Dear AEHT Members
Our congratulations are due to Brigitte Engering, the
AEHT’s new Dutch national representative, for taking
up the torch (or rather the AEHT flag!) from the
organisers of the Lisbon Annual Conference, in place
of the Poznan School. Brigitte heads up the ROC
Mondriann’s Tourism and Leisure Department.
The Executive Board on the front steps of the ROC Mondriaan in
The Hague
The Hague – a centuries-old
tradition of hospitality
The ROC Mondriaan team immediately gave their full
support to Brigitte Engering and bravely took on the
challenge of organising the 24th AEHT Annual
Conference which will take place in The Hague from
November 7th-12th 2011. The Executive Board witnessed
this team’s enthusiasm and efficiency during its meeting
in The Hague from March 11th-13th – this multi-facetted
city of international importance, located in the Dutch
province of South Holland. It is the country’s
administrative capital, the seat of the government and
the residence of the royal family, as well as hosting 102
embassies and 13 consulates; it is also the seat of the
International Criminal Court as well as many important
international and European organisations such as
Europol (European Police Office) and the European
Patent Office (EPO).
The founding of the city of The Hague dates back to
1242 and took place at the behest of William 2nd, Count
of Holland, King of Germany and then King of the
Romans; William gave his name to the city: ‘de ‘s-
Gravenhage’, literally ‘The Count’s Hedge’, as he had
ordered the construction of a castle in a forest near the
sea in Holland but died before it could be completed.
The ‘Ridderzaal’ or Knights’ Room, the
Diekirch, May 2011
main building of the Binnenhof, dates from this period.
The Hague has welcomed numerous foreign visitors
and has given asylum to political, philosophical and
religious (protestant) refugees; the city was also the
home or place of work of great lawyers and
philosophers such as Spinoza and Hugo Grotius, who
were able to flourish here thanks to the exceptional
climate of tolerance which obtained in the United
Provinces at the time.
In the foreground (from left to right): the Mauritshuis and the
Torentje (the little tower), containing the office of the Dutch
Premier since 1982 and attached to the Binnenhof reflected in the
Hofvijver (Court Pond).
In the background the new station quarter; on the left you can see
the city’s tallest building, the 142 meter-high ‘Hoftoren’ popularly
known as ‘de vulpen’ (fountain pen) which houses the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Science. In front of that are the 88 meter-
high ‘Zurichtoren’ known as the ‘citruspers’ (lemon squeezers) and
the 88 metre-high ‘Castalia’ which houses the Minister of Health,
Well-being and Sport and which is nicknamed ‘tieten van Den
Haag’ (literally ‘the breasts of The Hague’).
Tolerance and multiculturalism will be the theme of this
year’s AEHT Annual Conference: for many of our
young participants the conference represents an
important stage in their studies as well as in their
professional and private lives (please see the interview
in the second part of this Newsletter). And indeed it is
an opportunity to put on show their professional
knowledge, skills and competence; for many the
conference is their first experience outside their own
country, bringing with it new educational, sociocultural
and gastronomic experiences, together with new
friendships as a bonus.
However, in order for this experience to be an
unqualified success, and so that no student has to be
excluded from the Conference, the Competitions
Commission would like to remind you of a number of
rules which have to be followed to the letter:
1 N°1/2011
1. Every student must have the required identifies the registering school is the only link
language level for the chosen contest, as between this registration software and the AEHT’s
defined by the Council of Europe’s framework membership database. For security reasons (and to
of reference for languages. The teacher in avoid duplicate registrations) the programme will
charge must confirm this level when he or accept only one contact person (and thus only one
she registers the student. If this rule is not account) per school. It is most important that, even at
observed, the candidate will be excluded the preregistration stage, the schools should register
from the contest. students for the competitions, even using fictitious
2. No school may register more than one names, in order to guarantee a place. Changes can be
student per contest. The online registration made online as and when necessary. Once the
system will automatically refuse a second registration process has been carried out the delegation
registration. leader will be able to download a pro-forma invoice
3. No student may participate more than once in an which will be displayed at the edge of the same web
Annual Conference. The organisers will carry out page. After payment has been received the original of the
checks to prevent this. invoice will be sent by post, or will be handed to the
4. The online registration system will automatically delegation leader at the Annual Conference.
limit the number of places per country available in
the competitions to 25% of the allocated places,
except for the management competition where
this quota will be 50%. Similarly, the organising
country may allocate to itself any places which
remain unfilled by the registration dead-line, thus
possibly exceeding the quota.
5. The accompanying teachers will be obliged to
indicate when they register which subject(s)
they teach so that they can be members of
the judging panels, thus enabling all teachers
to take part in at least one excursion.
6. For the opening ceremony the participants The premises of Roc Mondriaan and the location of the
should wear their school’s uniform. For the competitions
gala evening they should wear either their
uniform or evening dress.

Please note that the official website for this Annual

Conference www.aeht2011.nl is already up and
running, and that all registrations must carried out
online (http://www.aeht.eu/ac_form2011/login.php)
using the same procedures as in 2010. However, the
registration software and the electronic registration
form have undergone some changes since last year.
From now on the heads of each delegation have the
option of reserving online an additional night at the
hotel for the day preceding or the day following the
event; they will also have to indicate the level of
language of their students according to the Council of
Europe’s ‘Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages’
In order to be able to register, the delegation leaders
will have to log in (by creating their own account),
choosing their own username and password. Once
registered, they will be sent by email the link which
enables them to activate their school’s own account
and to have access to the registration form. A
demonstration explaining the registration procedure
is available on the website. The AEHT code which

