INRTU Baikal Hospitality School Establishes Cooperation with Partners from Heihe, China

The founder of INRTU's Baikal Hospitality School paid a working visit to the city of Heihe (China, Heilongjiang province). He met with the leaders of the city administration, the local Vocational Education Center, and restaurateurs. The parties discussed prospects for cooperation in tourism and hospitality, as well as the implementation of joint educational projects. The trip took place as part of the International Russian-Chinese Gastronomic Festival “Shores of Taste”.

It is worth noting that the International Russian-Chinese Gastronomic Festival “Shores of Taste” took place in late August. The main venue was Blagoveshchensk, where Ivan Gustelyov, the founder of the Baikal Hospitality School and director of the university's food production facility, took part as a member of the Irkutsk Region delegation.

During the visit to Heihe, a meeting was held with the city administration, attended by Ivan Gustelyov and Tatiana Velichko, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and External Relations of the Amur Region. The parties discussed the legal aspects of doing business in China and prospects for cooperation between the two countries in tourism and hospitality. Ivan Gustelyov presented the educational programs of the Baikal Hospitality School. He also visited the Heihe Vocational Education Center, which trains chefs and hosts custom banquets. Ivan Gustelyov commented on the scale and high level of equipment:

“The Center has a hall with a capacity of up to 1,500 guests. It is different from the banquet venues we are used to. We usually prepare for an important event for several months, discussing everything with the client, including decor and entertainers. In China, a different concept is adopted. There, the client is offered a space and a menu already prepared for the celebration. They even provide plastic mock-ups of dishes.

I am not calling for copying this model. However, our chefs could benefit from adopting the Chinese experience in terms of speed, client approach, and understanding their requests. This can be learned through internships from the Baikal Hospitality School and the Heihe Vocational Education Center”.

In addition, the founder of the BHS visited a Chinese dumpling (jiaozi) production facility and met with Heihe entrepreneurs specializing in the food service industry.

In June, Ivan Gustelyov traveled to Manzhouli as part of an INRTU delegation. He attended master classes with Li Fuhan, head of the Chinese Chefs Association. The program also included meetings with hoteliers and the leadership of the Manzhouli Russian Language Vocational College.