Looking to cook at a whole new level? A globally renowned culinary school is coming to Thailand to help aspiring chefs sharpen their kitchen talents.

 

Ecole Ducasse, founded by French chef Alain Ducasse, is set to open early next year, starting with a studio in Nai Lert Park Heritage Home on Bangkok’s Wireless Road.

Ecole Ducasse is a network of schools founded in 1999 by Ducasse, a pioneering chef known for his Michelin accolades. Ducasse’s restaurants around the world collectively hold 20 Michelin stars. That includes his restaurant in riverside luxury mall Icon Siam, Blue by Alain Ducasse, which was bestowed a star in the French tire company’s latest guide.

The school is rooted in French culinary and pastry arts, offering academic courses that celebrate the heritage of the timeless cuisine. It will launch in Bangkok with Ecole Ducasse Studio, a sub-brand that offers courses ranging from beginner to advanced level. The school aims to accommodate just about anyone interested in fine food from short programs for food enthusiasts to intensive monthly programs, as well as three-year undergraduate programs culminating in a bachelor’s degree in culinary and pastry arts

The Bangkok branch will sit within the century-old tropical gardens of Nai Lert Park Heritage Home, occupying nearly 1,000sqm. It will also mark the start of a broader rollout in Thailand that will see the expansion of Ecole Ducasse Studios and other campuses in the next few years, all of which are intended to develop fine-dining talent.

Like other branches of Ecole Ducasse, which so far include outposts in Brazil and the Philippines, the Thai school will offer programs in culinary, pastry and sommelier arts. Unique to Thailand will be courses in Thai cuisine, on top of instruction in French cooking.

 

The arrival of the culinary schools plays into official efforts to advance Thailand’s food scene, an increasingly important source of revenue for the country.

Over the past decade, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has thrown its eggs into the food tourism basket. The agency has brought in the Michelin guide while elevating the profile of chefs like Jay Fai and anointing an “Amazing Thailand Culinary Ambassador” in American chef Andy Ricker, of Pok Pok fame.  

Thailand’s usual swell of international visitors spend on average 20% of their budget on food, according to authority, yielding billions of dollars in revenue.

 

Read more Coconuts Bangkok stories here.

This story originally appeared in BK.

 

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