On the fringes of the International Chefs’ Day celebrated since 2004, some professionals are making strong commitments. The Mauritian Chef’s Association has announced several events and competitions aimed at young people, but above all, a national classification of chefs, a City & Guilds certified while Chef Yu, Ayushi Gooroochurn, is committed to changing the image, status and equal rights of women in this field considered patriarchal.
Competition for those in Grade 4
The first commemorative component concerns all students. It is the 2021 Healthier Kids Programme, a Grade 4 Culinary Contest: ‘Super-Chef Family’ by the Mauritian’s Chef’s Association. “Our competition is all about health so the dishes in competition should be a selection that promote better health”, says Master Chef Mooroogun Coopen, the President of the Mauritian’s Chef’s Association. The competition will be held in three rounds, two of which will be online and the final in front of a panel of judges including Master Chef Mooroogun Coopen on 20th November.
Healthy Food for the Future
This is the theme around which the MCA wants to mark this International Chefs Day 2021 and they are working together with the World Association of Chef Societies -WORLD CHEFS and Nestlé Professional on this. The aim of the Healthy Food for the Future programme is to educate children under the age of 12 about ‘Healthy Eating’ and how to balance the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Already presented to the Ministry of Education, they are waiting for a favourable response to launch it on a national scale. For the time being, this pedagogy is done in workshops in collaboration with NGOs.
Substitute culinary schools
In close collaboration with the Adolescent Non Formal Education Network (ANFEN) and the Tourism Employees Welfare Fund (TEWF), culinary schools will be established to provide a substitute for children who cannot adapt to traditional education.
Other programmes
For this 17th year, the MCA will be offering distance learning to members on Indian cuisine in 8 sessions and will be conducted by Chef Dhamendra Bachu. They are also working on a Mauritian Cookbook, a compilation of the chefs who are members of the association.
Due to the pandemic, the induction of new members could not coincide with the International Chefs Day 2021. “We are waiting for the health protocols to evolve before doing so. Preparations are already underway,” says the Master Chef. In addition, the MCA will soon start preparing a team of young chefs for the African Culinary Cup 2022.
A classification of Executive Chefs certified City & Guilds
Mauritius is one of the countries with a large number of chefs in terms of tourism and the number of hotels and restaurants. “However, there are also self-proclaimed chefs who do not have diplomas or sufficient experience but who claim to have this title. This is untrue and unfair to those who are still working to achieve this title. In commemoration of International Chefs Day 2021, we intend to restore this justice,” says Master Chef Mooroogun Coopen, who believes in meritocracy. He is moving forward with a classification according to the World Chefs Global Culinary Certification criteria and certified by the City & Guilds. As he says: “The holder of this badge is a professional chef with extensive knowledge and experience in food operations management. This person has a proven track record in managing all aspects of a culinary operation, which includes strategic planning, managing and developing staff, budgeting and forecasting and contributing to the implementation of the establishment’s strategic plan. The holder of this badge is employed as an Executive Chef, Corporate Executive Chef (or equivalent) or runs their own business. Interested people are requested to contact the MCA to obtain this form.”
Chef Yu: “Giving women their due in this business
Ayushi Gooroochurn, or more precisely Chef Yu needs no introduction. She is already famous, followed by thousands on her social networks. With her ‘Commandant’ personality, this character, who parades herself as a tomboy, has managed to carve out a slice of this often-considered patriarchal culinary world, and thinks it is time to raise up those and especially women in difficulty. “It is a fact that injustice is everywhere and those, who suffer from it whether it’s at the level of their ranks or their salaries, know how tough it is to live this daily life while striving for the sake of this art. I was a victim of this for a long time but I knew how to raise my voice at the right time in my journey at sea, abroad and in Mauritius. It is my turn to raise my voice for the voiceless. My fight to mark this 17th International Chef’s Day is to support women and the less fortunate interested in this beautiful profession, to restore equal rights to people of various ranks in the kitchen brigade but also to all those women who suffer salary injustice in silence for the love of the profession and those who are victims of the glass ceiling in this profession” she says.
Ongoing and upcoming projects
Apart from her book which will be published soon, where this former student of fine arts at the UOM, will reveal the quintessence of art in her dishes and her project of a semi-Gastronomic Restaurant in Flic en Flac, she will open a school right next to her future restaurant where she will teach the most interested but also those without financial means for whom the courses will be free and their works will be marketed to their advantage. “My school project will be free for the less fortunate who really want to succeed in life. Through the courses, they will learn to make dishes that I can put on the menu. Every penny will be used to support their families even before they enter the sector. There will be special attention to the otherwise able students in my classes. I will help them become, dare I say, fully capable in the kitchen,” says Chef Yu. Through her semi-Gastronomic Restaurant the chef intends to support local producers “I want to promote local culture and fresh products. I am in contact with many local farmers and fishermen by buying their products. To be honest, I really want to leave a positive footprint in this world…” she concludes.