Diekirch, May 2011 2 N°1/2011

The documentation relating to the competitions is being
prepared and will shortly be available at the same
website.
All the competitions will take place at the ROC
Mondriaan and will be arranged in the following
subject areas:
1. Culinary arts (96 places available)
2. Pastry competition(32 places)
3. Cocktail bar (48 places)
4. Restaurant service competition (48 places)
5. Wine service competition (48 places)
6. Barrista competition (48 places)
7. Front office competition (32 places)
8. Competition involving the presentation of a
tourism destination (32 places)
9. Hospitality management competition level 5 and
above (32 places)
Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel
Several categories of bedrooms The ‘ Kurzaal’, decorated with 19th
are available: century frescos which took only 30
- superior rooms refurbished in days to execute, was once a famous
2008-2009 (above) concert-hall which was the venue for,
- traditional room (below) among others, the Rolling Stones’
first foreign concert in 1964.
Accommodation for the participants will be in seven
hotels, all of them located in Scheveningen, The
Diekirch, May 2011
Hague’s seaside resort on the North Sea:
 IBIS Hotel: http://www.ibishotel.com/nl/hotel-1153-ibis-
den-haag-scheveningen/index.shtml (students)
 Bella Vista Hotel:
http://www.hotelbellavista.nl/ (students)
 Bilderberg Europa Hotel:
http://www.bilderberg.nl/hotels/europa-hotel/
Badhotel Scheveningen:
http://www.badhotelscheveningen.nl/
 Skotel: http://www.hotelschool.nl/facilities/skotel-
the-hague/rooms.html
 Carlton Beach Hotel: http://www.carlton.nl/beach/
 The Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel was built as a
public bathing establishment in 1818. The buildings
burnt down in 1885 and were rebuilt in only eight
months before reopening as a luxury hotel in 1886:
http://www.kurhaus.nl/.
Carlton Beach Hotel
Standard bedroom 
Superior bedroom 
The conference registration fees range from €495 per
student (sharing a double or three/four-bedded room)
to €795 per teacher, all increasing by about 10% after
July 3rd 2011. These fees cover all activities included
in the programme.
The registration deadline is September 15th 2011. The
delegations are expected to pay their registration fees
3 N°1/2011
within three weeks of registering. Only cancellations
received before September 1st 2011 will be considered
for full refund. After this date no refunds will be
possible.
These hotels are all ten minutes walk away from each
other. The shuttle buses for the competitions and the
meetings at the ROC Mondriaan school in The Hague
will operate from the car park opposite the Carlton
Beach hotel. At busy times the transfers will be by bus,
and the rest of the day minibuses will regularly provide a
shuttle service to and from the Scheveningen terminus.
Bus stop for the free shuttles back and forth to The Hague
The organisers will provide a free transfer service from
Amsterdam airport (Schiphol) and from the Hollands
Spoor The Hague railway station (not The Hague
Central Station) to the Scheveningen hotels. Students
from ROC Mondriaan will welcome the participants at
the airport and train station arrivals. At the airport the
organisers will also set up registration desks. For the
homeward journey, the dates and times of the transfers
will be posted on the information stand in each hotel, as
well as on the notice board located in the entrance hall
of the ROC Mondriaan school.
A number of excursions are also planned as part of
the programme:
‐ A visit to the Binnenhof, a complex of buildings
some of which date back to 1230. Since 1904 it has
been the seat of the Dutch government, and houses
the Dutch Premier’s office and the two
parliamentary chambers, the ‘Eerste Kamer’ (the
Senate) and the ‘Tweede Kamer’ (the National
Assembly) – it is thus the centre of power in the
country. On the third Tuesday in September each
year (on Prinsjesdag – Princes’ Day) the Queen
delivers her ‘speech from the throne’ (in fact
written by the Premier) in the ‘Ridderzaal’
(Knights’ Hall), the Binnenhof’s main building,
which is also used for certain official royal
receptions and for inter-parliamentary
conferences.
Diekirch, May 2011
‐ A visit to the royal pictures collection in the
Mauritshuis – built in 1640 for the Count (and
Prince from 1653) Johan Maurits van Nassau-
Siegen, governor-general of the Dutch colonies
in Brazil. The royal museum is devoted mostly to
the art of 17th century – Holland’s golden age –
and has on display paintings by Johannes Vermeer
(View of Delft, Girl with a Pearl Earring, etc.) and
by Rembrandt van Rijn (The Anatomy Lesson of Dr
Nicolaes Tulp).
Straight out of a fairy tale: the
Mauritshuis to the left and the Binnenhof to the right.
‐ A visit to one of the operations of FloraHolland, a
Dutch flower-growing cooperative and the world’s
largest flower auction. The company has six sites:
Aalsmeer, Naaldwijk, Rijnsburg, Venlo, Bleiswijk
and Eelde, and the participants will have the
opportunity of visiting one of these.
‐ A visit to the Amsterdam Heineken Experience.
This is more than just a museum, located in one of
the group’s former breweries. Visitors are offered
four different levels of interactive experiences.
Those curious to know more can visit the website
in advance at http://www.heinekenexperience.com.
The ‘academic’ part of the programme includes
lectures on the following themes:
‐ total quality management
‐ the key competence-based curriculum
‐ professionalisation of teachers.
The programme of workshops on offer is still in
preparation, and further information will be provided in
due course.
This 24th AEHT Annual Conference is being organized
by the ‘Regionaal Opleidingencentrum Mondriaan’ –
the Mondriaan Regional Training Centre – which
constitutes one of Holland’s largest professional
training providers, with sites in The Hague and the
surrounding area. ROC Mondriaan also offers
training programmes for adults, customized training
programmes and three international training
4 N°1/2011
programmes at pre-bachelor level (International
Business, International Hotel Management and
International Tourism & Leisure Management). These
last three programmes are delivered in English. The
Centre has a total of 30,000 students and 2,500 staff.
During our stay in The Hague at the beginning of
March, the members of the Executive Board, the
Presidium, the Council of Elders and the Competitions
Committee witnessed at first hand the great Lunch menu served on Friday in the
‘Het Heerenmael’ training
enthusiasm with which the ROC Mondriaan team have restaurant
taken up the challenge of organising an event of this
scale in such a record time. We were highly impressed
by the quality of the gastronomic meals and the
creativity shown by the chefs in the four training
restaurants which are open to the public during the
week, with seating for up to 300 customers. Frank
Plaatsman, a teacher of restaurant service and F&B,
explained to us, in the course of a visit of the school’s
modern installations, that these restaurants are
already fully booked for the next three months. The
menus are charged at a mere 17€ while the cost price
is 12€. And what menus! During the Annual Conference lunch will be served on
On the day of their arrival, the members of the Monday and Friday in the various hotels, and from
Presidium had the privilege of enjoying the following Tuesday to Thursday inclusive on the ROC Mondriaan
menu: campus. Think of those angels dancing on your tongue
- Exotic salad with slices of leg of lamb seasoned during the conference!
with a yoghurt and mint dressing
- Fresh wild mushroom soup with bread
- Grilled ostrich steak with Chinese cabbage,
Moroccan couscous and a port and cranberry
sauce
- International cheese board served with a slice of
walnut bread, some grapes, figs and a touch of
honey
- Carpaccio of blood oranges marinated in Grand
Marnier served with yoghurt ice-cream.

