The course got off to a great start with the students learning key culinary words and how to make 4 basic stocks. Their enthusiasm is a delight for a teacher!
Since our last update, we've achieved some incredible milestones that we'd like to share with you:
We have successfully trained 4 more young chefs, with an impressive 100% job placement rate in the hospitality industry. These young adults are now able to support themselves and their families, thanks to the valuable skills they've learned.
We've expanded our program to include culinary classes, allowing young chefs to experiment with different cooking techniques and flavors, and discover their own unique style.
We produced a 400 + recipe and skills ‘Course Support Book’ covering everything we do during the course
We have been approached by 4 highly rated restaurants to employ our trainees at the end of the course. Offering fair salaries with excellent opportunities for promotion and working in safe and respectful environments.
We are working closely with Skills 4 Life Foundation and are delighted to include four of their students in our current March 2023 course.
Two of our talented graduates will return to train our new students in professional plate decoration and a bread baking day.
As we move forward, we remain committed to helping even more young adults unlock their potential and achieve their dreams. Your continued support will make all the difference.
Thank you again for everything you do. We'll keep you updated on our progress and look forward to sharing more success stories with you soon.
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In collaboration with Skills for Life Foundation, The One Chef at a Time team together with Ratchamankha Hotel chefs prepared an evening of delicious Burmese food.
The event, which quickly sold out, was a fundraiser for the training of the new students who start in March 2023. The feedback has been great!
All enjoyed a wonderful evening of great food, complimented by musings from Joanna Maclean, former head of International Red Cross, referring to some of her experiences when posted in Myanmar.
There was also an introduction to the new students and a presentation of Certificates of Achievement and Course Support Cookery Book for our 'post grads'.
All in all, it was a fun event which achieved its goal of continuing the valuable training to provide opportunities for these young adults.
Thank you to all who attended.
Update: One Chef at a Time project
The current course is now completed, and the students were assessed with 'distinction' marks. The continuous assessment and periodic exams proved positive the efforts these students from the Chin State in Myanmar have so conscientiously applied to this course
Khun Ching, an effervescent & fun-loving student, is spending increasing amounts of time working in the kitchen at a local, reputable restaurant. Before the course, she was too nervous to enter the kitchen. I believe the course has given her the confidence to take the next step to achieve her goal of becoming an excellent chef!
I am absolutely delighted that Khun Kwa, who was always keen to learn every detail offered during his training, will be starting work at Chef's House. Chef's House is owned and run by a very talented Chef whose experience includes 18 years in Michelin-starred restaurants. For someone to gain a position at such a prestigious establishment having come from a particularly unfortunate background is what makes One Chef at a Time truly worthwhile. As Kwa so aptly put it …
"To my skillful and kind teacher, I am extremely grateful for his supervision, encouragement, patient guidance, kindly permission, and suggestions during the entire course. This cooking class has taught me not only how to cook but to also find my passion and how to achieve my goal.”
We are looking forward to the enrollment of the next students starting this year in October.
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Chef’s House is managed and owned by Chef New, a Michelin star-trained chef with 18 years experience. He kindly invited our students to spend a day in his kitchen working alongside his very talented chefs. The kitchen is very modern, squeaky clean, and designed to cope adequately with his 11 course fine-dining menu. His staff is friendly and efficient and made us feel very welcome.
Our students (and me!) enjoyed using our existing knowledge to help with the preparation . New machinery, new methods and new recipes. We were treated with a lunch and chatting with all the staff it is obviously a great place to work.
One very satisfying comment came from one of the students who remarked “we’ve done all this on our course’. Perhaps an exaggeration but nevertheless a welcome comment. They got stuck in quickly alongside these highly trained chefs.
Driving back after this amazing experience the students were obviously excited about an offer from the owner for us to return and spend a few days with his staff. A great day and great experience for these young trainees.
Thank you to all who have helped over the years to make this happen and of course the owner and staff at Chef’s House https://www.facebook.com/chefhousecnx
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The students have been working hard and have produced some amazing foods. When they first started we told them that in 12 weeks they would be producing restaurant standard foods and be confident enough to walk into a professional kitchen and get on with it. They were doubtful! However, as the course has progressed so has their confidence. They retain loads of information and more importantly, can put it into practice.
We had a guest appearance for a day of breadmaking. Ooh, who started as a cleaner at Pern’s 9 years ago, is a great bread chef. Ooh kindly came over for the day and demonstrated yeast goods. Together with the students they produced some light and tasty bread rolls and loaves. Continuing on the pastry theme we produced some great desserts and flans
The students made choux pastry , sugar paste, flan paste and experienced using puff pastry. They also made a variety of potato dishes - Duchess, croquette, brioche, Anna and Rosti, as well as making fresh pasta. We try to teach modern methods of cookery as well as classical to keep up to date with trends in catering.
