Indian School of Hospitality conducts India’s first virtual student talent hunt
New Delhi: The Indian School of Hospitality is one of the country’s leading higher education institutes, which has always prided itself on finding the very best students and fostering them into incredible leaders. This year, the leading institute conceptualized and conducted a nationwide talent search by going digital to look for the best and motivated aspirants hoping to make a name for them in the hospitality industry.
Education at ISH has always been for the exceptional & deserving candidates; therefore, this was a way to let the students know that it remains accessible to all passionate and meritorious students. The idea behind the contest was to accept the talented and empower those who deserve globally bench marked education, while understanding the current financial turmoil faced by many parents due to the pandemic. The scholarship was funded under ‘Flourish Foundation’, which is a step to reflect the mission of inclusivity and is a hope for many who could not consider due to paying propensity.
The talent hunt for this year was mainly for two competitions – ISH Talent Search – Young Chef 2020 and ISH Talent Search – Young Entrepreneur 2020.All aspiring young chefs between the ages of 17-21 were invited to participate in this virtual cook off to prove they have what it takes to secure a place on ISH’s prestigious, Swiss certified/Singapore certified culinary arts programme. Similarly, the Young Entrepreneur competition invited all budding hospitality and business aspirants to put together their business plans and projects to help contribute to the world of hospitality in the time of COVID-19.
The competition witnessed participation from over 26 states in India, with 400 leads registering for the competition. The winner for the Young Chef 2020 received a scholarship and a chance to join the ranks of India’s most talented culinary students. On the other hand, the winner for the best idea and plan not only secured a scholarship for ISH’s internationally acclaimed BBA in Hospitality Management, they also get a chance to work with India’s leading brands and make their idea a reality.
Mr. Dilip Puri, founder and CEO commenting on the success of this initiative said “The common factor among all contestants was the passion and ambition for making it big in the hospitality industry and culinary world. It has always been our aim and a pleasure to curate interesting platforms for such enthusiastic and bright students to hone their talents. They were all academically driven and rearing to embrace the rigour of EHL programs.”
The winners of both the contest were selected based on their creativity, innovative ideas and their academic drive. The esteemed judges were industry icons and most respected names in the hospitality world – Rajiv Gulshan, Dean of Culinary Arts, ISH; Chef Bhasin of Leela Hotels and the one and only Chef and Author Zubin D’Souza, the Young entrepreneur competition was judged by Founder & CEO – DilipPuri , and hospitality veteran and serial CEO Mandeep Lamba.