Applause for the kitchen and restaurant teams for their

performance in keeping with the
ROC Mondriaan’s excellent reputation

The complete minutes of the Executive Board meeting

Grilled ostrich steak Carpaccio of oranges
The following day the chefs and their trainees treated
the other guests to the following delights:
- Dutch shrimps with green apples, smoked eel with
black pepper and wild salmon tartare
- Crispy duck breast with green asparagus, risotto
and rocket
- Mango and passion fruit salad served with a dash of
red pepper on a white chocolate ice-cream, with a
lychee decoration.
may be downloaded from the AEHT’s website at
http://www.aeht.eu/fr/meetings-and-reports. Here we
would just like to point out some new developments:
In 2010 the AEHT had submitted an application for
funding to the ‘Youth in Action’ programme of the EU,
but the application was rejected. On the advice of the
Luxembourg agency, this application was divided up
into three separate projects, the first relating to the
Youth Parliament, the second to the Annual
Conference in The Hague and the third to Christmas

Diekirch, May 2011 5 N°1/2011

in Europe in Rhodes. The application relating to
Christmas in Europe was resubmitted by Louis Robert
in January 2011 and was approved by the
Commission in March 2011. The EU grant thus
allocated to the AEHT will enable us to cover a part
of the organizational costs, travelling expenses and
administrative costs. However, co-financing by the EU
is subject to the following conditions, among others:
1. The event must from now on last at least six days
excluding the day of arrival and the day of
departure (if no activities are arranged on these
two days). Therefor at least one extra day must be
added to the usual Christmas in Europe
programme – the additional cost of this will be
entirely covered by the project.
2. The event will host up to 60 students and 18
accompanying teachers. This number is more or
less the same as the usual number of participants
at present.
In addition to the extra cost of the additional day
reimbursed to the organisers, the AEHT will pay
€100 per participant for travel costs. This
payment will be for all participants irrespective of
nationality.
The members of the Presidium will hold a meeting on
Saturday June 4th in Faro with the organisers of
Christmas in Europe to discuss in detail the new
arrangements for the 2011 event. The AEHT Head
Office will inform the membership of the outcome of
this meeting in due course
At the farewell dinner in the Savarin restaurant, Klaus Enengl
thanks the Director Brigitte Engering and Harry de Bruijn,
Executive Chairman - Domain Business Services and Secretary
general of EUHOFA International, for their amazing hospitality
We should also mention that the Executive Board had
the great privilege of staying at the five-star Savarin
Hotel. This hotel and restaurant with its fitness centre
opened as recently as January 2011, in a carefully
restored former farm building dating from 1916,
located in Rijswijk on the edge of the city of The
Hague. The establishment provides a welcoming
setting, a high quality restaurant, and top-quality
fitness equipment. Patrick van Zuiden and his business
partner Peter van Santen are the owners. Patrick is a
graduate of the ROC Mondriaan hotel and tourism
Diekirch, May 2011
school and contributes to the professional training
programme of students from the school. For many
years he has played a leading role within the Dutch
division and the European Committee of the ‘Jeunes
Restaurateurs d’Europe’ (Young Restaurateurs of
Europe), an association which brings together more
than 350 young restaurateurs from 11 European
countries and, since 2008, also from Australia (see
http://www.jre.net). All of these young restaurateurs
are passionate about gastronomy and are committed
to high-quality cuisine based on culinary traditions
and local produce.
The design hotel-restaurant
Savarin has opened its doors
in January 2011 in Rijswijk
and offers an inventive and
high quality ‘fusion cuisine’
served in a stylish and cosy
atmosphere.
Patrick van Zuiden has agreed to help the AEHT with
its Hospitality Management Competition. On
Wednesday November 9th 2011 Patrick van Zuiden will
give a 20-30 minute presentation to the competitors
(and to a wider public) on the tasks of the manager in
respect of human resources and other areas of
management. After his presentation he will be available
to answer any questions from the competitors, and will
contribute to the evaluation of the students’
presentations as a member of the judging panel.
In preparation for the upcoming management
competition in The Hague, Adolf Steindl, a member of
the Council of Elders and a consultant in tourism,
education and youth, had arranged a meeting in
January 2011 at the Copenhagen Hotel and
Restaurant School (Valby), bringing together a group
of experts from AEHT member schools to evaluate and
improve the management competition at the Annual
Conference, as well as to prepare for a seminar for
teachers, to be held in April in Athlone. A short
account of the event is given below.
6 N°1/2011
 AEHT Workshop on
“Hospitality Management”
held in Athlone:
Good results - and Irish
Hospitality at its best!
17 participants from 10 European countries
experienced an unforgettable working session at
Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) from April 6th to
9th 2011: excellent speakers, topical themes, useful
exchange of good practices, congenial team work -
and an overwhelming personal attention -
“pampering” even - by our colleagues at the AIT.
Official Seminar picture:
Mr Tim Fenn, CEO Irish Hotels Federation surrounded by the
seminar participants; on the left is seminar organizer John Carey
(with AEHT folder)
President prof. Ciarán Ó Catháin (AEHT president from
1994 – 97) welcomed the guests warmly on behalf of his
5000 students and teachers; together with the head of
Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, John O’Hara, who
provided a truly pleasing atmosphere in the rooms of his
department, and colleague John Carey, a senior teacher
of hospitality management himself, demonstrated
perfectly how to combine theoretical knowledge with
practical skills by organizing this event.
Visiting the food production facilities of AIT college
Diekirch, May 2011
Adolf Steindl, member of the AEHT Council of Elders
and consultant in tourism, education and youth, gave an
