THE EUROPEAN COLLEGE TUNISIA
TOURISTIC ROUTE KANTAOUI
RUE DE LA FIESTA
HAMMAM SOUSSE 4011
TUNISIA
Email: info@theeuropeancollege.com
Website : www.theeuropeancollegemalta.com
Tel/fax: 00216 .73275666
June 2005
PRESS RELEASE
REGIOFOOD PROJECT
In October 2003 the RegioFood project was set up with the financial support of the EU’s Leonardo da Vinci programme. It will provide distance training to chefs and accommodation –providers in Estonia, Italy and Wales in the production and presentation of traditional local foods, with a modern twist. It will focus on the increasingly-important aspect of food safety. It will run until September 2006.
Project Objectives
The RegioFood project will develop and pilot open distance training materials for staff involved in food preparation at hotels, restaurants and other catering establishments in each pilot partner’s region. Cegin Cymru, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arthur Teifi and an SME that specializes in the wholesale, retailing and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products, has found that the greatest single obstacle to serving and marketing locally produced food in hotels and restaurants in the region is ignorance of local gastronomic traditions by staff and a lack of locally orientated training materials to address the skills gap.
To upskill such staff in local food traditions would improve the quality of provision in the area and strengthen the business involved in the production and provision process. Partners in the project have found that similar problems also exist in their own regions and research with SMEs indicates that improved training for staff involved in food preparation would contribute to a marked improvement in the local ‘product’ and quality of provisions.
The materials will train people in the preparation and presentation of regionally produced food and drink. The project is bringing together local food producers, tourism operators, hotels and restaurants as well as training and economic development organisations. It aims to improve the quality of preparation and presentation of locally produced foods by developing the skills and knowledge of the people involved. All the partners involved have realized that there is a shortage of training materials for local food dishes and that the "unsocial" hours worked in the catering industry make certain forms of conventional training methods impractical.
The partners feel that to produce distance training material in the relevant local languages will improve access to training for the individual being targeted and improve the marketing and validity of local businesses connected to the tourism and leisure industries.
The materials will be delivered to the trainees on CD Rom, videocassette, audio cassette, the internet and in hard copy. There is a website to hold the materials and to disseminate the project. The variety of distribution media used will benefit disadvantaged people especially those living in remote rural areas and those who find limitations in the choice of training materials available through their own regional or national languages.
The project will consult with all interested parties throughout the project and dissemination will be with the trade, training establishments, chambers of commerce, organisations in economic development and bodies concerned with helping the disabled.
If you would like further information, to be placed on the mailing list for the newsletter, or to be sent a copy of the training DVD please contact the European College Malta at www.theeuropeancollege.com or any of the partners whose contacts can be found on the web-site at www.regiofood.org
Chef2Chef News Desk