A High Professional Technical Course (Curso Técnico Superior Profissional - TeSP) in «Gastronomy Innovation» has just been launched by Escola Superior Agrária de Santarém (ESAS) and its goa l is to create, implement and coordinate the activities and operations of food production and transformation, innovating in terms of food techniques and processes, aligned with the trends of food diet, sustainability and gastronomy creativity. «Catering industry demanded this need. We just identified it and worked on it. In addition to food techniques, it became important, these days, to teach the chemical processes underlying these, such as the fermented and the processed ones», said Rodrigo Castelo, the Chef and the owner of the restaurant Taberna Ó balcão, in Santarém. This former student at ESAS, is the consultant of this new course that was developed in a partnership between himself and ESAS. For this reason, and to suppress all needs, the new course integrates innovative subjects such as botany and mycology, Introduction to food chemistry, transformation of products of vegetable and animal origin or appreciation of regional products in gastronomy. Rodrigo Castelo Reinforces his enthusiasm for ESAS bet in this area, which will surely narrow the relationship between the primary sector and the catering area, from the origin to the kitchen. Regarding the course functioning, its innovative character is based on the possibility of many classes being theoretical-practical and also in the integration of different subjects and professionals. «Let's talk about chemical reactions, with a chemistry professor, while we have a teacher in the classroom that teaches subjects related to cooking», said the Chef.
