Royal Academy of Culinary Arts wins KACE award for excellence

AMMAN — The King Abdullah II Centre for Excellence (KACE), being the representative of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), has awarded the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA) with EFQM’s Committed to Excellence (C2E) 2 Star Certificate.

The Executive Director of the King Abdullah II Centre for Excellence, Ibrahim Al Rawabdeh, handed over the certificate to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Wajih Owais and RACA’s Campus Director Jacques Rossel, according to an academy statement.

RACA is the first educational institution specialised in the hospitality sector to achieve EFQM’s Commitment to Excellence accreditation in Jordan, as “this certificate is a recognition scheme that guides institutions to deliver better results and achieve excellence”, the statement said. 

This accreditation achieves global recognition of RACA’s commitment to quality standards as per international best practices, read the statement.

The award ceremony took place at RACA on Tuesday with the presence of officials from KACE, RACA board members and officials from USAID Building Economic Sustainability through Tourism Project, which provided the technical support for this project.    

Rawabdeh said that RACA obtaining the EFQM Committed to Excellence award is “a result of the desire and consideration of RACA’s higher management in proceeding with its journey towards excellence to elevate future performance and to ensure the sustainability of the distinguished results that RACA seeks to achieve in the long run”.

Owais stated that obtaining this recognition “reflects RACA’s commitment in sustaining the highest quality standards” through adding a new scheme of international standards of excellence, in addition to the currently implemented programmes. 

He also indicated that RACA appreciates the support and encouragement of His Majesty King Abdullah and “always seeks” to embody the vision of the King by providing the highest levels of education and training in culinary arts in Jordan, and according to “the most prestigious international levels”.

He pointed out that this certificate “enhances the confidence” of all parties and stakeholders with RACA’s commitment and ability to continue with this “distinguished approach”, by completing the requirements of excellence and applying global best practices.

Rossel said: “Since its opening in 2008, the Royal Academy has always pursued its goal to be a model of excellence in culinary education within the local and international market. Over the years, the hospitality sector in Jordan and abroad has recognised and praised the quality of our graduates and RACA has become a trusted source of young trained chefs, ready for this very demanding industry.” 

“Providing a market with professional and qualified workforce can only be achieved if RACA operates with the right mindset towards quality and cascade this way of thinking throughout its organisation. We are thrilled of today’s success and our gratitude go greatly toward the King Abdullah II Center for Excellence for their guidance and recommendations, and USAID BEST for their professional advices and technical support,” he added.