The International House of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) also known as I-House hosted some management staff, staff, and guests to a ‘Menu tasting’ event to sample their objective opinions following weeks of training of the entire staff of the unit to improve their culinary skills, food presentation, and professionalism.

The I-House has been going through infrastructural reformation and capacity development in the past months beginning with the kitchen staff and is expected to continue in the coming months.

Guest Chef, Andrew O’Halloran, commended IITA for taking interest in its hospitality unit by ensuring the staff is well-trained and up-scaled in their creative skills in the kitchen. He also said the chefs have been exposed to new cooking methods and ingredients with the new menus launched at the ‘menu tasting.’

The training follows some concerns raised by management and staff of the institute about the decreasing quality of food and services delivered at the I-House.

Head of Hospitality and Travels, IITA Bridget Mangulama, said Chef O’Halloran was invited to train and identify the staff’s talent, skills, and areas of weakness and strength. She also noted that the tasting menu is a prime opportunity to demonstrate the team’s newly acquired culinary expertise, creativity, and innovations.

“In the past few weeks, the food and beverage team, especially the kitchen staff has been going through intense training in food preparation, presentation, and so on, and we’re happy to invite some management staff and guests for menu sampling and to receive their objective comments on the taste, and quality of food. We will ensure the team receives continuous training,” she said.

One of the guests from Chicken Chaos Restaurant Ibadan, Ibukun Oluwakupoluyi, who attended the menu sampling said she likes to explore tastes and food from around the world and that the menu sampling has given her ideas for dishes to improve her own business. She also described the training of the I-House chefs as a step in the right direction.

DDG Corporate Services, Hilde Koper who attended the event said there is a vast difference in the taste and quality of food served and hopes it is sustained.

Other management staff and guests present at the event were; Director of Western Africa Hub, Prof. Michael Abberton, Head of Germplasm Health/Virology Unit, Lava Kumar, Aflasafe Plant Pathologist, Alejandro  Ortega-Beltran, Head of Human Resources, Human Resources, Lilian Mendoza, Molecular Geneticist, BioScience, Ranjana Bhattacharjee, Deputy Director General, Special Duties, Directorate, Kwame Akuffo-Akoto, etc.

Contributed by Dajie Odok and Victoria Adabale