As Taiwan's food industry evolves with the changing times, a new generation of chefs is leading the island into an era of fresh trends.
"Today's youngsters are much luckier than us in the early days if they are really interested in cooking as a career," says 48-year-old Hsiao Fu-chuan, deputy executive chef at the five-star Caesar Park Taipei Hotel. "They have a lot of resources to help them build up their skills and advance up the corporate ladder."
Hsiao started as an apprentice in the hotel's restaurant after he graduated from high school and finished his military service. "In the first few months, I was ordered to do nothing but wash vegetables and prepare utensils and condiments for the chefs," he says. "In the kitchen, there used to be a firm pecking order. You started with the basics, and if your seniors liked your attitude, they might teach you something."
Hsiao remembers how authoritative the older chefs were, and how humble the young apprentices had to be. "You had to show a lot of respect to your seniors to keep them happy and make your days easier," he says. "And while watching them work, you had to use every chance to 'secretly learn' from them because they usually weren't too generous about passing on their skills and knowledge."
It took nearly 20 years in the same hotel for Hsiao to climb to his current position, which he finally graduated to five years ago.
But new kitchen employees have it easier, says Hsiao. "They don't need to spend time washing up. We have others to take care of such chores," Hsiao says. "Moreover, today's chefs get monthly on-the-job training courses. And we work with each other like brothers; it's a more egalitarian atmosphere."
Hsiao says because many of the cooks receive formal training, they can advance more quickly. They might not have to be as eager as his generation had to be, he says, but they do learn their jobs more quickly.
The overall environment is better too, he says. There are various educational resources and learning channels, as well as a licensing system that encourages workers to sharpen their skills and lends respectability to professionals. After the National Tamshui Commercial Industrial Vocational Senior High School established the country's first food and beverage management department in 1986, many others followed suit.
More than 120 senior high schools islandwide now teach food and beverage skills, and at the college level, students no longer study these skills as a cursory extension of tourism or home economics courses. Some 10 colleges and universities have also established food and beverage departments.
In addition, the National Kaohsiung Hospitality College (KHC) was founded in 1995 and up until today is the only tertiary school of its kind in Taiwan. It represents the first institute of higher education exclusively dedicated to the food, beverage, and hotel industries.
Taiwan's cookery schools can be likened to factories that churn out interns for the growing number of hotels and up-market restaurants on the island. In the case of KHC, the school offers a two-year program that requires students to split their time evenly between intensive studies at school and internships at the top eateries.
"I believe you can save a lot of time by going to school rather than becoming an apprentice," says 28-year-old Welly Shih, who studied first at a vocational high school in Danshuei and then at KHC's Chinese Culinary Arts Department.
"At school, we learned things step by step and in detail. The instruction is systematic and comprehensive," he says. "We are taught not only to pay attention to the presentation and taste of dishes, but also to problems relating to nutrition, sanitation, and kitchen safety."
He says the training also makes chefs better communicators, which he believes is more important to the job than most people realize.
"Many traditionally trained chefs have great skills, but they don't know how to explain them," Shih says. "For instance, some might add ingredients based on a gut feeling rather than precise measures, which is likely to affect the consistency and quality of the courses."
Shih also believes that chefs should not hide away in the kitchen, but should interact with customers, and learn about their preferences and needs.
"Chefs today must know more than just how to cook. They also have to know how to deal with customers, personnel, and budgetary matters," he says. "In addition, having basic English communication skills is necessary when one works for a five-star hotel or foreign-managed restaurant."
Shih says most of Taiwan's cookery departments offer supplementary English-language courses, along with such contemporary favorites as business management and cost control.
Furthermore, Shih says formal schooling makes it easier for him to pass the government's certification exam for cooks, which covers academic subjects, culinary skills, and sanitation and safety regulations.
"Many leading hotels and restaurants require chef applicants to be a college graduate, hold a professional license, be able to communicate in English, and operate a computer," he says. "These requirements may give those who receive a formal food education an edge when competing with traditionally trained cooks."
Shih--who is officially certified as a technician in Chinese food preparation--says the licensing system has helped upgrade domestic food and beverage standards, as well as enhance the careers of individual license holders. The Council of Labor Affairs' Employment and Vocational Training Administration (EVTA) formulates a set of standards under which chefs are graded. There are three license categories, but for the time being, the A license can not be granted as there are still some controversies governing what criteria must be met in order to gain the license.
