In Cologne

It has been far too long since my last blog post and so much has happened since then.

We all went off on mid-term break in the first week of April. One of the beauties of being in Switzerland is that travel is very easy and getting around Europe is not difficult at all. I made a weekend stop in Cologne, Germany to visit a friend and then took a train to Paris to spend the rest of the holiday. Both cities were absolutely beautiful. The weather was not great but a little break was good and it is always fun to spend time with friends. I even met up with a Jamaican friend in Paris by surprise!

From the Eifel Tour

We came back to school and went straight into the kitchen at the formal dining restaurant Le Tacot. For two weeks we worked as a small restaurant would. Each person worked in a station and completed a part of the dish all coming together for plate presentation. The first week was lunch service and we created a set menu each day. The second was dinner service where guests choose from an a la carte menu. I helped with cold kitchen, but was in charge of the dessert station, and I can now make very good crème brulée and chocolate mousse. Our proudest moment was receiving 100% for our dinner exam!!

Plates of cold appetiser for a Banquet one evening

After that we had the hottest night of the year: Auction Night. The graduating class makes different efforts to raise money for their graduation celebrations. Auction night involves bidding on each other to share a dinner date. I was “bought” for 175 CHF. The evening is always fun and we had a blast this year dressing up and having a laugh with everyone involved.

The girls at Auction Night

This past weekend a few of us braved the Lausanne 20KM run. Only 5 were brave enough to go for the full 20KM and the rest completed the 10KM. It was a very challenging run for us all but it was a good day and we made it back to Bluche safely.

After all of this and in between all of this we are working towards our final projects, assessments and exams. It would be safe to say that Bluche is very busy at the moment.

The organisers did a wonderful job of transforming the school lobby. There were lounge seats and tables for guests, a judge’s panel and of course a large stage set with lighting and ready for the performers.

Just like the popular talent shows we had a trusty panel of 5 judges who gave the performers feed back some of which was very complimentary and while others were not so lucky.

Of the 15 performers we had comedic acts, dances, singers, a rapper, and a band.

The event went off flawlessly with refreshments and snacks available throughout the evening. In the end the judges chose a winner.

Dorothea, an HOI, sang a beautiful version of Adele’s “Someone like you” accompanied by acoustic guitar. Her performance had both the judges and the audience singing along. She was given the honour of best talent of the evening.

All Photo Credits go to Lan Le Diem Tran (BBA)

Market Place Service (2011)

Last semester when we were all in HOI, or Bsc P1 to be exact, we had Market Place Service for two weeks. We made it to work for 6 am each morning for a week, and for the second week we were the last to leave after dinner.

This semester we are doubly proud of ourselves as we have now completed Market Place Kitchen.

We considered this as a wild and wonderful place last year as none of us were allowed into the Kitchen. This year we tackled it head first and made the most of our time there. As it turns out, all the shiny machinery and large stoves are not as scary as we thought, and it is actually quite a lot of fun.

The time is divided into a lunch shift and a dinner shift. We had menu briefings and each of us was in charge of one element of the meal from salads to soups to large pieces of meat (dessert is taken care of by the pastry team). Each day we had to create a production plan to make sure that our timings and methods for preparing the food were correct.
We worked very hard at cooking and then cleaning. One day I scrubbed four different, very large pieces of cooking equipment, we were all responsible for the cleanliness of our stations.

I am happy to report that my class is still enjoying our good luck in not having too many cuts or burns. Wish us luck in our academic cycle!

Cold Kitchen preparing salads and cheeses

Dinner with the service team

Cleaning up after pan frying 200 pieces of meat

One of our great chefs

the whole team

I apologize for the very late update but during the past weeks I’ve been so busy with school and travelling to different places that the time to write was non-existent.

Since my last post I’ve been:

• Skiing and drinking hot chocolate by the slopes

• Organizing a welcome party for all new and returning students in one of the bars of the school

• On a trip to Milan. It took us about three hours to drive there from school. We checked in at the Nhow Hotel, went to brunch, walked around the city centre and looked at all the nice shops. We went for dinner, drinks and dancing and drove back the next day. A very short but intense trip and I can’t wait to go back when the weather is a bit nicer

• On another trip to a place called Blatten where I got to experience the Swiss carnival and go sledging down a mountain in the pitch dark (so scary!)

• Travelling to London for a weekend to celebrate a friend’s birthday
• Enjoying the sun in parks, on a balcony, and during the “après ski”

• Hanging out with my family who came to visit for a week
• Booking a flight home to Sweden for Easter break

But I’ve also been…

• Finishing a huge project involving six different subjects
• Writing seven out of nine mid-term exams
• Preparing three presentations
• On many interviews and presentations with many hotel companies

I’m enjoying my time here in Switzerland a lot and time flies by so fast it’s hard to believe we are even past the half point. In three to four months I’ll be living and working in a city, but I have no idea where…That’s the beauty of the hotel industry–you have no idea where life (or work) will take you.

