We were invited to Dusit Hotel Manila to learn about how students and young professionals looking to pursue a career in hospitality management and the culinary arts can begin their journey this year at what promises to be the most advanced and internationally-integrated hospitality management school in Southeast Asia, the Dusit Hotel Management College (DHMC).
Yes, there is a growing need for skilled professionals in the hospitality and management industry across the globe and it is only fitting that there should be an institute for individuals who would want to pursue a career in this industry.
“It makes perfect sense for Dusit International to situate its first college outside Thailand in Manila. Filipinos are will known and respected in the global hospitality industry as hard-working, creative and dependable. Culturally, Filipinos are warm, hospitable people with a natural inclination to succeed in the hospitality industry.”, explains Lars Eltvik, Dusit Hospitality Management College (DHMC) and dusitD2 The Fort Manila Hotel Managing Director.

Introduced in 2016, DHMC, nearing completion in Bonifacio Global City, brings together three of the most trusted names in international hospitality and culinary education — Dusit International, Switzerland’s world-renowned École Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), and Institut Paul Bocuse from Lyon, France – to offer students education and training aligned with the highest international standards.

Dusit Hospitality Management College is to be fully integrated with dusitD2 The Fort Manila Hotel which allows students to study as well as gain relevant work experience at different levels throughout all the departments in the hotel during their studies. The college occupies the first 9 floors of the 27-storey building where students and hotel guests alike will enjoy and appreciate the “behind the scenes theme” of the college and the hotel.

Upon completion, the college and the dusitD2 The Fort Manila Hotel will include world-class hospitality education facilities, including practical kitchens, 5 restaurant outlets, function rooms, recreational facilities, including a swimming pool and fitness center, and 125 guest rooms.

For Students and Career Shifters
Open for enrolment now is the Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitaliy Management which will begin classes in August 2018. It is a 4-year program certified by EHL. Students are trained through a well-rounded educational approach that integrates theoretical knowledge and practical applications in hotel setting operations.
For Culinary Management and Culinary Professionals Focused on Raising the Bar
DHMC’s Professional Advancement Centre offers certification courses open to both students, keen amateurs and professionals. The wide range of courses are designed so that enrollees can focus on a  specific culinary skill or hospitality discipline. These professional courses are available on a full and part-time basis.

After learning about the exciting news of this new educational institution, we were greeted by the Director of Culinary Arts at DHMC, non-other than France’s very own Master Chef, Cyrille Soenen. If you have been to San Juan, there is a chance that you have  seen or even visited this restaurant, Brasserie CiÇou.

He then invited us over for a short cooking session at the kitchen and we were shocked to see a great Filipino character actor to be in the kitchen, Mr. Joel Torre, wearing his chef hat and all. “JT” as most of us know him due to his very popular restaurant, JT’s Manukan Grille, was there to be the special student of the day of Chef Soenen.

Their creation was the foie gras oyster bread. A very simple yet a very classy hors d’ oeuvres that was also served to us after the cooking session.

Mr. Joel Torre, or should I say Chef Joel Torre was even awarded a medal being the first student of Chef Soenen at DHMC. Better watch out, who knows, Joel Torre might be one of your classmates or teacher chefs in one of the classes at DHMC.

If you are thinking of pursuing a career in hospitality management or culinary, it is also great to know that DHMC will be generous enough to offer merit-based scholarships at up to 50% off tuition fees for excellent students.