Tag: culinary academy

To showcase the finest cuisine, the art of fine dining calls for the strictest attention to plating and detail along with precise cooking methods. Current trends call for styling a dish with modern cooking techniques and combining artistic flair for an elegant dining experience.

OTTIMMO Culinary Art Academy has the expertise and knowledge, with world-class equipment, and renowned master chefs, to refine our students’ skills to become masters in the culinary arts.

Here are some of the culinary skills needed as a chef.

Sous-vide

One of the key modern preparation skills that a chef should have in his arsenal to excite his diners is sous-vide. This method is a modern twist on the traditional slow cooker. The ingredients get vacuum sealed in a bag, then slow cooked in a water bath. The result is delicious rendered-down meat and soft vegetables that create a scrumptious sauce to enhance the flavour and texture. Accompany these beautiful flavours with a thoughtful plating presentation to make your customers return back for more.

Spiralizing

A preparation skill that is often overlooked but can be hailed as a gluten free pasta dish is spiralizing. This technique eliminates the use of pasta and replaces it by spiralizing your vegetables into a substitute for a healthy alternative. Use the traditional sauces for your vegetable pasta meals, considering the reduced calories and as a gluten free alternative for those with allergies. The stunning natural colours from the vegetables will surely entice your guests with visual brilliance.

Infusion

The average cook does not use this method very often. The method of infusion, when used thoughtfully, can add a dimension of flavour. To separate the flavour from an item, steep it in hot liquid. It is typically added into the pressure cooker to infuse a meal. Garlic, chilies or black pepper are common spices, but lemon is also a great taste to utilize. Use these flavours in your cooking oils or in a variety of condiments. It can garnish your plate to add an artful touch.  A simple approach that is loved by the culinary world when used skillfully. 

The new age of fine dining has introduced the artful technique of replicating celebrity faces within the dish. This is definitely for those with a finer touch to detail. Consider using the pasta as hair, or brushing a sauce to create facial textures. It sounds like a radical idea but these methods are being used to create literal works of art. Impressing your guest with a beloved icon face will undoubtedly excite them.

“Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colours, there are only so many flavours – it’s how you combine them that sets you apart.” (Wolfgang Puck, Michelin Star Chef)

Consider this quote by renowned chef Wolfgang Puck, there are literally millions of combinations to consider when combining ingredients with a plethora of styles and flavours. You are only limited by your own imagination and skills. Take the step to let OTTIMMO Culinary Arts Academy reveal the tricks and tips in creating beautiful dishes with high-quality ingredients. Be a master of culinary arts with theoretical knowledge and practical skills at OTTIMMO MasterGourmet Academy.

Culinary business opportunities in Indonesia are plentiful and dependent on current trends as led by public opinion and popularity. Good fortune will surely follow if you find a niche and a good marketing strategy for your business concept. OTTIMMO Culinary Academy in Surabaya can provide you with all of your knowledge and professional guidance. The chefs at OTTIMMO will refine your culinary skills and your education to help you with this big business decision.

The evolution and innovation of new styles and techniques are what make the culinary industry so exciting.  Indonesians love their spicy foods without a doubt and have no limit to the types of snacks that they eat at any time of day. The wonderful culture and diversity of people here allow for some of the best flavours and an abundance of choices for food. Let’s review some popular types of food to consider for opening a business.

Banana Nugget

A new craze that’s grabbing chefs’ attention is the banana nugget business. Similar to Pisang Goreng, but prepared differently, these tasty treats are made with sweet bananas that get covered in flour and breadcrumbs, then fried until a little dry. Topped with a variety of flavours like chocolate, cheese, green tea, or Ovaltine among an assortment of others. The result is sweet, crunchy, with melted topping which is just perfect for dessert lovers.

Takoyaki

Takoyaki, originally from Japan, has been adopted by Indonesians and is presented with a twist. The traditional flavour is supposed to be stuffed with octopus, but here in Indonesia, the ingredient used is a different variety such as meatballs, sausage, chicken and cheese. These small snacks, approximately 3-5 cm, made from wheat flour, are fried in a pan with several semi-circle balls and flipped using chopsticks.

