Swillie and Western Culinary Arts Education

Swillie and Western Culinary Arts Education Tucson Jialin At that time, Professor Tang Degang said that because of the large number and high quality of professors among Chinese in the United States, &#822…

Swillie and Western Culinary Arts Education Tucson Jialin At that time, Professor Tang Degang said that because of the large number and high quality of Chinese professors in the United States, the old saying "Without Hunan, you cannot form an army" could be transplanted to the American academic community and become "Without China, you cannot form an army." In other words, "there is no school without Chinese people." As one of the Chinese people in the academic world, the author is now deeply moved by another old saying, that is, "Three hundred and sixty years of practice will lead to a top scholar." I have long heard the name of Mr. Bill Sy, an outstanding figure in the mainstream Western culinary industry in the United States. There are countless outstanding culinary masters in the Chinese food industry in the United States, and Professor Si is recognized as one of the top 100 master chefs in the American Western food industry, and he is also the only Chinese-American on the Dianjiang list. Mr. Si and I both grew up and were educated in Taiwan. We both came to the United States to study in the 1960s, and we both wrote for the "Alberta Times." Sometimes, one side of my articles is a column about cooking by Mr. Si, but we have always been side by side. It wasn't until May this year that I met him at a Taiwanese Association performance. At the invitation of Mr. Cheng Si, my doctoral student Liu Xiaoyi and I were able to visit the Culinary Arts School of Tucson Academy of the Arts, which he directed. The Art Institute of Tucson is located on East Grand Street and has several major educational areas: culinary arts, design, costume, and media arts. Walking into the elegant and tidy college building, we were led into the south wing where the School of Culinary Arts Management is located. There is a row of display windows introducing Western food genres and subjects. One of them is filled with gold medals and photos that Si Wanchun won in European and American cooking competitions. Professor Si has served as the president of the Arizona Culinary Arts Association for many years. Two years ago, Professor Si was hired by the Tucson Art Institute to come to Tucson from Phoenix to preside over the newly established Culinary Arts Institute. There were only seven students in the first year, but today, two years later, there are 150 students studying cooking here. The rapid development is the result of Professor Si's hard work. Among the students at the culinary school are people from all walks of life, even surgeons. We asked: "Does a doctor not practice medicine well and come to a culinary school to take classes even though he is busy?" Mr. Si replied with a smile, "As the saying goes: 'Eat what you do, blame what you do'. This surgeon usually saw life, old age, illness and death in hospitals and clinics. He said that in this high-pressure industry, he made a lot of money and the loss of life was also considerable. So he retired. He wanted to be a chef in the future. I remember there was a Chinese who studied medicine but suddenly stopped working as a pharmacist and wanted to open a Chinese restaurant. When I asked him why, he said that when he gave the medicine to the patients, everyone looked sad. But when the guests ate the dishes, he became even happier. " Professor Si’s own experience is equally colorful. His ancestral home is Shandong, and he was born in South Korea because his father was a businessman living in South Korea. The situation in the mainland changed, and the Korean War broke out. The family was in trouble and it was difficult to return, so he came to Taiwan when he was a child. After graduating from Taiwan Normal University, he stayed in the United States and studied business administration in San Francisco. At that time, to raise tuition, he worked at the five-star Fairmont Hotel. He was appreciated by top chefs and received his careful guidance, so he was able to learn the essence of hotel management and Western cooking skills. The fighting spirit I learned in Jianguo Middle School will never be forgotten. With continuous efforts, he made further progress and became better than his master, finally establishing his outstanding position in the Western food industry. Professor Si holds a master's degree in business administration and has further studied educational leadership and will receive a doctorate. He introduced to us that the curriculum of the Culinary Arts Institute is not just for the training of general chefs. Its teaching also covers baking, ethnic cooking, wine and food matching and cooking management, as well as world-class catering and hotel management, catering services, etc. The pre-completion internship project is to work in the restaurant of Tucson Art Institute to prepare for working in the industry. Tucson Art Institute has established an affiliated restaurant (Art Institute Bistro) since July last year. It is open to the public at noon three days a week. You must call in advance to make a reservation. We tasted the grilled fish with Caesar salad and the grilled Alaskan tail. As expected, famous teachers give birth to great disciples, and every dish is a carefully crafted work of art that is of the highest quality in color, fragrance, and taste. After trying it, I had endless aftertaste. Those who live in Tucson are in luck. Professor Si is the only Asian qualified judge in the Asia-Pacific region of the International Culinary Competition in the United States. The license is issued by the World Culinary Association. Professor Si said - Being a judge gives you the opportunity to learn from young talents. It is a good opportunity to absorb new knowledge and ideas, and you will benefit a lot.