| Tweet |
The American Hospitality Academy, with corporate offices on Hilton Head, has worked with students from South Africa to India to Dubai. It has partnered with hotels from the Marriott to the Ritz Carlton to the Sheraton, Hyatt and Hilton. Since 1986, the academy has been providing tomorrow’s hospitality industry leaders with the practical training, academic knowledge and specialized skills needed to excel in a global economy. Now, as part of its mission, it plans on opening a cooking school on Hilton Head by the fall of 2010, said Cindi Reiman, AHA president. The two-year Culinary Institute of Hilton Head recently received its accreditation from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, and will run on a quarterly system rather than semesters.
“We want the (culinary) facility to have the look and feel of a five-star hotel,” she said. “We’re looking for an 8- to 10-thousandsquare-foot space to hold 300 students. We don’t want the normal classroom approach. We want spaces where the students can role-play.”
AHA’s mission goes beyond just producing the best of the best. “We want our students to have ‘Aha!’ — amazing hospitality — moments,” said Reiman. “We want our chefs to not only be great cooks, but great people, too. And most of all, we want to serve the community.” To that end, AHA is assembling an advisory committee of locals to learn what the community needs from the Culinary Institute.
“This is more than a school,” Reiman said. “This will be a community center.”
ONLINE
For more information about the American Hospitality Academy, visit www.americanhospitalityacademy.com
BOBOTIE
Courtesy of Cindi Reiman
Bobotie is served in almost every South-African household from time to time. South-African housewives treasure their favorite Bobotie recipes. It’s given an interesting twist here by adding lentils and replacing the traditional milk-and-egg custard with coconut milk.
Ingredients:
¼ cup butter
2 medium onions diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
5 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound cooked lentils
½ cup raisins
Salt and black pepper to taste
Topping:
2 whole eggs
2 cups coconut milk
A few sliced almonds
A few bay leaves
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a large ovenproof dish.
Sauté the onions in butter, crush all the spices together and add to the onion sauté. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the beef and brown. Add the lentils and raisins and just cook through. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Spoon the cooked meat mixture into the prepared oven dish. Mix the coconut milk and eggs together and pour over the meat mixture. Insert the bay leaves and almonds into the dish. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until set. Serve with saffron-flavored rice and date chutney.
Here are some programs available when the school opens:
- Guys tailgating party: How to prepare the perfect tailgating meal, including grilling tips
- Girls night out: Wine tasting and pairing
- Date night: Couples cooking lessons, dinner included
- Southern hospitality: How to prepare a Southern meal and impress your Northern friends
- International Food Festival (series): Learn to prepare popular cuisines from around the world
- Yum! Chocolate: Easy baking tips for holiday gift giving