X Filippa

It is our chance to show off what we did and where we went on our internships. As part of our internship assessment each student is asked to create a fact sheet about their hotel and experience, a report prescribed by the school and a display of pictures, brochures or any souvenirs they may have.

This is done in two batches and the results were amazing. We had 3-D models, glossy books, branded wines, sand from the beach in Greece, incense, music and various items from all over the world. It was a wonderful representation of the creativity of my classmates.

The fair is also an opportunity for the younger students to hear a bit of what to expect when they go on their internships in a few months. I very much enjoyed talking to my friends and colleagues to find out more about where they went.

Mr. Mioche the Career and Alumni Manager said a few words about the fair: Internship Fair prepared by Students after their first internship

Take a look at the Video below to see some of the displays.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So after many months of waiting impatiently, I have finally arrived on campus at Les Roches! It was a beautiful blue-sky, sunny day making it a perfect day to drive down to the Valais.

The campus is just as amazing as I remembered from my visit, albeit complete with a bit more snow than when I last came!

Upon entering the main building, I was greeted by a very friendly third-year student who assisted me through the check-in procedure. First there was a visit to student accounting to check that everything was in order with payments, etc, then a quick stop to the academic office to sign some forms and to choose the foreign language that we wish to study for the following semesters. I chose to study Spanish as I have never taken Spanish in my life, which should be interesting!
Next stop was to the student services department where I was issued with the all important student card and the keys to my room which was very exciting.

My building is PF3 or ‘Peters Farm 3’, it is a nice building with excellent views of the mountains. Unfortunately for me, it is a building situated several minutes away from the main building – which usually wouldn’t bother me at all! However, due to my ankle/knee injuries it has proved quite difficult sometimes to move around campus with all this snow and ice!

The first week at the school was induction week, where we were introduced to our teachers and given some very interesting presentations about the academic and practical schedules.
We were also given all of the books that we will need for this semester, it was very exciting (although quite nerve-wracking at the same time) to get a first look into what we will be studying!

One of my main worries before arriving on campus was how it would be to initially meet new people and make new friends. But that was something I shouldn’t have worried about because I really like my class and all the people in it!
It is true what they say – Les Roches is not just a school, it’s a way of life.
Anyway, I better get back to studying! Talk to you soon.

Sam

What an intensive start (hence the late update)… The past couple of weeks have been amazing, and I’m so happy I decided to finish HOIII here in Switzerland.

The school impressed me from the very moment I arrived at the airport. They were waiting with a large Les Roches sign for me and other new students, gave us water and snacks, and took care of all luggage. A big bus was waiting outside and the ride to the campus took roughly two hours. After a steep climb up the mountains we reached our final destination – a tiny place called Bluche. After I did my check-in, I was assigned a room, and later on I met up with a bunch of friends for dinner and drinks. Since it was a Saturday, we all were curious about the nightlife so we took a taxi to the nearby village Crans and danced until our feet became sore. Since there are only a few places to go out, people here tend to stick together and that makes it so much more fun.

Monday morning it was time for classes straight away. My year is divided into five groups, and compared to Marbella, that is a lot since we only had three over there. First week was basically an introduction to all teachers, subjects and classmates, and on the second week projects, quizzes, assignments, presentations and exams kept on coming in. I have also joined the Student Committee marketing team where we promote events and activities such as crazy mufti days and parties, so that (along with this blog) keeps me busy, to say the least…

I am very happy that the school offers us to move between the different campuses, and although the contrasts between the schools are quiet big, it’s still the Les Roches spirit all over…

Next weekend awaits a welcome party thrown by the Student Social Committee plus a spontaneously planned trip to Milan… Promise to update you all on that.

Ciao for now!

X Filippa

I am not able to express my feelings in just one blog. If you are not here in Bluche, it is difficult to understand exactly the feeling you get when you are walking around the campus, and the amazing scenery that I am able to see from my balcony every time I wake up, but I will try to give you an idea about Les Roches and the area.

First of all, when you will come to Les Roches you will take part in the induction week. The purpose of the induction week is to learn about the regulations, to familiarize us with the campus and to share important information about the program. I have to say that it was an overload of information the first week but it was worth it in order to understand some important details that I didn’t know.

After the first week, some of us started with academics and some of us with practical, working in the restaurant outlets of the school. If you do not have any work experience don’t panic because the supervisors and the teachers have a lot of work experience in the hospitality industry and they act like workmates and not as a teachers. They try to help us a lot and to give solutions to possible problems.

I was in the first group and I started with academics for the first week. Believe me, if you have a passion for hospitality this is the place that you are going to learn the extra tips for a successful hospitality career. Every class is really interesting, it is not like a typical class, the faculty has a passion for what they are doing. The teachers share their experience from the industry and you can see in their faces that they love what they are doing. We had a lot of discussions, sharing opinions and generally a really friendly environment in the class. One of the classes that I found really interesting among the others is the Bar and Beverage class where we start learning about the history of wine. In the future, we are going to have wine tasting and many more activities like culinary visits.

