Abstract

This study analyses the history of culinary arts education and the system for acquiring occupational certification in Taiwan, with the aim of better understanding the current situation. From 2012 to 2015, the author interviewed the graduates of the Department of Western Culinary Arts of National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, and the students who studied in French culinary schools in order to collect information about their study experiences and career development. Based on the information collected, the author found that the interviews pointed out a clearer trend of human resource development in Western cuisine, especially the training process of students who studied overseas. In this study, the author found that the cooks or chefs who had finished basic training in Taiwan and those who did not finish basic training but went directly to foreign culinary schools had different motivations for studying overseas. The cooks or chefs working in Western fine dining had stronger motivations to study or work in other countries because they wanted to improve their skills, and knew more about the origins of cuisine. Most students of foreign culinary schools didn't have any experience in catering, but studying there would give them an opportunity to enter the industry. As the number of people who study abroad increases, the study found the change of career development of chefs and cooks in the field of Western cuisine in Taiwan via the analysis of the collected interviews.