Category "Blog"

On 20 March 2023, RACA hosted the Canadian Chef Cameron Stauch to conduct a presentation and a workshop to RACA’s students. This visit aligns with Taste of Canada Celebrations by the Embassy of Canada in Jordan.
During the demo and presentation, Chef Cameron celebrated the diversity of Canada’s culinary landscape, and elaborated on his style of cooking which is how he describes it as “cooking globally and sourcing locally”, for he enjoys learning about local ingredients and meeting the people who grow, produce, and cook local flavors wherever he may be living.

On Thursday 23 March 2023, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA) signed a cooperation agreement with National Employment & Training (NET) Company; with the aim of providing training services to qualify youth in the fields of culinary arts and hospitality for trainees at the Aqaba Training Center affiliated with the NET, which will be a distinguished pioneering center
that meets the needs of the labor market of various professions, including logistics and hospitality services.
RACA’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dr. Wajih Oweis signed the agreement on behalf of RACA, and NET’s General Manager, Brigadier General Sulaiman Al Faouri, signed on behalf of NET.
NET’s Director pointed out that NET was established upon Royal directives in as a nonprofit private company, meant to reduce the unemployment rate among young Jordanians; by training the unemployed youth and equipping them with vocational skills, through 18 training centers spread throughout the Kingdom’s governorates, where NET’s vision and mission embodies the
role of JAF and their participation in national development.
NET’s Director indicated that this agreement translates the national efforts for employment and training in achieving national goals in supplementing the national economy, achieving social security and enhancing partnerships with the private sector.
In turn, Dr. Wajih stated that RACA is a Technical University College, established in 2008 following the vision of His Majesty, King Abdullah II, to raise the level of education in the Tourism and Hospitality Sector, and reorient young men and women toward education related to the technical market, and it is also a Certified Member of the Network of EHL-certified
Schools, offers a Four-Year Bachelor’s Degree in Food & Beverage Management and a Two-Year Diploma in Culinary Arts.
Dr. Wajih also expressed RACA’s delight with its participation in this promising project due to its positive role in training and qualifying the youth at the highest levels to increase their chances of working in major strategic projects in Jordan and the region, In implementation of the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II regarding the need to rehabilitate Jordanian youth and support
them in the labor market.
According to the agreement, RACA will implement, supervise, manage and follow up the training processes, develop study plans, and design educational curricula and training programs in accordance with the standards of the TVSDC and the applicable criteria.

On Wednesday 15 February 2023, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amideast at RACA’s campus in Amman.
The MoU was signed with Amideast, the leading American nonprofit organization engaged in international education, training, and development activities in the MENA, with the aim of strengthening the partnership between the two parties and promoting RACA and its programs to universities and technical colleges in the US, in addition to supporting international exchange programs for American students in the field of culinary and hospitality.
RACA’s Director Mr. Jacques Rossel signed on behalf of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, and Mrs. Noor Al Rashid, Amideast’s Country Director, signed on behalf of Amideast.

On 15 February 2023, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts was honored by the visit of H.E. Mr. Serge Dickschen, the ambassador of The Kingdom of Belgium in Jordan.
RACA’s Director Chef JacquesRossel lead the esteemed guest in a tour around RACA’s campus; to introduce him to the various academic and technical facilities, in addition to the academic programs taught at RACA: BA Program in Food & Beverage Management and Two-Year Diploma in Culinary Arts. RACA’s Director also discussed with H.E. the future opportunities of cooperation between the embassy and RACA with regards to hands-on training, events and various activities.

The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts participated in the International University Fair in Beirut, which was held on the 21st and 22nd of February 2023 at the Lancaster Plaza Hotel in Beirut, organized by Academia Lebanon Group.
Many Lebanese school students, along with their teachers and their parents, visited RACA’s section at the exhibition and showed their interest in RACA and its study programs: Bachelor of Food & Beverage Management and Two-Year Diploma in Culinary Arts, accredited by the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education and Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL).

