Malaysia's culinary schools offer programs to satisfy both professional and novice chefs. Opportunities exist for students to gain certificates or degrees from partnerships with American and French universities, and some offer the chance to go abroad for part of the degree program. Whether students are interested in becoming well-versed in French, Western or Malaysian culinary traditions, the country offers a range of schools and institutions with diverse areas of instruction.
Cilantro Culinary Academy
The Cilantro Culinary Academy, founded in Selangor in 2006, offers three types of diploma pathways. The most basic is a Foundation in Culinary Studies, which only requires that an applicant be at least 16 years old to apply. Its other two programs, the Diploma in Food Preparation and Cooking and the Advanced Diploma in Culinary Arts, require previous culinary experience. Admission for these is on a case-by-case basis. Once students have completed the Advanced Diploma, they are eligible to apply for a qualification in International Management.
Cilantro Academy of Culinary Arts No. 1-1, Jalan USJ Sentral 3 USJ Sentral, 47600 Subang Jaya Selangor, Malaysia 603-8023-0555 cilantro-culinary.com
KDU College: School of Hospitality, Tourism, and Culinary Arts
KDU College has five culinary arts programs, which range from a certificate in Professional Chef Training to a Bachelor's Degree in Culinology. The Bachelor's degree program is completed in four years, with two years at KDU in Malaysia and two years at Southwest Minnesota State University. The two-year IMI Diploma in Professional Chef Training is for students interested in obtaining managerial skills without doing a full degree. An Associate's Degree in European Culinary Management focuses on Western cooking and gastronomy, as well as management and merchandising.
KDU College Petaling Jaya Campus SS22/41, Damansara Jaya 47400 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia 603-7728-8123 kdu.edu.my
Taylor's University College: School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts
Taylor's University College, located less than an hour from capital city Kuala Lumpur, offers a Bachelor's of Culinary Arts and Foodservice Management and a French Diploma in Culinary Arts. The former is a full degree program which lasts three years, though students who already possess a diploma or higher degree in culinary management can be admitted directly into the second or third year. The latter is a national qualification awarded after two years of study by France's Academie de Toulouse. It aims to prepare students to be experts in the fields of menu development and food production and management.
Taylor's University College No. 1 Jalan Taylor's 47500 Subang Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia 603-5629-5000 taylors.edu
Culinary Arts Center
The Culinary Arts Center of Malaysia, which was founded in 1990, provides a certificate in Professional Culinary Skills and a diploma in Professional Chef Training. The certificate program takes six months, with classes held four mornings a week. The diploma runs a full year, with classes also held four times a week. Both programs focus on culinary arts and pastry and baking techniques for preparing Western and Asian foods.
Culinary Arts Center 2530, Level 5, Harbour Trade Centre Gat Lebuh Macallum 10300 Penang, Malaysia 604-263-7721 cac-prochef.com
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Elizabeth Stewart has been writing and editing since 2000. Her articles appear on eHow, where she specializes in writing about education and travel. She also works as an editorial consultant for novelists. Stewart holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Millsaps College and a Master of Arts in international education.