NEXT EDITION: MAY 2025

Exploring Culinary Vanguard: Beyond an Experience, a Profound Understanding.

In our course, we utilize a variety of tools, including culinary experiences, interactive seminars, sessions with guest experts, and a final course project, all with a single purpose: to bring our students as close as possible to culinary vanguard and help them build their own understanding of this concept. This program is meticulously structured to not only introduce but to immerse participants in the world of culinary creativity, with the goal of mastering both enduring culinary techniques and those that are constantly evolving and developing.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

• Campus-Based Learning at Basque Culinary Center
• Academic period: may 26th to june 27th, 2025
• Schedule: monday to Friday, 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM (CEST)
• 18 available spots
• Certificate from the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences at Basque Culinary Center
• Inquiries and more information: cursosonline@bculinary.com

PROGRAM'S OBJECTIVES

• Understand Current and Future Trends: Participants will learn to anticipate and adapt to changes in the food industry, preparing to lead in a constantly evolving culinary world.
• Master Innovative Culinary Techniques: Participants will acquire practical skills for preparing modern and creative dishes, opening new perspectives in gastronomy.
• Explore Creativity in the Kitchen: The course aims to inspire participants to break culinary conventions and explore new forms of culinary expression.
• Develop a Personal Vision of Culinary Vanguard.

CAREER OPORTUNITIES

We understand that professional opportunities can vary based on geographic location and individual preferences. However, with this program, participants can pursue roles and positions in the following areas:

• Creative Chef: Graduates may seek chef roles in prestigious restaurants, hotels, or gastronomic establishments, applying their refined skills to create high-quality and cutting-edge dishes.
• Gastronomic Entrepreneurs: Those interested in opening their own restaurants, cafes, or catering businesses can use the skills acquired in the course to develop unique culinary concepts and successfully lead their own ventures.
• Culinary Consultants: Graduates may offer culinary consulting services to restaurants, catering companies, or even work as independent advisors, leveraging their culinary expertise to enhance menu quality and innovation.

ARE YOU AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT?

Students enrolled in a course with a duration of fewer than 3 months typically do not need to apply for a visa in most cases. You can check the list of countries where citizens do or do not require a visa by referring to the information provided in Annex I (scroll down to find the relevant information).

If your nationality requires a visa, you should apply for a type C (Schengen) visa to enter Spain.

International students should travel with official documentation confirming their enrollment in the course and proof of the medical insurance coverage purchased, which will provide coverage during their stay in Spain.

The program is aimed at individuals with the following profiles:

• Culinary professionals: Cooks, station chefs, head chefs, etc.
• Graduates in culinary studies.

If you don't see yourself reflected in the points above and are interested in the course, please don't hesitate to contact us. The course coordination team will assess your education and experience and provide you with a response.

CURRICULUM

Module 1: The Contemporary Chef and the Culinary Context

• Sensory Analysis
• Culinary Chemistry
• Food Quality
• Culinary History and the Milestones of Chefs
• 360° Gastronomy

Module 2: Creative and Innovative Processes

• Plate Architecture: Creative processes, methodology for innovation and creativity
• New Gastronomic Trends
• New Equipment in Cutting-Edge Restaurants
• The Vegetable Garden as a Creative Model

Module 3: Cutting-Edge Techniques. Fundamentals, Culinary Application, and Preparation of Related Dishes

• Gas and Siphon Techniques
• Vacuum Techniques: Confit, Stews, Low Temperature Cooking, and Extended Cooking
• Thickeners Utilization Techniques: Xanthan and Modified and Unmodified Starches
• Gelifiers Utilization Techniques: Spherification, Iota, Kappa, Gellan, Agar Agar, Pectins, Methylcellulose
  • Fermentation as a Preservation Method and Its New Applications in Cutting-Edge Cuisine:
  • Lactic Fermentations
  • Alcoholic Fermentations
  • Kombucha Scoby
  • Fungi: Yeasts and Molds or Enzymatic Activity
• Updated Ancestral Techniques:
  • Salting
  • Smoking
  • Curing
• Application of Techniques to the Sweet World
• Utilization and Zero Waste

• Academic Period: from may 26th to june 27th, 2025
• Schedule: monday to friday from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM (CEST)
  • *Learning journeys, masterclasses, and seminars may be held in the morning if the activity requires it.

