Extracurricular Activities Main Headline

Culinary Arts Club: fun and education are ingredients in every recipe

中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese
The club has an ongoing commitment to fresh educational initiatives, balancing leisure-focused activities with practical help for students aspiring to careers in the food and drink sector

Campus life at UTM involves more than just academic work: extracurricular activities significantly enrich students’ perspectives. The University offers ample support for undergraduates to discover new interests or explore existing ones, including through participation in specialised clubs established under the Student Union. The Culinary Arts Club is one of the choices.

Matthew Ye, a Year 4 student enrolled on the Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts Management programme at UTM, currently serves as the club’s president – his third term. He says that is of value to the club. “Year 4 students have completed a curricular internship in the third year of our studies. This experience has allowed us to meet more people in the industry and establish connections, making possible the introduction of a wider range of activities for our members.”

Diversifying the club’s activities has been the primary objective for the current academic year. “We’ve invited head chefs and sous chefs from various hotels to conduct workshops for us,” Matthew explains. “We’ve covered topics like fine dining and Kombucha production,” he adds, referring to the fermented tea drink.

The Culinary Arts Club serves as a platform for Matthew and other Culinary Arts Management students to indulge their passion for learning more about gastronomy. “One never tires of pursuing what one is passionate about,” he remarks.

Matthew notes that the club’s circa 80-strong membership is drawn from a variety of UTM programmes. Many are Culinary Arts Management students, but others have a more casual interest in cooking. “We aim to offer opportunities for students not enrolled on the Culinary Arts Management programme to explore this area in a relaxed setting,” he explains. “We strive to provide workshops where all participants can learn new things, as well as having fun.”

Echoing Matthew’s sentiments, Miki Cheang, the club secretary and also a Year 4 Culinary Arts Management student, reflects on her extensive experience with the club. She recalls a memorable moment during her Year 2 as a student, when the club was inundated with mooncake orders from fellow students and university staff. Miki says: “We spent nearly the entire summer holiday on campus to ensure production. It was challenging, but we were passionate about our work and eager to share our products with the UTM community. It proved to be a rewarding and meaningful task.”

As Matthew and Miki prepare to graduate later this year, they are helping the next generation of Culinary Arts Club leadership be ready for those responsibilities. The more junior students are assuming shadow roles to learn the intricacies of club management. “It’s akin to an apprenticeship, allowing our ‘shadows’ to familiarise themselves with our operations and carry forward our established goals,” Matthew concludes.

Editor: UTM Public Relations Team