The licensing practice, as the EVTA explains, aims to evaluate the level of knowledge and skills of participants, while strengthening the development of technical expertise in the concerned industries.
Meanwhile, the authorities with the Department of Health now require some businesses to hire a certain percentage of certified workers as a prerequisite for registration. For example, certification in food preparation is required for 80 percent of the staff in hotel restaurants, 70 percent in school cafeterias, and 50 percent in general restaurants.
Hsiao, of the Caesar Park Taipei, approves of the government's enforcement of the licensing system. "Granting a license guarantees quality since to pass the certification exam, one must attend to overall cooking procedures with a set of operational standards," he says. "In particular, the test emphasizes sanitation, which makes up 50 percent of the test's score. That should serve to raise the awareness of the cooking staff."
By holding a B license in Western food preparation, Hsiao also says that his chances of a promotion or a pay raise are better.
As for Shih, the future looks promising. "The academic degrees, professional licenses, and top prizes from various competitions that I've earned should help demonstrate my competence in any job interview," he says. "I'm confident that my future career development will not be limited to the kitchen."
Shih works as the chief chef for the King Join restaurant, an eatery known for deserts modeled on those eaten by Chinese emperors as far back as the 14th century. He hopes in the near future he can open a restaurant of his own, while exploring other opportunities such as teaching school, writing cookbooks, and attending television shows to give demonstrations. Moreover, he would like to work abroad to learn more about the distinctive dining cultures of the world.
"I feel fortunate to have received professional training both at school and work. Now I can look forward to diversifying my culinary career," he says.
Twenty-seven-year-old Jason Lin is also a graduate of KHC, with a major in Western culinary arts. After working for an Italian restaurant at Le Petit Sherwood Taipei and Far Eastern Plaza Hotel for six years, Lin decided to open a restaurant of his own. Lin trained under a number of Italian chefs, and he is keen on promoting authentic Italian food at affordable prices so more people will have a chance to give it a try.
In 2002, Lin opened Va Bene, a restaurant that serves pasta and pizza, leading to a second restaurant a year later. "I like to cook and see people enjoy my cuisine," he says, but adds that it is hard work, and that those who are not passionate about what they are doing often fall by the wayside.
Lin says the reason that he has held out as long is because he has high expectations of his profession, and is pleased with the growing emphasis on professionalism and the rising social status of the nation's chefs.
"Many chefs in countries such as France and Italy have become celebrities. There they enjoy high social status and a handsome income," he says. "That's a great encouragement to those who are seeking such a career."
Taiwan, however, still has a long way to go before chefs command the same respect and income as their foreign counterparts, Lin says, though adding that the availability of specialized courses is changing that situation.
Take 35-year-old William Bu, who was born in Hong Kong, and, at the age of 18, started working as an apprentice for the Hilton. The hotel sponsored him in a three-year culinary program at the Hauking Wong Vocational School, and a few years later he landed a job at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. In 1997, he was sent to work for Grand Hyatt Taipei. He is now at the Caesar Park Taipei, where as executive chef he manages a staff of around 80, while also teaching at the Fu Jen Catholic University's Department of Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management.
Bu says he has seen rapid progress in Taiwan's dining culture in that more local people are interested in fine dining. "You must be able to provide good food at an average price. Otherwise, you are sure to be driven out of the market," he says. "That's a challenge for chefs, who need to continue sharpening their skills to meet changing customer needs and tastes, while paying attention to cost control."
In addition, Bu says that the recent outbreaks of diseases such as hoof and mouth, mad cow, and bird flu have caused some people to avoid eating meat. Consequently, vegetarian cuisine, health food, and light diets are poised to become trends. It will then be a challenge for chefs to transform these simple dishes into haute cuisine.
"Cooking is an art, just like painting. Apart from utilizing good culinary and presentation skills, a chef must both understand aesthetics and be creative to be able to present a dish that will appeal to diners," he says.
Bu says that there are a variety of channels for chefs who want to refine their skills. During his nearly 17 years of work experience at five-star hotels, he has received consistent on-the-job training. Besides, he is enthusiastic about reading cookbooks, surfing the Internet for recipes, and visiting restaurants and food fairs overseas to expand his repertoire.
He hopes that Taiwan's entry into the World Trade Organization will bring more restaurant or hotel franchises to Taiwan, as well as more top chefs and dishes.