Alpine-Atlantic-Mediterranian Culinary Exchange

For years the Tourism Schools Semmering has been engaged in quality management and innovation. The concrete background of this project is aimed at securing the school and tourism locations. Both Semmering and the Azores, as structurally backward regions, have to struggle with economicall and structural politicall consequences due to emigration of the young population. This makes it all the more important for a school to implement activities in workaday live, which strengthen the school profile and the location, as well as stimulating the region and make it attractive for young and old. About 50 people are involved in the implementation of this ambitious project including students and teachers, who call on many years of experience in the national and international gastronomy and hotel sector. Furthermore, project coordinators are responsible for the organisational and bureaucratic issues.The visit of the partner school, to get to know the touristic facilities should lead to an intercultural exchange and offer an insight into other cultural systems and culinary concepts. Consequently, the horizons and the gastronomy and touristic competences of all participants are being broaded. The highlights of the mutual visits are the typical gala dinners, where the theoretic preparations are being put into practice by cooking and organizing dinners together. The Cooking book, which pursue the approach of “Story telling” is another concrete output of the project even with a promotionall effect for the schools and regions. The cookbook will be created by the students of the schools between the gala dinners and contains the original, receipts of typical meals. Personal stories about regional traditions should feature on the cards and provide lasting memory of this intercultural exchange. It would be desirable if the touristic and cultural assets of the respective region would be remembered and thus foster European attitudes as well as have a positive impact on the schools themselves. In any case the project can lead to an improvement of job mobility and the quality of education whereby a long-term benefit can be reached.