From November 6 to 16, Sokly, pastry teacher, and Chomrong, English teacher at the Bayon pastry school, had the opportunity to spend a few days in Paris.
This trip organized by Apprentis d’Auteuil and bringing together the different members of the ASSET – H&C program allowed them to follow a training course on pedagogy.
After a long flight, Sokly and Chomrong finally landed in Paris and took the train to Château des Vaux, in Eure-et-Loir, where a week of classes and workshops of all kinds awaited them.
During these few days of training, our teachers were able to attend different classes with the students trained at Apprentis d’Auteuil. In particular, they were able to participate in different cooking classes focused on the themes of “catering”, “pastry” and “bakery” where they learned to cook a blanquette de veau, a Parisian flan, baguettes and many others. These cooking classes also allowed our pastry teacher, Sokly, to discover many new equipment and ingredients. These discoveries can be a source of renewal in our kitchen in Cambodia.
After these few days of training, our teachers returned to Paris for the end of their stay. They enjoyed a boat ride on the Seine, a visit to the Eiffel Tower and a delicious French meal with the members of the Bayon Association present in France.
What did you learn during this week of training?
We learned and discovered many new things such as teaching styles and patterns, new recipes, new equipment and ingredients, how to work and communicate with your team in the kitchen.
What we learned most from this pedagogical training was the importance of soft skills. We teach young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is therefore essential for us to teach them adaptability, communication and teamwork within the professional sphere so that their integration into their future teams goes well. Apprentis d’Auteuil was able to give us the keys to approach these different subjects with the students.
What surprised you the most?
First of all, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the place. The Château des Vaux is a wonderful place, full of history. We were also impressed by the know-how of the chefs, their professionalism and their warm and friendly welcome in their kitchens. Moreover, the modernity of the kitchens and the equipment gave us a lot of ideas to rethink the layout of our kitchen in Cambodia.
In general, we were also surprised by the road traffic in France and its organization. We will remember that in France, we walk much more than in Cambodia!
What is different about our school?
At Apprentis d’Auteuil, students follow a minimum 2-year training program, whereas at Bayon, the training lasts only 1 year. There are many more students and teachers and the facilities are also more modern and diverse than at our school. Finally, students who wish to follow a training program at Apprentis d’Auteuil have to pay tuition fees that vary according to their family’s standard of living.
After these few days of training, what changes would you like to make to your program?
After attending these different courses and visiting such beautiful kitchens, we would like to add lessons on the different tools and technologies used in the kitchen so that our students have a broader knowledge of the different appliances used. As a pastry teacher, I would also like to expand the learning of French recipes so that the students have a greater knowledge of French cuisine and also expand the Coffee Shop menu with more varied dishes.
It would also be interesting to have exchanges between students and teachers of the two training courses to better understand the culture of the other country, the history of pastry, the know-how and the way of teaching.
What would you like to say to Apprentis D’Auteuil?
We would like to thank Apprentis d’Auteuil for organizing this exchange program with ASSET H&C members. This trip gave us the opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge in the field of pedagogy and we are determined to apply it to our students in the future. We would also like to thank Pauline, Jeanne, Nicolas and all the teachers and staff of the school for their warm welcome in their training center.