The program is delivered using the "learning by doing" methodology, which is based on the idea that the best way to learn is through practical experience and direct action. Instead of focusing solely on theory and passive instruction, this methodology promotes students acquiring knowledge and skills by actively participating in practical activities and real projects.

In line with this approach to learning, the course features the following components:

• Readings, presentations, and reflections
• Primarily practical courses: explanation of techniques and preparation of related dishes.
• Cross-cutting content that complements the competencies to be acquired by the student: culinary chemistry, innovation, trends, etc.
• Pre-training knowledge activation assignments.
• Seminars with guest speakers and participation in activities proposed by Basque Culinary Center.
• Learning experiences: a meal at an avant-garde restaurant.

This course is also available in an online version: Online Vanguard Culinary Techniques Course.

The program is known for its commitment to providing top-quality education. While the esteemed faculty and renowned guest instructors are carefully curated to ensure an exceptional learning experience, it is believed that the element of surprise can also be a valuable part of the educational journey. As part of an ongoing commitment to excellence, instructors are selected from a pool of experts with extensive experience and pedagogical expertise, ensuring that students receive the highest level of instruction from industry leaders. Rest assured, the final lineup of educators for the course will be a delightful revelation that adds to the excitement of the learning adventure.

The total cost of the program is 3.130 €, which will be paid as follows:

• €150 upon application (fully refundable if not admitted).
• 40% of the amount, 1.192 €, upon confirmation of admission as a reservation fee.
• The remaining amount, 1.788 €, two weeks before the start of the program.

The price includes:

• Academic materials.
• Basque Culinary Center uniform.
• Issuance of the degree/diploma.
• Enrollment in the Basque Culinary Center alumni service: Bculinary Alumni.

Bank Financing Options:

We have financing agreements with Banco Sabadell, Caixa Bank, and Caja Rural. For more information, please contact cursos@bculinary.com.

*Offers are valid for residents in Spain. Please inquire in your home country about financing options with institutions you trust.

Bonification Options:

This course offered by Basque Culinary Center is partially eligible for FUNDAE funding. If you are interested in funding this course, please request more information at cursos@bculinary.com.

Refund and Cancellation Policy:

Please refer to the detailed information regarding the refund policy.

OPEN ENROLLMENT SOON

1 Pre-registration

2 Submission of applications

Students from European Union member countries, Norway, Switzerland. Liechtenstein and Iceland will not require a visa to reside in Spain.

Other international students will have to request a long-term student visa which will allow them to reside in Spain for a period longer than 180 days.

Visas should be requested from, and issued by the Diplomatic Missions and Spanish Consul Offices abroad.  It is important to obtain information on the required documentation and gather it as soon as possible, since the relevant authorities may take up to two months to notify that visas will be granted.

Once students have arrived in Donostia-San Sebastian, they have one month from the time of their arrival to request the foreign students’ card at the Foreign Residents Office in Donostia-San Sebastian. The students’ office of the BCC will provide the necessary information to students in this matter.

Information on the COST OF LIVING in San Sebastian is given below:

Entertainment
Transport
The best way to move around the city is with the network of urban buses. The company which provides this service is Compañia del Tranvia de Donostia-San Sebastian.

Their web page www.dbus.es contains all information on routes, timetables and tariffs. The web page also enables the calculation of the bus route between two points and its estimated duration.

Students can benefit from monthly season tickets which reduce the cost of travelling by bus.

Shopping Basket
Accommodation
Donostia-San Sebastian offers accommodation in student residences. It is advisable that those interested in this type of accommodation make their reservation as soon as possible.

A document containing information on some of the residences in the city can be found below.

Download: Accommodation in San Sebastian