Creme Brulee
Skills for Life team
We were delighted to have a visit from Skills for Life Foundation (https://www.skills4life-asia.org/) with Dominique, Vincent and Khun Anchana experiencing an amazing meal produced and served by our students and ably assisted by K. Gong, a Skills for life student who is currently studying catering in Chiang Mai. We discussed the possibility of training some of their graduates from catering college. Darryl Jones (OCaaT treasurer) also attended and enjoyed spending time with the students. Darryl would like to see more funds coming in, to build on what we have already achieved.
More to come soon
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Luxury dessert
Dark chocolate spehere with white chocolate sphere inside filled with chocolate truffle and raspberry ganache, mango dice and fruit coulis.
The One Chef at a Time project has taken nearly 4 years to come to fruition. Many friends have helped and given great advice along the way, but one person deserves a special mention. He maintains accurate reporting and record keeping. He organizes our meetings and records the minutes. A big thank you to Darryl
After 2 years of pandemic and realistically not being able to make informed decisions, we met with NGOs and a Foundation that will fit the bill for our Mission and Vision statements. As a result of these meetings, we focused back on our original goal of training young adults with the objective of gainful and long-term employment within the catering industry.
We now have three students on our Pro 1 Culinary skills course. The course is 12 weeks long and started on May 17th, 2022. The students are enjoying every minute (proudly wearing the OCaaT uniform) and even turned up on a no-study day! Keen and eager to gain every bit of information. Recording details on their phones and writing lots of notes in their own languages, using a translator for their questions, and using our extensive library to gain more information.
We have formed a group on Line and regularly upload an abridged training video of the actual lesson they have just completed. With a daily recap of the previous day's lesson and an end of the week quiz, they are showing great promise and retaining most of the lessons.
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Daily OCaaT progress reports are maintained recording the topics being taught. The reports include the format of the lesson, machinery they have been trained on, and the following day's recap.
With closer relations being sought with a reputable and long-standing Foundation we are hopeful the next course will be starting around early September.
Has changed everything. Its like suspended animation - we will wait for the right opportunity to get back to our mission to provide a long-term future for marginalized people, who have little or no hope in their current situation. We’re still here!
Pictured below is the presentation of the first scholarship funding to help pay for our student training at Novotel Chiang Mai
Darryl Jones, Project Coordinator One Chef at a Time,
Gille Poitevin Executive Chef Novotel Chiang Mai
Brian Pern, Project Director One Chef at a Time
Update letter sent to subscribers on 27 October 2019
27 October 2019
Dear All …
I am delighted to tell you we have our first employer and will be looking to formally start our program maybe as soon as next March. We are in the midst of student selection that meets with our vision and mission statements.
Just a quick recap as to some of what has transpired …
1. We raised enough to train 4 students so far
2. Our committee has had numerous meetings going over the direction of the project, exploring the ideas of finding a place to reconstruct/renovate for a training center, and the many tasks involved to support the project, etc. Together with the dramatic downturn in the local economy we felt we had to change our thinking and plan of action.
3. We’ve met and consulted with other knowledgeable people in the culinary field and obtained some great feedback
4. Prepared a syllabus for 2 courses, beginner and advanced
5. Prepared a Employer-Student agreement
6. Prepared both Employer & Student assessment forms
7. We finalized and launched our website www.onechefatatime.org
During the past few months we have all been working hard to achieve our goal of training students to a level appropriate for gainful and full time employment. Although at first this seemed like a relatively simple task it proved to be a longer journey than we felt required or doable.
After focusing on local laws and to satisfy our fundraising needs we realized this project could actually take too long to get started and as such we looked at alternative ways of achieving the same goals but with different approaches.
We were greeted enthusiastically by a couple of industry leaders in Chiang Mai where we discussed the suggested syllabus and methods of teaching. As a result we have made a decision that we feel will be better for the student to train in an existing facility rather than provide the facility ourselves. Obviously this reduces the costs considerably but necessitated the need for a detailed agreement with the student and potential trainer/employer to complete the syllabus and to help ensure the safety of the student.
We have recently teamed up with a local foundation to provide the students interested in the culinary field of work. With the current funds raised we can most likely support 3 students, approximately Bt 30,000 each and hopefully, with continued support, we’ll be able to increase this number. We envisage individual sponsorship of students as well as smaller donations as a way to achieve our goal.
Once again it’s time to thank all involved for your patient and generous time and donations which have led to us getting to this stage of the project.
When the official start date of the first student is confirmed I will contact you again. We will have a celebration meeting in Chiang Mai to which you will be invited. The student and employer will both be present (all things being equal!) so you can see what you have actually achieved. In the meantime please chat with friends to help raise awareness
You can contact us any time on +66(0)861117766
or at info@onechefatatime.org
Thank you again
Until the next time!
Brian Pern
Event
Monday 13th May - Raising funds for One Chef at a Time
Tulou Restaurant Chiang Mai - If you like Peking Duck and Dim sum you’re in luck! An amazing Chinese buffet with demonstrations of Peking duck carving and making and cooking dim sum
Price: 699B or 599B in advance
For further information please call +66(0)861117766
0r: email info@onechefatatime.org