introduction to the terminology of hospitality training in
English – and presented recent KPIs (key performance
indicators) of Austrian and European hotels; colleagues
from Bellinzona (Switzerland), Szeget (Hungary),
Savonia (Finland), Riga (Latvia), Dublin (Ireland), Bled
(Slovenia) and Bad Leonfelden (Austria) told their
successful “teaching stories” in hospitality management.
John Carey informed the colleagues about innovations
in the hospitality management competition in The Hague
in November 2011. A guided tour through the immense
campus of the college and a superb dinner at the
department’s training restaurant nicely rounded off the
first working day.
Nuala Harding, Learning and Tim Fenn, CEO of the IHF -
Teaching Coordinator at the AIT Irish Hotels Federation
Day number two provided us with interesting insights into
new pedagogical possibilities for us teachers: Colleague
Nuala Harding, Learning and Teaching Co-ordinator at the
AIT, explained the Irish Educational system - with focus on
hospitality training - and gave a practical example of “peer
learning”: two of her students advised us (the seminar
participants assuming the role of fellow students) how to
very effectively study at AIT. And the whole afternoon was
most efficiently and vividly used by colleague Brian Toolan,
senior lecturer in management strategy at AIT, to get us
‘mature students’ acquainted with his case study ‘The Town
House Hotel’; there the emphasis lay, however, mainly on
his brilliant methodological approach: How to enthuse
students for a (normally somewhat) ‘dry’ theoretical issue…
Participants gather for the reception in the AIT Board Room
7 N°1/2011
These perfect pedagogical demonstrations were
complemented by the hospitality management
highlight of this day: the paper by Mr Tim Fenn, CEO
of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF); Mr Fenn gave us
very informative inside views of the Irish Hotels,
which are currently in a truly difficult situation: world
economic recession, banking crisis, a somewhat too
intensive expansion of the Irish economy during
recent years etc. But the IHF is very actively tackling
the present problems with a convincing strategy – and
we were all united in wishing Ireland the best of
success in every respect.
From right to left: John Carey (chief organizer), John O’Hara Head of
Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure, President Ciaran O’Cathain, Marian
Fitzgibbon Head of Humanities, Paul Murphy Education Officer at Fáilte
Ireland, Adolf Steindl member of the Council of Elders.
A short but very enjoyable evening cruise on Ireland’s
main river took us to the renowned Wineport Lodge
for another excellent meal – right on the banks of the
Shannon, a very agreeable location for ‘final
discussions’ between the workshop participants and
the occasion to cordially thank our Irish friends at the
Athlone Institute of Technology for these memorable
days in the heart of Ireland.
All documents relating to this workshop have been
uploaded onto the AEHT website
(http://www.aeht.eu/higher-education/) - thus they are
accessible for all AEHT members.
Diekirch, May 2011
EUROCUP 2010 – probably the
biggest event for junior
bartenders in Europe
The city of Prešov in Slovakia has become well known to
the AEHT community thanks to its very own
International Competition for Junior Bartenders –
Eurocup. For the 18th time, young students could show
their bartender skills and compete in an international
setting. Over the years the participants had the chance to
explore the beauties of Slovakia, as well. The Prešov
region is famous for its natural beauty (High Tatras
Mountains and spa resorts) and cultural sights and
monuments, such as the unique wooden churches, the
medieval town centres of Bardejov, Kežmarok, Levoč
and Prešov, St. James church in Levoča with the highest
wooden altar in the world, or Spiš Castle which is the
largest castle in Central Europe. Some of these wonders
are on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage.
Competitors getting ready for their performance
The competition was organised by Hotel Academy
Prešov and it was open to two-membered teams from
vocational schools and colleges. It consisted of two
independent parts, classic and flair bartending. The task
of participants in the classic part was to prepare three
portions of a long drink and three portions of a soft
drink. The competitors had to use obligatory ingredients
and one of the conditions was that the recipes registered
for the competition had to be unique. Basically, the rules
for the competition were those of IBA-WCC, though they
were adapted for the particular event.
Flair bartending
8 N°1/2011
In flair bartending the competitors were supposed to
prepare within a time limit of five minutes three
portions of a drink of any category using any mixing
methods. They were encouraged to dress in a theme
costume to enhance their routine.
The programme started on Tuesday October 26th. After
arrival all participants registered for the event at the
Hotel Academy followed by a meeting of team leaders
with the organisers and the vice-president of the Slovak
Bartender Association whose members along with
members of Czech Bartender Association and Polish
Bartender Association were assigned as jury. With 1500 supporters encouraging 95
competitors, Eurocup has become the event
not to miss for junior bartenders

Slovak folk dance performances at the Opening ceremony

The first day began with the opening ceremony held in
the historic Black Eagle building in the centre of the
city. The director of the Hotel Academy Jozef Šenko
welcomed all the participants, who had come from
seven different countries, namely the Czech Republic,
Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
For the second time there was even a non-European
team, from Mexico. The audience applauded the
performance given by students from a local school.
The evening finished with a lively cocktail party.
There were 10 bars on the stage with five bartenders
mixing their drinks while another group of five
bartenders was getting ready for their performance.
Dynamic music and support from the audience - most
of them were students from Slovak hotel schools
supporting their teams - was a perfect background for
the show going on on the stage. The fantastic
atmosphere, full of beautiful of colours and fragrances
culminated at 5pm, when the award ceremony started.