On the 13th and 14th of January 2023, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts hosted a Culinary Competition for Thai Students studying in Jordan, in collaboration with the Royal Thai Embassy in Amman, with the presence of H.E. The Ambassador of Thailand to Jordan and the Jordan-Thai Friendship Association.
This culinary competition, arranged by the Royal Thai Embassy for 50 Thai students studying in Jordan, took place at RACA where RACA’s chef instructors were among the judging panel, and the winning Thai students got an invitation to dine at RACA’s Top Restaurant.
H.E. Mr. SuparkProngthura, the Thai Ambassador to Jordan,expressed his delight of attending this event, saying: “We thank RACA for your hospitality. It was a great experience and fruitful cooperation at the event indeed. I enjoyed meeting RACA’s Director and its able team, as this is only a first step relating tothe various potential cooperation areas of our mutual interests.”

RACA’s student Ahmad Al Thaher represented Jordan by participating with his Chef Instructor Jihan Sahawneh in the international competition Young Chefs Olympiad, held in January 2023 in India.
The competition initiated by the international institute of hotel management and the international hospitality council, constitutes of many culinary competitions in India, after the contestants passing many culinary tests in their home countries in order to get selected.
Ahmad presented several projects related to cooking and sustainability to the competition committee, several weeks before he was chosen to represent Jordan, with the help of his mentor Chef Jihan Sahawneh. During the esteemed competition, Ahmad ranked eleventh out of more than 55 participating countries.
Upon their return to Jordan, Ahmad and Chef Jihan were recognized by RACA’s Director Chef Jacques Rossel, where he expressed his happiness and pride of their participation in this international competition, in addition to RACA’s presence as a representation of Jordan.

On Tuesday 15 November 2022, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts hosted Chef Paul Svensson from Sweden, in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy in Jordan, where he delivered a presentation to RACA’s students about sustainability in food, food recycling and reducing food-waste.
Chef Paul, who is a pioneer in Sweden in vegetarian cuisine and the recycling and upcycling of food, shared with RACA’s students a lot of ideas and techniques that he uses in the restaurant he runs in Sweden “Paul Taylor Lanthandel” which is awarded a one MICHELIN Green Star that is given to restaurants for their sustainable practices.
Chef Paul expressed his delight with his visit to RACA, saying: “I’m here to inspire the students at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, and it’s an honor for me to be here, and also to see the new generation of chefs coming out into society and restaurants, and being able to inspire a lot of consumers and guests to be more aware of the soil, and the products and the next generation.”
The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts would like to thank the Swedish Embassy and Chef Paul for their visit to RACA and for the valuable knowledge in this area transferred to its students.

In collaboration with the Jordanian Embassy in Japan, the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts welcomed the Japanese Chef Ichii Kaoru from Hiroshima, Japanfor the very first time in Jordan on the 30th and the 31st of October 2022.
During the visit, chef Ichii had a session with our students where he introduced himself, his famous dish “Okonomiyaki” and the history behind its creation. Later on, the students joined him for a hands-on demonstration of cooking the Okonomiyaki, and on the following day, a cooking competition was held between the students to do the Okonomiyaki, supervised by chef Ichii.
RACA’s semester 4 students Marwan Hallaq and Obada AbuTaleb won the first place in this competition for the Okonomiyaki they cooked. “It was a very nice experience learning from chef Ichii. We cooked our own version of Okonomiyaki with a Jordanian twist, adding Arabic flavors while maintaining the original identity of this Japanese dish; and this what made us win the first place in the competition.” Marwan and Obada happily stated.
Chef Ichii expressed his thrill being among future chefs at RACA: “This is my very first time cooking my famous Okonomiyaki from Hiroshima here in Jordan, I am very happy with this experience as I’ve only demonstrated the instructions once and students were able to pick up all the details and cook it individually right after. It was heartwarming watching them taste this dish for their first time and cook their own versions of it in a professional manner.”
RACA would like to express its sincere thanks to Her Excellency Mrs. LinnaAnnab, the Ambassador of Jordan to Japan and all the team in the Jordanian Embassy in Japan for organizing this activity and enriching experience for our students on campus.