New ATU-led research team established to promote and deliver sustainable culinary practices through education

March 13, 2023

Staff in Atlantic Technological University (ATU) recently hosted the inaugural gathering of a new EU-funded research team tasked with educating and training students and staff in “Sustainability in culinary practices: tradition and innovation towards a sustainable future”– called the SCOOK Project.

The first in-person gathering took place in Galway recently (20 – 24 Feb) comprised of academics from ATU’s Galway International Hotel School; Mediterráneo Culinary Center, Valencia, Spain; Lycée Jesse de Forest, Avesnes sur Helpe, France, and University St Kliment Ohridski Bitola, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Ohrid, North Macedonia.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, the three-year SCOOK Project aims to increase awareness of sustainability in culinary education and training in the partner institutions and their regions as well as nationally and internationally. The team will conduct cross-sectional survey “snapshots” to assess sustainability awareness amongst students, staff, and external stakeholders from the hospitality, restaurant and catering sector; they will develop a multilingual, interactive teaching and learning resources supported by a handbook, host transnational webinars to discuss traditional and innovative cooking methods and sustainability, and disseminate their findings to their communities in the culinary and hospitality sector in the partner universities and European regions.

The project is led by the Irish team (ATU)–Dr Sarah Berthaud, lecturer in French (Project Lead), Dr Francesco Noci, Mary Reid, Eamonn Hoult and Ulrich Hoeche. It is part of the KA202 Erasmus ‘SCOOK’ project which has been awarded €250,000 for 2022-2025.

Workshops and presentations were held throughout the five-day gathering in Galway city. These included: sustainability approaches in the context of seafood and meat production, sustainable marine resources and plastic pollution in the ocean, the integration of

Sustainability into all aspects at ATU including the new strategic plan. Other workshops focused on survey design, interactive teaching and learning resources, multilingual resource development and communications to support the delivery of the project.

The week concluded with a visit to sustainable local producers including Teresa Roche, Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese (produces premium Swiss style cheese made from the milk of her grass-fed Pedigree Dairy herd) and Diarmuid Kelly, Kelly Oysters (family business farming oysters in the pristine waters off Galway Bay over 60 years, exporting their produce around the globe).

Dr Sarah Berthaud, ATU, says: “This innovative project is a great way to produce teaching materials that will help increase sustainability in culinary education and beyond. Too often people want to be sustainable but are not sure on how to proceed. SCOOK will address this.”

For further information on this initiative, please contact Dr Sarah Berthaud, lecturer in French, Galway International Hotel School, ATU Galway City, via email: sarah.berthaud@atu.ie

For further information about the SCOOK project visit this page.

For further information about ATU’s Galway International Hotel School visit this page.