CHASE Conference 2012

The FU Academy in Tenerife is fortunate to be a receiving partner in the CHASE Network and this year we welcomed our first groups of students; a total of 12 chefs,

waiters and waitresses from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Sweden and Turkey.
Every year the partners meet in a different country and this year it fell to the Ester Mosessons Gymnasium, a vocational training, catering school in Göteborg, Sweden.
The Academy was represented by the Director, Frank Sellingsloh, and Project Coordinator, Deborah Good.

The Swedes are early birds so on the first morning we were up early and at 7.30 went to the school for the meeting where business matters are discussed and each country requests a placement for their students in any of the eleven partner countries. After a comprehensive tour of the school, including the bakery, patisserie kitchen, restaurant, shop, and the butchery department we were treated to a delicious lunch cooked and served by the students. It was a first class meal including, seafood starters, salmon, and venison for the main course and a selection of tasty desserts.

In the evening we had a sumptuous Gala Dinner in the Sky Bar at the Hotel Riverton. On the top floor of the hotel there was a magical panoramic view of the harbour at night.

On Friday it was lunch at the Vinkrogen restaurant followed by an interesting bus tour of the city, and the “Fish Church” a fish market in the town centre – then back to the hotel to put on our warmest clothes to vist Liseberg – Scandinavia’s largest theme park in the middle of the city. With over 5,000,000 lights it is a big attraction. After a look round and a warming glass of hot spicy wine we had dinner at the restaurant where there was a typical Swedish Chritsmas table. – a wonderful buffet of typical fish, meat, salad dishes, not to mention the dessert, cheeses and sweet display.

http://www.liseberg.com/en/home/Christmas-at-Liseberg/

On the Saturday we headed north by coach to the picturesque seaside town of Lysekil. We saw snow on the hills and with a temperature of minus 5, ice on the ground. The day was rounded off by a visit to Heaven 23, the penthouse restaurant at the Gothia Towers Restaurant, where we had a delicious open sandwich with fresh prawns, egg and mayonnaise.

It is always sad to say goodbye but the next meeting is planned for October 2013 in Tekirdag, on the Sea of Marmara, Turkey. In the meantime we keep busy planning more projects and hosting more students from our wonderful CHASE partners. There is no doubt that we had the very best of Swedish Hospitality and look forward to a return visit one day.