Attention will be given to culinary standards - Tourism Minister
Tourism and Culture Minister, Mrs Catherine Afeku, has given an assurance that the ministry will give utmost attention to efforts to improve culinary standards in the hospitality industry.
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She said food was a key component of the hospitality industry and it was, therefore, important for standards to be raised.
Mrs Afeku was speaking at a dinner organised by the Chefs Association of Ghana to honour her and also formally welcome her into office.
The minister said the hospitality industry employed many people, for which reason chefs and other employees in the industry had to be given adequate training to meet international standards.
She said issues of poor training and standards were challenges in the industry and indicated that those issues would be given maximum attention.
Mrs Afeku said there was the need for collaboration among all stakeholders in the hospitality industry in the effort to attract investment.
Mrs Afeku honoured
The leadership of the Chefs Association of Ghana honoured Mrs Afeku as an “Executive Chef” and made her a lifetime honorary member of the association.
She was given a citation and dressed up as a chef, to the admiration of the gathering.
The Vice-President of the Chefs Association of Ghana, Mr Joe Wilson-Tetteh, handed her the award and used the occasion to call on the government to set up a chef school, to further lift the image of Ghana’s cuisine.
Mr Senyo Hosi
The Chairman for the occasion, Mr Senyo Hosi, said tourism and agriculture had the potential to turn the country’s fortunes around.
He said chefs were a driving force who played an important role in the hospitality industry.
Mr Hosi, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD), said it was unfortunate that the quality of cuisines was being lowered by persons who had not received professional training but were holding themselves up as chefs.
He expressed the hope that Mrs Afeku would lead the way to cause a major shift from the status quo to enhance the image of chefs in the country.
He said there was the need for cafeteria, schools and hospitals to employ the services of professional chefs.
For instance, he charged the government to improve standards in catering at the school feeding programme level by ensuring that only professional chefs were awarded contracts to feed schoolchildren, whom he said were the future leaders of Ghana.
