Culinary VET Excellence: State-of-the-Art Kitchen Practices from Riga, Latvia

Description

Nordic-Baltic cuisine offers a rich educational context for VET trainers working in culinary arts, hospitality, and food-related education programs.

Also, its connection to seasonal (and sustainable) ingredients, local sourcing, preservation techniques, and strong regional identity makes it a more than valuable starting point to teach both traditional food culture and contemporary professional practice.

This course will make participants explore how Nordic-Baltic culinary traditions can be effectively and creatively translated into meaningful, competency-based learning experiences perfect for VET programs aligned with current labour market needs.

Using Latvia as a case study, participants will examine how local ingredients, rural food traditions, and traditional techniques are reinterpreted in modern kitchens, including fine dining and Michelin-recognized contexts.  

The course is designed specifically for VET professionals who want to strengthen the link between classroom learning, practical kitchen training and current industry expectations.

Participants will, in fact, explore how topics such as seasonality, sustainability, fermentation, plating, menu design, food storytelling and kitchen organization can be integrated into culinary education in a structured and realistic way within VET systems.  

For these reasons, through industry visits and practical workshops, participants will be guided in combining theoretical reflection, hands-on culinary practice, and work-based learning experiences. 

Practical sessions will focus on how traditional dishes and techniques can be adapted for teaching purposes, while guided visits and professional observations will help participants understand how restaurant concepts, workflow, hygiene standards, teamwork, and chef philosophy can become learning material for VET students.

Of course, a strong emphasis will be placed on pedagogical transfer – ensuring that all experiences will be critically analyzed and adapted into practical teaching strategies (learning outcomes, classroom activities, assessment tasks, practical training modules, etc.).

By the end of the course, participants will be able to design industry-relevant culinary learning experiences that connect heritage, sustainability and contemporary gastronomy.

They will leave with practical ideas for teaching professional kitchen skills while encouraging learner creativity, cultural awareness, and readiness for the labour market.

Learning outcomes

The course will help participants to:

• Understand Nordic-Baltic culinary traditions as a resource for VET and hospitality education;
• Translate traditional recipes, ingredients and techniques into structured learning activities;
• Design competency-based culinary training aligned with industry expectations;
• Apply and teach modern culinary techniques (e.g., fermentation, plating, seasonality).
• Integrate sustainability and local sourcing into teaching practices;
• Analyze professional kitchen organization, workflow, and hygiene standards for educational purposes;
• Develop assessment tools for practical and creative culinary skills;
• Facilitate learner creativity while maintaining professional standards;
• Analyze Michelin restaurant concepts, menus, and kitchen organization;
• Design VET learning modules that prepare students for employment in contemporary culinary and hospitality contexts.

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Introduction to the course

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
• Icebreaker activities;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools.

Introduction to Nordic–Baltic Culinary Identity in VET

• Nordic–Baltic cuisine and Latvian culinary heritage and their relevance to VET curricula;
• Rural traditions, seasonality, preservation and local ingredients;
• Discussion: how culinary heritage can become educational content in VET training;
• Mapping participants’ own teaching contexts and learner needs.

Day 2 – Traditional techniques as teaching tools (Kitchen class I)

• Demonstration of traditional Nordic–Baltic techniques (e.g. preservation, fermentation);
• Hands-on practice with emphasis on teaching methodology;
• Structuring practical lessons for different learner levels;
• Reflection: how to teach tradition in a modern classroom.

Day 3 – Industry standards and work-based learning

• Guided visit to a professional kitchen in Riga;
• Observation of workflow, hygiene standards, and kitchen hierarchy;
• Dialogue with chef or staff on required skills and competencies;
• Pedagogical reflection: translating industry standards into VET learning outcomes.

Day 4 – Fine dining analysis and Michelin-level concepts

• Visit to a Michelin-recognized or fine dining restaurant;
• Analysis of menu structure, plating, and guest experience;
• Discussion on creativity, precision, and sustainability;
• Group task: adapting fine dining concepts for VET learners.

Day 5 – Creative application in VRT (kitchen class II)

• Reflective discussion on insights from industry visits and practical sessions;
• Development of a Michelin-inspired dish based on Nordic–Baltic traditions;
• Creation of a corresponding VET lesson plan (objectives, activities, assessment);
• Consideration of how cultural context can enrich vocational teaching;
• Peer review and group feedback on teaching approaches.

Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities

• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
• Excursion and other external cultural activities.

Download or share

Get weekly recaps on confirmed sessions!