Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) has been recognized in the last five years in a row as the top hospitality business school in the world. We were treated by friends to a lunch at EHL’s onsite training restaurant, Le Berceau des Sens.
The school was founded in 1893 as a result of Switzerland’s tourism boom in the late 19th century, making it the oldest and first hotel school in the world. They were celebrating their 140th year anniversary in 2023.
The founder of the school, Jacques Tschumi, was the managing director of the Lausanne Beau Rivage Hotel. The first classes of the school were delivered in a room of the Hôtel d’Angleterre on the shores of Lake Leman in Lausanne. I (Chris) have attended numerous business seminars at the Hôtel d’Angleterre!
In 1975, EHL moved to its current site in Le Chalet-à-Gobet and unveiled its new campus, located just a few kilometers north of Lausanne. A modernized campus with new constructions was inaugurated in 2022.
EHL established a new campus in Singapore in 2020.
The students were all impeccably dressed in professional attire, leading us to speculate that it might be mandatory. This practice is understandable considering that their future professions may have a formal, public-facing role. It is safe to say that this student cafeteria is likely one of the few in the world that enforces a dress code.
We wondered what was on the cafeteria menu for lunch.
The training restaurant, Le Berceau des Sens (The Cradle of Meaning) was first opened to the public in 2011 and it has received one Michelin star since 2019. According to their web page, “students and chefs transform every lesson and misstep into gastronomic masterpieces.” Love their frank acknowledgement.
Apparently, a team of chefs (several Meilleurs Ouvriers de France) are on the teaching faculty, and they work with the students to orchestrate a series of classic as well as modern French dishes, bringing their classroom learnings to the table.
Our meal was simple by design as it was a business lunch which included a cheese course and dessert. Every thing was tasty.
Service was conducted by first year students, and as it happened, the autumn day that we visited was in the very first week of training for these students. They moved around the dining room in small clusters following staff members. We saw a student being chided by a supervising teacher for grabbing several used wine glasses from the table and bringing them back to the kitchen without using a tray, after the guests had already left. Details matter here.
A student was shown how to make grape flambé as our dessert in the dining room. We too learnt how to do it. The result was not the most presentable plate but it was tasty.
We chatted with a student as she escorted us back to the reception after lunch, and learnt some tidbits about student life at EHL. Near the reception was the school’s store which sells EHL-branded garments, knife sets, etc. We bought aprons as souvenirs and gifts.
It was a unique culinary experience and we caught a glimpse of where professionalism behind many successful hospitality businesses is nurtured.