AHA Culinary School was founded in March 2006 with the vision to provide quality education and training in the field of culinary arts in the Philippines. It was formally inaugurated on October 22, 2006 by then U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, Her Excellency Kristie Kenney.
AHA Culinary School has been a trailblazer in offering unique culinary programs that combines both theoretical and practical approach in learning culinary arts. It was the first to offer in the Philippines the 80/20 practical training/lecture complemented by local and international culinary internship. AHA Culinary School was also the first to offer a Diploma program in Culinary Entrepreneurship, which trains culinary students with the necessary knowledge and skills in putting up their restaurant, catering and other food-related venture.
In the past 12 years, AHA Culinary School has produced more than 1,000 culinary graduates, many have made their names in the Philippine culinary scene and the world.
The American Culinary Federation (ACF), thru the ACF Education Foundation (ACFEF), granted its first-ever 5-year accreditation to AHA Philippines for its Diploma in Culinary Arts/Culinary Entrepreneurship and Associate in International Culinary Arts programs in 2011. A team of highly trained American culinary educators and chefs travelled to the Philippines to evaluate and assess the programs of AHA Culinary School, which proved to be at par with ACF-accredited culinary schools in the U.S and the world.
AHA Culinary School continues to sustain its U.S. standard of culinary training with its second 5-year accreditation in 2016. ACF Awarded last July 2016 a full accreditation of the program from 2016-2021.
At the helm of AHA Culinary School is seasoned culinary educator and executive chef, Gene Cordova. He has the rare combination of international business education, strong culinary training and experience as Chef, and a wealth of experience as culinary educator for over 18 years now. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Fordham University in New York, USA. His strong foundation in Culinary Arts was honed in top schools in Paris, France – Le Cordon Bleu and Hotel Ritz Escoffier, after which he worked as Chef for over 10 years in various hotels in Paris and New York. In 2002, he was granted a Cochran scholarship by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which allowed him to undergo specialized culinary training at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California.
Chef Gene is U.S. Certified Executive Chef and U.S. Certified Culinary Educator. He was a recipient of the prestigious President’s Medallion Award of the American Culinary Federation in 2012 for his pioneering work in expanding the ACF organization outside of the U.S.
