Adam Note: Grace feels like someone I’ve met before but I never have. She has a bubbly personality that I’ve never seen and an indomitable spirit I’ve only read. Check out her love of cooking and science and how she was able to combine them at the end and do some incredible things in the RCA.
CAUGHT IN BETWEEN THE LOVE FOR CULINARY AND SCIENCES
Since young, I have always dreamt to become a Chef, so I started to cook at a very young age. However, as I grow older I realize that the satisfaction of cooking wasn’t sufficient for me as I am always curious about why can food be so magical in which it can drives cultures and trends. To be frank, despite of all kinds of tensions or mishaps happening everyday around us, food is indeed one of best magic and all-time ice breaker to draw relationships closer and brings joy to people.
As a staple element for human beings, the art of transforming home cooked food into the commercialized food products, provides varieties to people around the world and that is how globalization can happened. Before 21, I have never traveled to any country before, but residing in Malaysia, we sincerely know how good our food are. Yes, and we are so proud of it. I wish that by knowing A-Z about food, I can help people to understand how much food do not only to fill up our tummy but also as a tool to raise a nation.
However, the education system in Malaysia implies that science studies should be the preferred thing to do. I love doing science but I love to express it in an artistic way, which doesn’t really fits in the norm here. I love to culinary and pastry but I want to learn from a scientific perspective that give me the satisfaction of knowing more about the food industry.
Being the only country outside the States offering this course, it’s exciting yet intimidating at the same time, as we are the pioneers. I received dozens enquiries from people asking about difference between food science and Culinology, many are still skeptical about the course.
Culinology comprises the disciplines of both Food Science and Culinary Arts as well as a little bit of Food Technology. I am tremendously intrigued by the modules while many commented the idea wouldn’t work here as the concept of this American hybrid course may be controversial. But Oh Well, I just get easily bored doing the same thing old thing.
FOOD SCIENCE VS CULINOLOGY
WE DON’T MEAN TO REPLACE ANYONE.
Taking the Culinology course has made my life more interesting with the dramas going on around me. Well, honestly speaking we have never thought to replace anyone but we often get bad feedbacks in the initial stage that we are threats that talk big about our ability.
To make it clear, there are no fixed job scopes when it comes to R&D Executive, Food Product Developer or Food Technologist and so on as every company define their own job descriptions. The food scientist and the chefs plays a crucial role that can’t be ignored. As for us, we appreciate being the “bridge” that connects both sides. Even though we learned both ways but as the food industry is way more complex than what we thought, so Culinology is basically crafted to serve the industry better.
We were trained to understand the whole picture of the food industry but the details are for us to venture. As you go through the course, you can discover your true calling in the food industry whether it’s on the science, culinary or business side of the industry.
LIFE AS A CULINOLOGY STUDENT
I remember when I was a student, there are a total of 6 semesters and two internships to be completed, where culinary skills and science knowledge are equally focused, ensuring that our skills sets are rock solid. Besides that, business presentations were conducted very frequently to develop critical thinking skills as we understand we can’t run away from the fact that the food products we developed in the future has to be profitable. Well, yeah.
I personally joined two student competitions held by RCA, first in New Orleans and secondly in Denver. The experiences gained from the competition are extremely beneficial for we were challenged to write a scientific proposal of a food product to be developed, followed by an on-site culinary challenge to prepare the dish, and compare the freshly prepared food with the formulated version. What’s more exciting? The feeling of evolving as the Champion team in the year of 2016 is absolutely astonishing!
CULINOLOGY IN MALAYSIA: CAREER ON DEMAND, BUT ROAD LESS TAKEN
Fast forwarding to the time when I accomplished the course I am glad to observed a trend where more food companies starting to see the connections between the art and science of food. The ability to combine the idea and express them into our career has lengthened the horizon of job selections.
As of today, we have graduates that being placed in different aspect in the industry, and whenever we gathered around, there will be exciting discussion about food coming from difference perspective. For instance, we have students with a culinary background found his calling being a flavourist in a flavour house, while we have students with science background that found his true calling being a technical chef. As for myself, I started off my career as a product & application specialist but the interest of promoting the product developed has open up the door for me to be a Marketing Officer.
As a person who enjoys varieties and communicates with fluent food industry language, I find myself indulged in the course wholeheartedly. It’s a great pleasure meeting people coming from different aspects in the food industry and I love every challenge that I’ve bumped into, and I am able to channel my love for food through different channels.
Visitation from Christine Proper (Former RCA President) and Dr.Michael Cheng
2016 RCA Student Competition
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