Program Overview

University Program: Avant-Garde Cuisine and Gastronomic Direction

Presentation

The Avant-Garde Cuisine and Gastronomic Direction program is designed to develop the innovative and avant-garde spirit of gastronomy professionals. Students will expand their knowledge related to comprehensive management in the kitchen, including food hygiene and quality, personnel and warehouse management, planning and production, and cost control.

Objectives

• Acquire knowledge related to food safety and hygiene.
• Manage the logistics of a gastronomic business: place orders, work with suppliers, warehouses, and inventories.
• Plan and produce effectively.
• Manage work personnel.
• Know and apply cutting-edge techniques in the culinary field.
• Know and apply the technological ingredient in restoration.
• Acquire knowledge about products and machinery available to the sector.
• Acquire skills in avant-garde methodology, as a means of developing and updating contemporary techniques.
• Acquire knowledge for the design and preparation of dishes with products of high gastronomic value.
• Acquire knowledge to design and prepare dishes with seasonal products.
• Develop creative and R&D&i processes in gastronomy.

Competences

General:

• Students will plan gastronomic production efficiently.
• Students will acquire knowledge about technological ingredients and their correct application.
• Students will learn concepts about hygiene and food quality.
• The student body will be competent to direct and manage the workforce.

Specific:

• Students will be able to apply cutting-edge techniques: dehydration, smoking, salting.
• Students will be able to apply traditional cooking techniques in contemporary cuisine.
• Students will be able to apply fermentation and vacuum cooking techniques.
• Students will be able to control the costs of the gastronomic business and manage its logistics.
• The students will acquire skills in using machinery and new machinery and creating molds in restoration.
• The student will know the products of the highest value in gastronomy and will be able to, together with the available techniques, design and prepare a gastronomic offer of the highest level.
• The students will be able to develop creative and R&D&I processes in the gastronomic sector.

Programme

The program is divided into five modules:

Module 1: Management of New Gastronomic Offers (8 ECTS)

• Topic 1. Hygiene and food quality.
• Topic 2. Management of orders, suppliers, warehouse, and inventories.
• Topic 3. Management, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
• Topic 4. People management in the restaurant.
• Topic 5. Sensory analysis. Balance and curve of the menu.
• Topic 6. Biochemistry of foods.
• Topic 7. Room, service, and avant-garde.
• Topic 8. Digitalization and communication in the restaurant.

Module 2: Contemporary Culinary Technique and Technological Ingredient (7 ECTS)

• Topic 1. Dehydration techniques.
• Topic 2. Smoking and salting technique in the restaurant.
• Topic 3. Traditional cooking techniques and their application in contemporary cuisine.
• Topic 4. Fermentations and applications in restoration.
• Topic 5. Vacuum cooking, temperature control, and fifth ranges.
• Topic 6. Application of gases and dry ice in cooking.
• Topic 7. Technological ingredient (emulsifiers, texturizers, gelling agents, emulsifiers, aerating thickeners...).
• Topic 8. Other products: Cocoa butter, Obulate, Inulin, Kuzu, Maltodextrin, Methylcellulose, Mannitol, Freeze-dried products, Kaolin, and Albumin.
• Topic 9. Machinery, new machinery for restoration, and uses.
• Topic 10. Creation of molds for restoration.
• Topic 11. Application of technological ingredient in pastry and sweet world.

Module 3: Product of High Gastronomic Value (7 ECTS)

• Topic 1. The orchard of Aranjuez.
• Topic 2. Seeds, aromatics, spices, and cereals.
• Topic 3. Marine vegetables: algae and halophiles.
• Topic 4. Fungi: mushrooms and truffles.
• Topic 5. Meat.
• Topic 6. Fish and shellfish.

Module 4: Creativity and New Trends in Cooking (3 ECTS)

• Topic 1. Food Styling.
• Topic 2. Creative processes in the restaurant and R&D&I.
• Topic 3. Recipe book design with products of high gastronomic value.
• Topic 4. Haute cuisine with economical and seasonal products.

Module 5: End of Degree Work (5 ECTS)

Recipients

The program is designed for:

• Entrepreneurs and future owners of gastronomic businesses.
• Professionals from the gastronomic sector with training and experience.
• Professionals from the gastronomic sector without prior training.
• Professionals from other sectors who want to update themselves and apply their profile to the gastronomic sector.
• Directors, managers, administrators of gastronomic businesses.
• Students and recent graduates in Gastronomy or any branch of study.

Access Requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following profiles. No university degree is necessary. The ability to work autonomously and safely will be an access requirement.

Selection Criteria

In the event that the number of applications exceeds the number of places offered, a selection will be made based on the following criteria:

• 40% CV. Experience in hospitality and the food sector.
• 40% FP in Kitchen Management or equivalent accreditation.
• 20% University degree related to the food industry, gastronomy, or food.

Academic Management and Faculty

The program is led by Dr. Diana Catalina Pérez-Bustamante Yábar, with a team of experienced professors and professionals in the gastronomic sector.

Duration and Development

• Modality: In-person
• Number of credits: 30
• Contact hours: 300
• Place of delivery: Theoretical classroom and kitchen classroom URJC Aranjuez Campus.
• Opening hours: From Monday to Wednesday in the afternoons.
• Start and end date: Coming soon.

Reservation of Place and Enrollment

• Pre-registration period: Coming soon
• Registration period: Coming soon
• Title price: 2,385.00
• Possibility of scholarship: Two scholarships are available for enrolled students who meet the conditions and requirements.

Documentation to Attach, Forms, and Place of Delivery

The applicant must present all the scanned documentation through the specified link. The required documentation includes:

• National Identity Document or equivalent / Passport or Residence Card
• Curriculum vitae
• Responsible declaration of veracity of the data provided in digital format
• Any other document required by the Academic Department of Continuing Education for acceptance.