Carving as an extra activity Backstage preparations

The competition itself took place on Wednesday

October 27th. For the first time it was held in the
Tatran Handball Arena close to the Hotel Academy.
The Hall seems to be right place as this year’s
Eurocup hosted 43 teams with 95 competitors
altogether and about 1500 visitors came to watch the
competition that is probably the biggest event for
junior bartenders in Europe.
The wining team from Cocktails exhibited at the display bar
Mexico
One of the good things about the Eurocup competition
is that all participants receive an award, as all of
them are divided into one of three levels, gold, silver
or bronze. You can find the final results of the
competition at www.aeht.eu. The award ceremony was
followed by a reception at the Hotel Academy with a
wide variety of cold and hot buffets, accompanied by
excellent wines and mixed drinks.

Diekirch, May 2011 9 N°1/2011

The competition was over, everybody felt relaxed, so
Thursday October 28th was just the right time to get to
know the city of Prešov and the surrounding region.
After an interesting walking tour with a guide
presenting the history and some of the sights of
Prešov, the participants had the chance to warm up in
the local Wine Museum. A tour accompanied by a
wine tasting was a true delight for the taste buds.
After lunch the programme continued with a bus ride
to Spiš castle. This castle represents an astonishing
and monumental structure, unique of its kind in
Europe. It covers an impressive area of four hectares
and is one of the greatest castle complexes in Europe.
On the way back to Prešov there was a stop in a
typical Slovak salaš - wooden cottage - restaurant
with typical Slovak food, local Šariš beer tasting (it is
said that Šariš beer is the best Slovak beer and it has
achieved many international awards) and Slovak folk
music. The day was rounded off in the Cuba Libre
Coffee&Cocktail Bar with music, mixing drinks and
bar games which was a perfect and symbolic finish to
a great event.
The organisers would like to issue an early invitation
for the next Eurocup in Prešov on October 18th-20th
2011. Don’t miss this prestigious contest!
Diekirch, May 2011
STON OYSTER - THE
MEDITERRANEAN
GASTRONOMIC CHALLENGE.
This seminar was organized by the Dubrovnik
Tourism and Catering School from 16th to 20th March
2011 at the Valamar Lacroma Hotel in Dubrovnik.
The main aim of the seminar was to promote
gastronomic culture and the culture of the inhabitants
of our region since the time of the Dubrovnik
Republic. In this way we wanted to present to the
seminar participants, from Europe and from Croatia,
the Ston oyster and oyster dishes that can be prepared
by matching Ston oysters with local wines. Thus the
event contributed to the promotion of the oyster as the
Croatian gastronomic brand and also introduced the
culture of this region and relations with its neighbours
in the course of a turbulent past.
Oysters in all their facets
The programme of the seminar was as follows:
 'Biology and Ecology of the Ston oyster (Ostrea
edulis L.) - European oyster of the Bay of Mali
Ston' (A. Benovic)
 'The art of living and the gastronomic culture of
Dubrovnik people from the Middle Ages to the
present day' (Ivo Orešković )
There were workshops including the preparation of
meals containing oysters (approximately 15 meals)
with the matching of Croatian wines with these dishes.
10 N°1/2011

During cooking workshops, Josip (chef at Hotel Valamar
Lacroma), Jeannot Spanier (L01), Antun Perusina (CR12),
Slavenko Prizmic (CR12) took part in the preparation and tasting
of delicious meals containing Ston oysters
Participants actively took part in making and tasting
meals during the workshops. They assessed how well
Croatian wines matched oysters - the participants
showed exceptional interest in this aspect, thus
creating a pleasant and convivial atmosphere.
presented by secondary school music students created
a festive and convivial atmosphere, and participants
took to the dance floor.
On Saturday we went to Ston and participated in the
oyster festival, which is traditionally held every year
on the feast of St Joseph. A rich folklore programme
and oyster tasting parties are familiar, and guests can
also admire the attractive walls of Ston and the salt-
pan. After lunch (meals of fish, crustaceans and
molluscs), participants visited the oyster farms and the
Institute for the development and cultivation of
oysters.
◄ Wine & Gastronomy Festival
Revelin 2011

The Gala Dinner held at 8 pm at the Hotel Valamar

Photo from left: excursion to Ston – lunch at the Ostrea Lacroma officially marked the end of the seminar. The
restaurant organisers hope that all the participants took home
The Albanian delegation (AL01) together with Antun Perusina unforgettable memories of Croatia, and trust that they
and Jeannot Spanier will return again for a future event.
On the right of the right photo: Jeannot Spanier and Gérard
Bender, respectively teacher and deputy director of the LTHAH
in Diekirch (L01) seem to be really enjoying these gastronomic
moments in Croatia – as indeed do the other participants The festival of Flavours &
Cinema – Algarve’11 – the best
edition so far

The cable car was badly damaged Italian Evening in Dubrovnik

during the siege of Dubrovnik in
1991, but has just been brought
back into service and once more
carries visitors in just three
minutes from Ploče to Mount Srđ,
from where there is a magnificent
view over the old town.
From left to right: Sergio Guiotto
(I15), Giuseppe De Luca, Italian
Vice-consul to Split, Federica
Costa (I15), Antun Perušina (CR12),
Tea Batinić (owner of the art gallery
which donated pictures), Augusto
Vaccaro, Italian Consul to Split

On Friday, all participants were guests at the Schools'
Evening of Italian cuisine in Dubrovnik, which was
organized in the 'Arsenal' restaurant. The meals were
prepared and served by the students of our schools
and students from Italy in an international exchange
project (15 students and 2 teachers). In the evening
there were approx. 150 guests and the guest of honour
was the Consul General of Italy in Croatia; a concert
Recently the Hotel and Tourism School of the Algarve
hosted the international competition entitled
«Flavours & Cinema- Algarve’11». From 6th to 8th of
April, the combination of cinema and cuisine brought
much pleasure to trainers, students, schools,
participants and visitors.

