The Road to Fulfilling the Japanese Dream

We are extremely happy to share that our alumni Michael Kostov has been selected to become a trainee for this year’s Japanese Cuisine and Food Culture Human Resource Development Program.

This is a training program for foreign chefs to learn Japanese cuisine and become professionals. They will spend six months training in top Japanese restaurants. The program is officially supported by MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) of Japan and is designed to provide non-Japanese professional chefs with know-how about the Japanese culture and ingredients around the world.

During the program the participants will gain knowledge and skills about:

• Japanese cuisine and dietary culture
• Japanese ingredients
• hygiene management
• basic handling of cooking utensils and knives
• the Five Technique of Japanese cuisine

We had the opportunity to meet our alumni to share his excitement before his departure to Japan:

• Can you describe the application process for the program?

It was pretty easy, as everybody knows, the Japanese people are well organized. Everything that was document related or something about the program, or if you just have a question they answer no matter what time of the day it is.

• What are your main goals and expectations for this program in Japan?

My main goal is to learn more about the Japanese cuisine and culture, because every region has its own interpretation of the cuisine.

• How do you envision your career progressing after completing this program?

I see my career after the program more successful and inspired. My plan is to go somewhere abroad, in a Japanese cuisine to practice everything and also to inspire people with all of the things that I learned in Japan.

HRC Culinary Academy supports Michael’s passion for Japanese cuisine and culture and his upcoming postgraduate qualification is a real proof that everything can be achieved, and every dream can be fulfilled. Becoming a trainee for the Japanese Cuisine and Food Culture Human Resource Development Program is a natural extension of his internship, which was at the Japanese Hotel Okura Amsterdam.