We got to host a group of culinary students from Estonia's Tartu Vocational College through the ERASMUS+ Mobility Program this year and last year. After the study period at Kul IN, we organized an internship for them in partnership with the Le Meridien Lav hotel in Split, and we added the restaurants Starac i more and Bronzin to our list of partners this year.
During the program at Kul IN, the students mastered culinary techniques, thermal processing and portioning and presentation of the dishes they prepared every day in the kitchen.
After Kul IN portion of the program, they were ready to start their internship in the professional environment.
We talked with some of the students and asked them to share their thoughts about the program and why they decided to study abroad.
Check out what they told us!
BECOMING A BETTER CHEF THROUGH NEW EXPERIENCES
KALMER: Basically, I wanted to become a better chef, and studying abroad gives you the opportunity to encounter different culinary techniques and get a better understanding of other cultures. We covered different themes at Kul IN to prepare for the internship, but my favorite thing was learning to prepare risotto the correct way. The internship should be full of fast paced work, new recipes and fun colleagues.
DIFFERENT WAYS OF PREPARATION
JAN GREGOR: It was interesting to learn about wines, I didn't know there were so many things to think about when choosing a wine. I was also looking forward to preparing lamb in a new way. I have prepared lamb in Estonia, but here I found some differences and learned to prepare it differently, more Mediterranean.
NEW HORIZONS, SIMILAR INGREDIENTS
KILLU: The program gave me new ideas that I will bring with me to Estonia. I acquired a new perspective and a new vision when approaching any meal. You can have similar ingredients and combine them completely differently depending on which cuisine culture you belong to. That was beautiful tu observe.
SPICING THINGS UP WITH THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
MARLEEN: I loved that I learned how to prepare lamb, duck, ratatouille, and risotto. Wine pairing lesson was also something new for me. I have done internships back home, so I wanted to spice things up and do an internship and study program in Croatia. I knew it would expand my worldview. I acquired new culinary skills and practiced English of course. It was very interesting to see how a same dish can be prepared in different ways depending on where in the world you are. I hope the internship will be full of beautiful views, new skills and techniques and nice team.