Diekirch, May 2011 11 N°1/2011


The HTS of Estoril won the ‘Flavors & Cinema’ trophy for the
best table decoration
The initiative involved 6 schools from Turismo de
Portugal, one school from the Azores (EFTH Ponta
Delgada) and 2 from Italy (Centro di Formazione
Professionale Como - Milan and Centro di
Formazione Professionale Alberghiero di Casargo –
Lecco). The main objective was to welcome the guests
and visitors, and share good practice. The contest
involved two main tests: the preparation and service
of a meal for four persons and the preparation of a
buffet for ten guests, both with table decorations
relevant to the country of origin.
component. To relieve the tension of the first test, on
the afternoon of 7th of April, the host school prepared
a game in the area around the Hotel and Tourism
School: a treasure hunt (peddy papper). The winners
of the game were the participants of the Centro di
Formazione Professionale Alberghiero di Casargo.
Visitors to the contest included pupils from local
schools who took the opportunity to find out about
training programmes offered by the Hotel and
Tourism School of the Algarve. Arrangements for
hosting more than 500 visiting students were prepared
at different levels. A show organized to welcome the
teams of the contest was open to some groups of
visiting schools who had the opportunity to see ‘show
cooking’ based on scenes from ‘Ratatouille’ and
‘Chocolat’, a flair bartending demo based on the film
‘Cocktail’, cocktails based on the films ‘Sex and the
City’, ‘James Bond’ and ‘Cocktail’, and fruit carving
based on movie character sculptures.

Preparation of cocktails based on famous movies

Other groups were given an introduction to the

school’s programmes and structures. One particular
group was received in a cheerful atmosphere: 20
school pupils aged 8 and 9 visited the school, got to
know the staff and its kitchens, prepared and served 2
cocktails for their teachers and had the opportunity of
enjoying the services of the Hotel and Tourism School
of the Algarve, by trying drinks and cookies.

