Last week, the scent of pumpkin, chestnuts and cinnamon filled Public Open University Čakovec. Ahead of International Chefs Day, the institution hosted a special cookery workshop attended by around twenty participants, who watched award-winning vocational culinary teacher and chef Anica Naranđa prepare her original autumn menu.
International Chefs Day celebrates a profession that requires knowledge, precision, creativity and considerable dedication. For Public Open University Čakovec, it is also an opportunity to highlight the culinary education it has offered to adults for many years and to emphasise that cooking, like any other skill, can be learned throughout life. The workshop was organised as part of the MC Chef project and Erasmus Days.
The workshop was opened by Ivica Jeđud, a member of the MC Chef project team at POU Čakovec, who briefly introduced the project and its results. The second part, a live cookery demonstration (show training), was led by Anica Naranđa, a long-standing external expert at the institution and a mentor in the MC Chef project.
Autumn Delicacies Prepared by Accomplished Chef Anica Naranđa
Inspired by seasonal autumn ingredients, the colours of nature and traditional flavours, Anica Naranđa created an original menu entitled “Autumn Rhapsody”. Across four dishes, she combined contemporary cooking techniques, creativity and thoughtful presentation:
- Autumn Cream Soup – a creamy Hokkaido pumpkin soup with pumpkin seed oil and toasted seeds, celebrating the simplicity and rich aromas of autumn cuisine,
- Autumn Treasure in a Pumpkin – Hokkaido pumpkin stuffed with chicken, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and chestnuts, bringing together the abundance of seasonal ingredients in a single dish,
- Autumn Duck Symphony – duck breast with sweet potato purée, caramelised pear and orange and plum sauce, a refined combination of sweet, fruity and savoury flavours,
- Sweet Whisper of Autumn – miniature apple, walnut and cinnamon strudels served with mascarpone cream, presenting traditional flavours in a contemporary, elegant way.
As she prepared the dishes, Anica Naranđa explained to participants the essential ingredients of good cooking: seasonal produce, carefully balanced flavours, a creative approach to preparation and contemporary presentation. She demonstrated how flavours, colours and textures can be brought together harmoniously, and how cooking can be both a form of creative expression and a way of preserving tradition.
As a vocational teacher and mentor, she shared her knowledge and experience beyond the classroom with interested members of the public.
She was joined in the kitchen by Davor and Sanja Bratković, a married couple who had previously completed the online component of the MC Chef course and, this summer, its practical component. The workshop gave them an opportunity to demonstrate to the other participants how they apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the course.
Participants eagerly asked questions throughout the workshop. The event concluded with a tasting and an opportunity to socialise, allowing everyone to appreciate not only how appealing the dishes looked but also how delicious they tasted.
The workshop once again demonstrated that, through their expertise, chefs contribute far more to their communities than simply a good meal.
Free Online Course Open to Everyone
The workshop also introduced an online course in basic culinary skills developed through the Erasmus+ MC Chef project, which is now open to anyone interested. The course is free and available in Croatian, English, German and Spanish at mcchef-campus.eu. Participants only need to register and can then choose when and where to study. After successfully completing the final assessment, they receive a certificate confirming the competences they have acquired.
The online course forms part of the broader MC Chef training programme. Its first component consists of 150 hours of online learning, covering topics ranging from occupational safety, hygiene and handling different ingredients to scaling recipes for different numbers of servings, sustainable cooking and European cuisine. In the second component, 50 hours of practical training enable learners to turn their online knowledge into hands-on skills in a kitchen environment.
The programme has already been piloted with learners at POU Čakovec. Eleven participants acquired the necessary knowledge through 150 hours of online learning, while nine successfully demonstrated the culinary skills needed to take their first steps in a professional kitchen during the 50-hour practical component. The remaining two had meanwhile secured employment in the culinary sector and were therefore unable to attend the practical component or its final assessment.
The course is intended for beginners, people seeking employment in hospitality, home cooks and anyone who enjoys cooking and would like to learn something new.
About the MC Chef Project
The Erasmus+ MC Chef project aims to make culinary education more accessible to adults, improve their employability and develop their skills for the hospitality sector. These aims are being achieved through a curriculum developed by the project, which underpins a blended course comprising 150 hours of online learning and 50 hours of face-to-face practical training. The project is funded by the Erasmus+ programme and coordinated by the Austrian organisation KAOS Bildungsservice gGmbH. The partners are the Spanish organisations Consultoría de Innovación Social and Maude Studio S.L., together with Public Open University Čakovec. Further information is available on the project website at mcchef.eu.
Culinary Education at POU Čakovec
MC Chef is not the first culinary education project undertaken by Public Open University Čakovec. Through the Gastroturisteduca project, funded by the European Social Fund, training programmes were delivered for around forty unemployed people to prepare them for work as assistant cooks, pizza and grill preparers, waiters and tourism activity coordinators.
The institution also regularly offers programmes such as “Basics of Food Preparation”, “Preparation of Simple Sweet Dishes” and “Fundamentals of Food and Beverage Service”. Upon completion, learners receive a formal certificate recorded in their electronic employment record (e-Radna knjižica). Many of the institution’s programmes, including two of those mentioned, are available free of charge through training vouchers issued by the Croatian Employment Service.
We invite you to take that first small step towards developing your culinary skills ahead of International Chefs Day and enrol in the free online course today at mcchef-campus.eu. You can find more information about culinary programmes at POU Čakovec onpou-cakovec.hr, while upcoming workshops will also be announced on the institution’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union and the OeAD-GmbH. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