Now I really want to focus on the social life of Les Roches. A lot of us were afraid it would not be the best. Believe me, the social life here is amazing! Greece, where I came from, has a world renowned nightlife but here you can have a lot of fun, trust me. Here in Bluche we have two bars where everyone goes. The first one is the Sports Bar, a bar operated by Les Roches students and faculty where you can meet most of the students having fun from 9 -11.30 pm. The second is the Atlas bar, very nice atmosphere and Dj Baldo Durazzo from Napoli, my best friend here in Les Roches, rocking on the decks every Friday night. Ten minutes by taxi is the renowned resort of Crans Montana. A place full of restaurants, bars and clubs; every Friday night after Atlas and Sportsbar everyone “goes up” as we say here. In Crans, you can find clubs and bars full of people, excellent cuisine, and traditional restaurants.

This week, I am in stewarding and service. Because of my work experience it is much easier for me but I am not able to say it is not challenging. Don’t worry, because in Les Roches you will meet some of the kindest and friendliest people. Everyone smiles and try to help each other. Team work is an integral part of hospitality and every day the faculty focuses on that.

Thank you very much for your time, I need to leave now or I will lose my duty. Believe me I can understand now the “Les Roches way of life” and if you want to be successful you will love it too.

Work hard during the day, play hard during the night.

Leandros Pembos

When you go off on your internship you don’t really realize how involved you get with the place until you leave it. Cambodia was such an awesome experience and I have made many good friends who I will hopefully get to work with in the future.

I could not have asked for a better or fuller experience at La Residence d’Angkor.
As a Management Trainee I was able to move through more than one department, gaining a more complete picture of the operational areas of the hotel. I spent the bulk of my time in Food and Beverage, 1 month in Front Office, 3 weeks in Housekeeping and rounded out my time in the executive offices working with the Executive Assistant Manager. As the hotel is small and intimate, I have had the opportunity to work very closely with the managers of each department and to join the heads of department morning briefing, which has been so valuable in gaining insight into the workings of the hotel.

As one of the few foreigners at the hotel, I was able to really get to know the Khmer people. I answered a lot of questions, most about “my country” (not many people knew where Jamaica is) and I asked a lot of questions about how they live. It’s funny how little parts of their culture travel with you when you leave. I have found myself trying to thank people first in Khmer, then in French and finally, the right language for this country, English.
My last weekend there, my dear friend who worked in Malaysia came to visit and I was able to play a real tourist for a bit and then amidst tearful goodbyes I got on the plane back to Jamaica.

The holiday here at home has been too short, but so good to recharge and get ready for the fun we are all bound to have in the Kitchen next semester.

Bon voyage! to all who are returning and Bien venue! to those we will meet for the first time back in Bluche.

Whitney

Also I had the ability to hang out with two current Greek students of Les Roches. Christianna and Nano will start Ho3 this January and I am very happy that I already know them. They are both very passionate and motivated for the hospitality industry!! They shared with me their experiences about previous internships and also about the life on campus. I want to thank them for the support and all the advice that they gave me and can’t wait to be all together in Les Roches!!!

Furthermore, I had the ability to network with some of my future classmates through Les Roches for New Students page on Facebook. It is page designed by Les Roches in order to interact with future students, post questions and generally sharing our experiences. The Enrolment Management Department of Les Roches is very helpful and answers all of our possible questions. I had the opportunity to chat with future students from Ecuador, Brazil, Italy and many more countries. The diversity of students is amazing!!!

Now about the final packing and some advice before arrival! A good advice if you finished your shopping and everything is to “test drive” your luggage! You need to be able to hold your bag without the help of someone else. Also, for the students coming to Les Roches this January make sure before you leave that you have all the arrival documents listed on the site of Les Roches and also in the pre arrival guide. Thirdly, electricity in Switzerland is 230 Volts so if you are coming from a country with different type make sure to bring a voltage converter (adaptor). This is a very helpful site to find and compare the voltage of your country.

I know that most of you have diverse feelings about this big change in our life. I spoke with many other future students and shared with me the excitement, the nervousness and some others that will miss home and friends. But in order to have a successful career life in the hospitality field we need to adapt easily to the changes, we need to be able to collaborate with new people from all around the world and finally we are all a big family.

Les Roches, due to the diversity of culture, helps us to achieve that. Everyone seems so exciting and passionate about coming to Bluche! For me to be surrounded by a friendly and happy environment is the best thing in my life. A big Smile everyone, forget all the worries in your mind and in a few days we will have fun all together.

Thank you so much for your support!!! Can’t wait it is a small word to describe my feelings…

Feel free to ask me any question or add me on Facebook – Leandros Pembos

Leandros