‘Farm to Plate’ sustainability focused culinary degree course

The BA (Hons) in Botanical Cuisine is a unique honours culinary arts-based course offered by TU Dublin and is the first degree of its kind in Europe. This 'Farm to Plate’ sustainability focused culinary degree course is aimed at producing contemporary chefs to meet the rapidly changing trends in food and to innovate plant-based food production and service creatively and confidently.

In the world of culinary arts, chefs who are international leaders, are driving change through the following focus. These areas are fast becoming trends for the future of food.

• Growing their own fruit and vegetables
• Sustainability
• Ethical sourcing of food
• Zero Waste
• Health and wellness in menu design
• Plant-based cuisine, where vegetables are taking centre stage on the menu and meat and fish are treated as a ‘side’ on the plate
• Chef self-care and positive kitchen culture

This 'hands-on' course has a strong emphasis on the practical skills and knowledge needed for the education of 'future chefs'.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/C9_XFxqnhZk?si=yifMUqqrEdvy9FjF

Living Thesis

Unique to this programme is what TU Dublin call a ‘living thesis’ where students, instead of writing a thesis, are required to research, curate and project manage a thematic botanical cuisine performance of their choice for a set of diners and industry experts.

This year the group chose the theme ‘Deisoil’ (meaning turning towards the sun). It looked at the Celtic calendar through the lens of local, seasonal food at each point of the calendar. Each student took one of the calendar stages and designed and presented their dish and drinks, to represent food/ meaning of food at that specific stage of the calendar year.

The menu was also assessed for the carbon footprint of dishes. This year students presented their ‘live thesis’ in Airfield Estate where they have been based once a week since September. Watch a video of it here.

Endorsements

Chef JP Mc Mahon is one of the patrons of the programme along with Sasu Laukkonen (Helsinki) and Matt Orlando (Copenhagen).

Chef Cuan Greene offered his thoughts on the course:

“It’s a really great course where chefs get hands-on experience working and growing in the field as well as lectures and practical classes. Highly recommend”

Progression Available

Successful graduates may progress to a master’s degree (Level 9). Recommended for this course is, TU280 Master of Science in Applied Culinary Nutrition which further develops the graduate's knowledge, skills and competencies in Cuisine, Health and Wellness.

Student Feedback

“Having studied Culinary Arts for 4 years and earning my Bachelor of Arts level 7 degree, it felt natural to want to progress. I heard about this course from my lecturer Annette Sweeney. The course was new, beginning in 2018 and to me seemed like the perfect option to progress in a field that is so relevant to me as a chef.

The food world is always changing, and being on top of trends is so important. The course offered me a chance to dive deeper into botanical cuisine, something which I am passionate about. It offered me as a student a chance to dive deeper into the world of botanics, gardening, farm to fork and much more. There is no other course in Ireland out there like it, and I believe it is a fantastic opportunity to learn and discover more about the world around us.

Being able to learn and study at Airfield (a well-known and established food business/farm) was a fantastic opportunity. We were able to get hands on in areas such as farming, bee keeping, gardening and much more.

If you are someone who has an interest in food, the outdoors and how the world around us relates back to our eating habits and food we choose to eat, but also wants to learn more about 'farm to fork' and other aspects of the culinary world e.g. our ecosystem then this course would be perfect.

The university itself has many facilities and is very engaging with its students. The campus is big, lively, and enjoyable to be in.”

Iseult Kinsella, Current Student

Applications

Applications are now open on the TU Dublin website - Apply Online

Detailed information regarding the application process can be found on the part-time section of the TU Dublin website.

Summary of the course:

Course code: TU032

Where? TU Dublin – Tallaght on-campus

How long? 1 year part time

Level: 8

Award: Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

For more course information click here for CareerPortal and here for TU Dublin.

Other courses available in culinary arts and cuisine can be found on TourismCareers.ie.