Martabak

Martabak is a traditional Indonesian street food that comes sweet and savoury. The savoury one is made with a thinly stretched wheat dough that is overlaid and gathered onto an egg and minced meat filling. The filling consists of egg, shallot onions, coriander, and added meat minced chicken or beef. For the sweet one, it is made with a batter that is filled with butter, chocolate sprinkles, freshly grated cheese, a drizzle of condensed milk, and peanut and sesame seeds added on top.

Now that you have a few great ideas for the types of food to sell, let’s review some business strategies on how to sell it. A new method for having your food available to a larger audience is having a takeout menu available on Grab or Gojek. From the comfort of their home, customers can order your delicious food.

How about using a food kiosk cart? That’s a cheap and easy method to transport your food and to have it available for the public in a busy location. A food truck is a really convenient way of transporting your business anywhere, and it allows you to bring a wider variety of cooking methods and tools altogether. Don’t forget to share your location on social media to let your customers know where you’ll be.

You don’t necessarily need a restaurant to supply food. Consider a hot trend on how to make a considerably good income by selling baby food.  The examples used here are a sample of the wealth of food inspiration to create memorable meals for the culinary business opportunities available here in Indonesia. Become a foodpreneur through mentorship and teachings at OTTIMMO Culinary Academy in Surabaya. Learn how to create a business plan in order to secure funding. Choose your suppliers for fresh local produce. Get the government licensing, hire employees, advertise, and learn all of this invaluable knowledge as well as the hands-on kitchen skills with OTTIMMO. Discover more business ideas at OTTIMMO MasterGourmet Academy.

The art of food presentation is almost as important as the food preparation itself. Creativity can shine through, but it must work harmoniously with the dish and flavours. OTTIMMO has mastered this skill and will share its trade secrets with talented students who seek the knowledge and have the willingness to excel in this ever-evolving industry. 

The technique of garnishing and plating: pairing the flavours and ingredients into perfect plates. The visual appeal will impress and tantalise the imagination of the diner, making it Instagram-worthy to showcase your talent and skill, not to mention bring customers to your restaurant.

Let’s start with some basic techniques and ideas that will give you some inspiration and motivation on how to make a beautiful plate that will convince your guest it tastes superb before it even touches their lips. 

1. Food Presentation: The Smear

The first style to review is the smear. Using a filled squeeze bottle of your delicious sauce, make a circular portion on the plate, then take a spoon, starting in the middle of the puddle and pushing it out to make a tail-like imprint. Voila, not that hard for a beginner.

2. Food Presentation: The Swirl

The second style, which requires a little more finesse, is the swirl. To achieve this effect, you will need to use a Lazy Susan or a cake spinner. With your plate spinning, use the squeeze bottle and pour out a line to create your design. Multiple sauces can be used in layers for intermediate difficulty and skill.

3. Food Presentation: The Stencil

The following technique uses spices powder for the stencil. You will need a fresh wall stencil and a powdered spice such as paprika, cinnamon, or cocoa. Place the stencil in the chosen space and sprinkle the powder. This is best used on a flat no-lip plate or platter in the unused area. It is a beautiful, simple design, guaranteed to impress.

4. Food Presentation: Graining

Now let’s try looking at a style that requires more of an expert touch, we call this graining. The tools needed are a food-safe paintbrush, a flat serving dish, dulce de leche, and chocolate sauce. Squeeze both sauces onto the dish, interchanging between colours, then use the paintbrush and pull down to create a wood grain effect in the sauce. For additional detail, use a graining comb, capture the imagination of the diner and leave a lasting impression for the final dessert course. 

Learn from The Expert

Chef Gordon Ramsay has dazzled the culinary world for decades. Let’s review one of his dishes at his famous London Maze Grill Restaurant. It’s called Sashimi on Ice, he uses 3 cuts of fish: 7 ounces each of sushi-grade tuna loin, butter fish fillet, and salmon fillet. Trim each piece into a perfect rectangle approximately 60 mm wide. Set a bamboo mat over a bowl of crushed ice. Add lemon and lime slices and shiso. Position the fish on the mat and garnish with the kiku flower. What an absolutely visually stunning presentation that will make your mouth water.

These are just some examples of the importance of food presentation and garnishing techniques used by world-class chefs. The OTTIMMO culinary academy will refine your skills through theory and hands-on training to enable the student to create their own masterpiece. No matter what your background, the main ingredients for cooking are passion and love of food. Come and join us today at OTTIMMO MasterGourmet Academy to upgrade your cooking proficiency.