Spain launched its first culinary university this month. Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and his wife Letizia were among the guests at the inauguration of Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián, the city on the north Spanish seaside. The shape of the five-storey building has been influenced by the kitchen to remind you of stacked plates.

The University of Culinary Sciences

© picture-alliance/dpa

Star chefs are among the consultants

The star chefs Juan Maria Arzak and Pedro Subijana Berasategi from San Sebastián are the regional advisors for the university management. Spanish and international chefs have pledged their cooperation. Presiding over the center’s international chef advisory board – the G9 group – is the Catalan chef and a master of “molecular gastronomy” Ferran Adrià. The British chef Heston Blumenthal and the trendy Danish chef Rene Redzepi, of the 2011 “best restaurant in the world” Noma in Copenhagen are also on the board.

Diploma in Culinary Arts

The Center and its advisory board are clearly taking a broad approach to culinary science. In their open letter to the chefs of tomorrow written during a September gathering in Lima, the best chefs of today highlighted the relationships of culinary masters to nature, society, ecology and self-expression. It’s a high bar for the dreamers planning to open their own restaurants.

The Basque Culinary Center wants to ensure they are perceived as an International Academy of Gastronomic Sciences and also a center for research and development. Students can complete four years of training and receive a degree in culinary arts and gastronomy or in restaurant management and innovation.