Tourism and education join forces in a culinary educational plan.

On August 5, 2025, the Minister of Tourism, Transport, and Labor, Wendrick Cicilia, and Minister of Kingdom Relations, Education, Youth, Innovation, and Sports Gerlien Croes were present during the official ceremony of signing a strategic agreement between ATA-EPI and SEPB to stimulate culinary education, which took place in the auditorium of Colegio EPI.
Both schools have already produced several successful chefs on our island, but we need more. With this agreement, tourism and education work hand in hand to achieve a national objective to become known as an island of good cuisine!

It is time now for Aruba to focus on more culinary education among the next generation of chefs, and where better to recruit those who are among the students? Some of them, either from EPB or EPI, will be the next executive chef in our most renowned hotels and restaurants on our island.
To get there, though, you must make the necessary investments, provide study and development opportunities, have the necessary skills, equipment, expertise, and experience, and provide possibilities for internships and experience working in hotels and restaurants. And above all, start inculcating the culinary arts and preserving our local customs and recipes from an early age in the study of our young people.

The Tourist Office (ATA) annually has a fairly busy agenda of events and programs dedicated to students. Not now, but for some years already, there has been collaboration and partnership between ATA, Stichting EPB, and Colegio EPI. But not only with them, but also contributes to educational programs and events together with St. Paulus School, University of Aruba, EduCampus, SKOA, and even IPA.

One of the most successful culinary events in recent years is "authentic," sponsored by ATA. There, for example, ATA ensures that students of the unit "Hospitality & Tourism" volunteer in the event to gain experience in the challenges in real life during culinary events and get acquainted with all aspects of "customer service" in front of a large public. Not only that, but the culinary students are used as assistants for the participating chefs. This year, they will be allowed to cook items on the menu and sell them to the public from their booth, of course, under the supervision of instructors.

Aruba depends on a single economic pillar at the moment, and that is tourism. The Aruba Tourism Authority has the role of providing a helicopter view for our entire economy. It must ensure, via marketing, that it increases the demand to come to Aruba so the tourist is here and ensure that he has an unparalleled experience. Aruba is known for its white beaches, safety, friendliness, and cleanliness. But this is where we will soon add another point that the tourist will use to choose to visit our island ... our kitchen.

For many years, we have depended on international chefs to occupy the highest positions in our hotels and restaurants. But the last decade certainly has seen change. The most popular chefs in Aruba today are locals and, better yet, some have left EPI and today own their restaurants and are very successful as well! That is undoubtedly an inspiration to continue investing in such collaborations so that soon, in a few years, we will produce more local chefs, well prepared, studied, and experienced to prepare the most exquisite dishes, to attract tourists not only to come burn in the sun by the sea, but also to eat their fill because food in Aruba is delicious.

With the "Culinary Education Plan 2025," the Aruba Tourism Authority, Stichting EPB, and Colegio EPI are united in a national effort to develop a labor market, diversify our tourism, and empower young people to assume prominent roles in the future. It aligns the demand that the tourism sector has alongside the educational plans to ensure that it continues to cultivate talents that Aruba needs to continue to grow and develop its tourism.