Global Academy opens biggest branch, culinary lab for gastronomy research

MANILA, Philippines - When Global Academy, home of culinary competition champions, opened its fourth branch at 118 Jupiter Street in Bel-Air, Makati in November, it did so because of two things: 1) demand has shot through the roof for top quality yet affordable education and 2) Global’s executive chef and co-founder Rob Pengson is opening a culinary research facility called The Epicurean’s Lab that is meant to share culinary secrets to any graduate or professional willing to learn something new.

In terms of demand, Global Academy brand manager Anna Ledesma explains, “In just three short years, our enrollment has been growing on an average of 140 percent a year since we opened in 2007.”

To accommodate the overflow of enrollees in their branches in Pasig, Alabang and Timog, Global Academy decided to open its biggest school to date. The Makati branch has doubled the capacity of its other schools, allowing up to 250 students a week. The convenience of the new location will also be a boon to students residing in Makati and nearby areas.

Global Academy’s Makati branch will also house The Epicurean’s Lab, a cutting-edge center that aims to keep pace with worldwide culinary trends. “Our activities include in depth research on the modern gastronomy, “chef Rob details. “It is more than that. The vision is to be on the cutting edge of cooking in the Philippines. Our mission is to research, develop and share the latest in culinary arts and science. And we are guided by the lab’s core values which are to inquire, imagine, innovate and inspire.”

Assigned to the branch in Makati are two US-trained chef instructors: 19-year culinary veteran, chef Terence Fereday and chef Gigi Almeda, fresh off coaching the gold medal-winning Global Academy students who competed during the 1st Philippine Culinary Cup held in August 2010. As before, Global Academy in Makati will focus on the individual training of students, which will allow them to prepare and cook their own food unlike other schools where students work in groups. Global’s tuition also remains affordable, in spite of the premium quality of its facilities and the academic caliber and international experience of its chef instructors.

Global Culinary Academy is now accepting reservations for its fourth branch located in 118 Jupiter Street in Bel-Air, Makati. Call 8615005 or 5197199 for details or visit their website at www.globalb academyph.com for more information.