Show cooking

The previous editions had a different theme with the title

‘International Festival of Gastronomy and Sports’.
However, this innovation allowed partnerships with SBC
International Cinemas (Vue Entertainment) and the
Algarve Film Commission, which have contributed a film
screening, on the evening of the first day, and a photo
exhibition. In the same way as the Algarve Film
Commission, ALFA (Free Association of Photographers
of the Algarve) exhibited its photographic coverage of
‘Cooking Sessions’, and Henrique Dentinho lent his
paintings for an exhibition.
The programme of ‘Flavours & Cinema–Algarve’11’ 20 youngsters paying a visit to the Algarve HTS
included not only the tests, but also an entertainment
Diekirch, May 2011 12 N°1/2011
‘Flavours & Cinema – Algarve’11’ benefitted from
coverage by photography students from the ETIC
(Technical School of Image and Communication), as
well as by ALFA. To complement the pictures, six
students from the University of the Algarve brought
their cameras to cover the competition; the names of
the winners were announced at the closing dinner.
Buffet prepared by the HTS of Coimbra, winner of the ’Turismo
de Portugal’ trophy thanks to this performance
At an evening similar to a Night of the Oscars, the guests,
the regional media and the teams involved enjoyed an
excellent meal, while short films and the competition
coverage were projected onto the big screen. Two
presenters who provided a commentary on the entire show
announced the winners: the trophy for ‘Cook of the Future’
was won by the Hotel and Tourism School of the Azores
and the trophy for ‘Golden plate’ was awarded to the
delegation of the Hotel and Tourism School of Mirandela
for its outstanding performance at the service competition.
The ‘Flavours & Cinema’ trophy was awarded to the Hotel
and Tourism School of Estoril, while the ‘Turismo de
Portugal’ and ‘Cine of Paradiso’ trophies were won by the
Hotel and Tourism School of Coimbra. And finally the
‘Cidade de Faro’ trophy was awarded to the Hotel and
Tourism School of the Algarve, the hosts of the competition.
João Fernandes (3rd from the left), Headmaster of the Algarve
HTS, flanked by the team representing his school, winner of the
‘City of Faro’ trophy.
Diekirch, May 2011
Cinema, painting and photo exhibitions, ‘show
cooking’, flair bartending demos, cocktails and fruit
carving were the ingredients that attracted a very
enthusiastic and good-humoured audience, and made
this year’s edition ‘one of the best yet’.
THIS AND THAT
News from AEHT members
1. News from our prize-winners and our partners
We have introduced this section for two main reasons:
firstly, to publish the reflexions of former competition
winners about the importance of the AEHT experience
in their personal and professional development and in
the careers which may have opened up for them as a
result of their winning performances at the Annual
Conference; and secondly, to publish interviews with
our partners or collaborators. And more generally, to
contribute to the pleasure of being an AEHT member.
- Rannveig Snorradóttir, Sales Manager at
Tumlare Corperation, gives us her views
Rannveig Snorradóttir graduated from Iceland School
of Tourism in Kópavogur, Iceland in 2009. While she
was studying she worked as a tourist operator in
Iceland and in summer 2009 she moved to London,
where she was hired by Tumlare Corporation, a
leading European incoming Tour Operator in charge
of UK/Ireland and Scandinavia. 
1. a) In 2008 you won the tourism competition at the
Annual Conference in Kuressaare, Estonia.
How did you prepare for this competition? Do
you still have contact with other participants?
Firstly, I participated in a selection process at Iceland
School of Tourism to determine who would be sent to
Estonia. After my selection – months before the
competition – anticipation took over. As we are not
informed in advance what our project would be, I
13 N°1/2011
decided to do my own preparatory work. I not only
discussed with students who participated in previous
years, but also did a lot of research on Estonia as a
tourism destination. At the same time I kept up my
strong relationship with my teachers who prepared me
mentally for this wonderful competition.
Rannveig Snorradóttir and her teammates
visiting Saaremaa island in 2008
It is difficult to decide what exactly was my greatest
memory of this event as I deeply enjoyed every aspect
of it. Of course the final evening will always be one of
my most cherished moments. Sitting in front of the
stage waiting for the Gold Medal in Tourism to be
announced – holding my teacher’s hands and then
actually seeing my team’s name on the screen. It all
seemed very surreal and I couldn’t stop smiling while
standing on the podium with my lovely team mates!
Quite strange to mention, but I will always also
remember the phone call I made immediately
afterwards – of course to my mother. My mother
couldn’t believe what she heard and shouted to the
whole family who screamed with pride and joy.
Unfortunately I lost contact with my team mate Merije
Relinda Van der Zalm (The Netherlands)) for some
reason. However, my other team mate, Sirli Sikov
(Estonia), is still today a very dear friend of mine.
Rannveig Snorradóttir, Sirli Sikov and Merije Relinda Van der Zalm
- Winners of the first prize for tourism in 2008
b) Did winning this competition affect your
professional and private life as well as your
personality?
It most certainly did. Immediately I felt like quite a
star; after I got back home to Iceland, I was asked for
interviews and mentioned in several big newspapers
Diekirch, May 2011
throughout the country. Not to mention my wonderful
school, Iceland School of Tourism, who arranged a
welcoming ceremony for me in front of all my school
mates, congratulating me with flowers! Iceland
seemed proud of me and I couldn’t have been happier
with the whole experience.
Rannveig Snorradóttir
feted on her return home
When I won the competition, I was working in an
incoming Iceland travel agency. My employers and
colleagues were very proud and actually mentioned
my performance and achievement on several
occasions when talking about the excellence of their
staff. After I decided to leave Iceland and focus on
developing my career, the certificate from the AEHT
was rightfully in my CV portfolio. When attending
several job interviews in London, my potential
employees asked what this certificate meant and
admired this qualification greatly. My confidence in
my career has been constantly growing – starting with
the experience in Estonia 2008. The competition
seemed to give me a confirmation that I was actually
good at this, that Tourism was indeed what I was
going to do ‘when I grow up’.
2. What do you think about the AEHT and the
Annual Conference experience today? Did you
experience the European spirit at the Annual
Conference in Kuressaare? If so, did it open new
horizons to you? Did it encourage you to follow
your training abroad? What made you leave
Iceland and get a job in London? What were
your objectives and what are the results so far?
What are your future projects?
I have a high regard for the AEHT Annual
Conference. I believe this is a brilliant opportunity for
students in these various disciplines to meet others in
different countries – the competition is challenging,
interesting and most of all a lot of fun! I did indeed
experience the European spirit, starting with the
opening ceremony (where I was the only person
walking behind the Icelandic flag - also a great
memory of mine). To stay a few days in this vibrant,
multicultural environment was magnificent. We also
14 N°1/2011
got the opportunity to sightsee around the island of to do. To be quite honest, I cannot think of any other
Saaremaa and meet the locals. I could see what competitions the AEHT should add to their series. I
actually can be done for tourism in a different country don’t think I need more awards apart from being
than my own. This allowed me to immediately successful in my career, as a mother and a good
daydream about going out into the world, experience friend. If I were asked to participate in another
more and more new destinations. competition I wouldn’t hesitate as I have the
personality to take up any challenge that comes my way.
It encouraged me to continue my studies in Iceland
and graduate with excellence. I believed I had learned
and experienced as much as I could in Iceland. It was
about time to see a bit of the world and to further my
career. To be honest, I only started by daydreaming
and didn’t expect to actually move abroad – let alone
to London – but I must have made an impression as I
got several responses and before I could realize it, I
had bought my one-way flight ticket!
When I joined Tumlare Corporation in 2009 I started
as Hotel Placer. I was in charge of the Benelux
destination and offered Tumlare’s Sales Managers
around the world hotel rooms and negotiated rates in
Benelux. They then used this to win the business they Rannveig Snorradóttir
– a passionate Sales Manager at Tumlare Corporation
were trying to get. This was a start, for sure, but very
quickly I realized that I needed even more. 4. What are the professional and personal qualities
required to succeed in your profession? In your
Within only a few months at Tumlare Corporation, I
view, what are the most important qualities
was promoted to Sales Manager for UK and Ireland
and Scandinavia after the management studied my required of a tourist operator, and moreover of a
sales manager of a leading European incoming
qualifications, experience and personality. This was
tour operator? What recommendations would
bigger than I could have dreamed of getting at my
you offer to aspiring tour operators? What
age, and at such an early stage in my career. Today I
advice would you give, in general, to hospitality
have a very high, challenging position where I am
respected and get the chance to travel the world! and tourism students about their future careers?
Passion! Passion, passion, passion! This, I believe, is
My future projects start already this April – I will be the key ingredient to become a successful travel agent.
relocating to Oslo, Norway and will be based in You need to be determined, open to new ideas, pro-
Tumlare Corporation’s office there. I will continue my active, knowledgeable and, of course, passionate.
hard work on my markets, proudly offering my clients Passion really shines through in travel agents. You
every destination throughout Europe. Not only that, cannot sell a destination to a client unless you are
but also continuing my personal longing to constantly persuaded yourself that it’s a wonderful place to visit.
increase my tourism knowledge. I travel as much as I
can, read as much as possible, and learn from my
colleagues throughout our network.
As for further projects, my future dream is to take part in
opening a Tumlare office in Iceland (one of the few
places in Europe they don’t have an office) and welcome
all of Tumlare’s clients to my beautiful home country.
3. Have you won other medals at international
competitions? If so, why was it important for you
to participate in all those competitions? What
competitions should the AEHT add to the series
organized at its Annual Conferences?
Rannveig Snorradóttir thankful for having had the opportunity
I haven’t won any other medals, as I haven’t competed to participate in an AEHT international competition in tourism
in any other competitions. I am very proud of my
AEHT medal, winning a European competition in I can, quite frankly, say that I have become so successful,
Tourism isn’t something everyone gets the opportunity because I did my studies well. I am energetic, passionate,
Diekirch, May 2011 15 N°1/2011
determined and very eager. I learn quickly and even - Homage to Danuta Przybylak
though I haven’t been to a certain destination, I can
study it and immediately sell it with passion. I am fresh In mid-February we were saddened to learn that
and open to all ideas, my biggest market at the moment Danuta Przybylak, teacher at the Poznan Academy of
is Ireland and I travel at least once a month to Dublin to Hotel Management and Catering Industry, had passed
nurture my clients and show they are important to me. It away after a long illness.
is important that you never lose your belief in tourism,
the destinations you offer.
Just remember that people need travel agents. They
need their expertise. They need someone who can
advise them where to travel, why, and be sure that this
holiday will be memorable and meet the guests’
expectations. Never stop learning, never think that you
know it all, because the world is a big place and is
ever changing.

