With training in the culinary disciplines becoming increasingly relevant to the recruitment of skills to fill the gaps in what has become a high visitor demand for the local culinary culture, the hundred-odd year old Carnegie School of Home Economics (CSHE) is ideally positioned to reinvent itself in a society where visitors to the country are beginning to discover the high standards associated with Guyanese cuisine. For several decades the CSHE has carried the banner as the home of tutoring in the culinary skills, positioning its students to either gravitate towards the creation of culinary enterprises of their own or to ‘land’ jobs in local hotels and in some instances with the international cruise liner industry.
Up until now, the CSHE has been the country’s standard bearer in training in Home Economics, its stock rising as the need for the skills that it provides expanding across the wider frontiers of the local food industry. There are those who would argue, with considerable justification over time, that the bona fides of the CSHE as a state-run institution have not been altogether matched by full recognition of its overall importance to broadening the base of local training in the culinary arts. Indeed there are those who would argue that, over time, the institution has suffered periods of considerable official neglect.
That said, the CSHE has simply refused to ‘go away,’ continually drawing attention to itself, particularly through its Hibiscus Training Restaurant which has attracted considerable attention on account of its role in equipping its students to rise to the challenges that now confront a country where ‘dining out’ has become increasingly commonplace. Among its many initiatives, the Hibiscus Training Restaurant equips students with the skills necessary to secure jobs in a sector that continues to grow as Guyana’s oil-driven investment profile continues to bring visitors here.
A protracted COVID-19 closure would appear to have been followed by a September 19 re-opening that challenges the CSHE to open its doors to the public from 12 to 14:30 hours, Tuesday to Friday. The current Principal, Dr. Sharmaine Marshall, was recently quoted by News Room as saying that the longevity and stamina that the CSHE has demonstrated over the years is reflective of the school’s commitment to providing students with real-world experiences, thereby bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
The News Room story also makes reference to the Principal’s emphasis on the importance of the CSHE offering its students “hands-on” experience in the various disciplines associated with the culinary arts which, the News Room story quotes her as saying “is invaluable to students for fostering the confidence they need in a professional kitchen environment.”
