Chefs for athletes

“We have drawn up a list of higher educational establishments that will be training staff for Euro-2012,” announced Tymofii Desiatov, director of the Vocational Training Department at Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, during a recent roundtable devoted to the need to train qualified workers for the European soccer championship. The list comprises 15 institutions in various cities in Ukraine, which will receive funds from the one- billion-hryvnia budget. According to Desiatov, the money will go chiefly toward building up the training and industrial facilities at these educational institutions. The education ministry will begin financing the program next year.

The first step for the trainees is to pass the language barrier successfully. Employees whose professions will bring them into direct contact with foreigners will soon get special foreign language textbooks featuring the most commonly used phrases, terms, questions, and sample conversations.

Chefs occupy a special place among the professionals who will be attending to the guests of Euro- 2012. Besides cooking Ukrainian national dishes, they must also be familiar with the cuisine and food traditions of other countries. “Our guests have to be fed too,” remarked Anatolii Mazaraki, the rector of the Kyiv Trade and Economy University (KNTEU).

Is Ukraine ready for the Euro- 2012 in the cooking and catering sphere? Our future specialists not only have to consider the tastes of different European nations, but also provide the athletes with nourishing, vitamin-packed meals. Natalia Prytulska, the KNTEU pro-rector in charge of scientific and research work, is convinced that our country will accomplish this task, and in a year or two there will be a genuinely new industry here — feeding athletes. “Individual, group, and VIP meals are planned,” added Mykhailo Peresichny, the dean of the university’s Department of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Business. He hasn’t forgotten about spiritual food, noting that “special places for prayers will be designated.” He admitted, however, that their work is just beginning.

It appears that the Kyiv Trade and Economy University faculty and students decided not to waste any time, and the day after the roundtable the university held the “Hospitality Feast: Euro-2012” festival. Future Euro-2012 chefs prepared a large variety of dishes for tasting by guests and teachers. Many delicacies sported soccer-related decorations. Cakes were decorated with the Euro-2012 logo and soccer elements. The main table even featured a tiny soccer field complete with players.