5. What important changes have you noticed in the

tourism sector during recent years?
It has become more of a challenge. In the recession
that struck the whole world it has become more of a
challenge for tour operators to win business. Also,
very importantly, tourists have become more aware of
how to travel. Meaning that it has become so easy and Danuta Przybylak – the very soul of Christmas in Europe

accessible online, that tourists are now going online

to book their flights, hotels etc. themselves. I believe
that with this it is important that travel agents bring
more value to their work. For a tourist to book
through a travel agent – this agent is expected to
handle everything flawlessly.
6. Do you have any further comments or
information you want to be added at the end of
this interview?
I would like to show my appreciation to my school, my
headmaster and teacher: Helene Pedersen and Ásdís
Oskarsdóttir Vatnsdal. Thank you to the AEHT and
this wonderful opportunity and challenge to compete
in such an interesting competition which has so much
improved my career and professionalism in tourism.
The ‘Lady from Poznan’ has just been taken from us,
finally beaten by the illness which she fought against
with the courage and dignity that were her hallmark.
Over the years Danuta had become a stalwart of the
AEHT, and of course this was in large part due to the
high quality of her work: all who have taken part in
Christmas in Europe in Poznan are well aware how
much she gave of herself when welcoming delegations
arriving from afar; it was also due to her professional
qualities, for not only did she teach French to her
students, she also handed on to them a sense of
culture and values, enabling them to grow up and find
their rightful place in the world.

Inge Enengl and Danuta Przybylak share a ‘cup of

friendship’ at Christmas in Europe in Poznan

But Danuta was also a thoughtful, friendly, cultivated

woman, one of those ‘lovely people’ that you dream of
having as a friend. I was fortunate enough to be

Diekirch, May 2011 16 N°1/2011

Danuta’s friend, and even though I still have my fond
memories of her, I will so much miss the joys of
meeting again – these meetings were not regular nor
frequent, though they were always so rich in their
simple, warm and confident exchanges.
Danuta, we will always remember you and our hearts
go out to your sons, ‘the big one and the little one’ as
you always described them.’
Annie Collinet – Honorary AEHT Vice-President
‘I am deeply saddened to hear of Danuta’s death. She
was a really amazing person, courageous and kind.
We already greatly missed her at the last Christmas in
Europe, and at the time we hoped that her absence
was just temporary, and she will certainly be sorely
missed by all those who met her and had the good
fortune to get to know her. I send my deepest
sympathy to her family and close friends.’
J.-Marc Dijou, service teacher at the LTHAH in Diekirch (L01)
Despite her illness, Danuta was involved at every level in
organising Christmas in Europe in Poznan
‘I first met you in Barcelona in 1995 at the Christmas in
Europe organised by Mr López at the St Ignatius School.
I can still see you arriving, in your little white van, after
travelling for three days by car and after crossing almost
the whole of Europe from the Baltic to the
Mediterranean, with five people in the car!
Without anyone needing to explain things to you, you
fully understood the concept of the AEHT’s Christmas in
Europe, its objective, its pedagogical purpose, the
‘richness of differences’ in culture and gastronomy. You
speak French perfectly and you can understand English
even if you don’t speak it fluently; and in any case you
can understand anything in any language!
Then Poznan offered to host Christmas in Europe in
2000 – and it was a magnificent event, greatly enhanced
in particular by the participation of Dorota
Czerwinska’s ‘Semen Dei’ choir. All the participants
remember it well and can still see you dealing with every
detail of the arrangements.
Following that, you took several other delegations from
Poznan to other versions of Christmas in Europe; and
Diekirch, May 2011
wherever you went it was both your discretion and your
efficiency that made everyone admire you.
For almost the last ten years, every December, you
have been organising ‘Christmas in Poland’, based on
the same model as Christmas in Europe, as if the
AEHT were cloning itself. It was a long-term task, so
often repeated and each time undertaken with the
same enthusiasm. And then Poznan once again offered
to host the AEHT’s 2009 Christmas in Europe!
Danuta Przybylak – ever faithful to Christmas in Europe
Danuta, you have given much to your students, to your
school, to Christmas in Europe and to the AEHT.
You now join Lise Brondorf from Copenhagen and
Otto Kimmelmann from Semmering; and all three of
you will remain in the hearts of those who share the
webs of friendship which the AEHT has been weaving
across the whole of Europe for all these years.
Danuta, just let me tell you that when I think of you
today, the word that comes most readily to mind to
describe you is ‘exemplary’.
Christiane Keller (Christmas Chris), founder of
Christmas in Europe
On behalf of the entire AEHT membership, the
Presidium would like to present its most sincere
condolences to the family of Danuta Przybylak. The
forthcoming Christmas in Europe will be a tribute to
all those AEHT colleagues who have passed away.
The death of a loved one has a profound effect on a
tightly-knit community such as ours. These painful
moments are alleviated by the memory of the happiness
that the departed have brought us on numerous occasions.
One of the purposes of the AEHT is to create memorable
moments in the lives of its members; with this in mind, we
look forward to seeing you at one of our future events as
well as at the Annual Conference in The Hague.
Nadine SCHINTGEN
AEHT General Secretary
17 N°1/2011
 Text: N. Schintgen in close
cooperation with A. Collinet,
J.-M. Dijou, Â. Gago & L.
Maria, Christiane Keller A.
Perušina, R. Snorradóttir, M.
Sotak and A. Steindl.

Photos: N. Schintgen, J. Laengy, A.

Steindl, R. Snorradóttir and the
organisers of the events reported
in this edition of the Newsletter

English translation: J. Rees Smith

French translation: N. Schintgen

Our Professional Partners:

Diekirch, May 2011 18 N°1/2011