Gain a comprehensive vision of contemporary cuisine.

The Master in Advanced Cookery is designed for chefs seeking tools to achieve culinary excellence and expand their skills in management, creativity, and sustainability.

The aim of this Master’s program is to train you as a contemporary chef. You will discover traditional techniques and master the most current ones, while embracing the values of modern cuisine. You will develop leadership skills, understand the importance of front-of-house operations and their language, and cook with sustainability principles and resource efficiency in mind.

Your journey will be guided by experts with diverse perspectives in gastronomy: from kitchen and pastry, to front-of-house, team and cost management, culinary science or menu design, among others. Throughout the program, renowned professionals from the gastronomic sector will share their success stories through seminars, showcookings, and masterclasses.

The experience is further enriched with Learning Journeys — educational visits to restaurants, production centers, innovative business models, and sectors such as the meat and agricultural industries. These visits will allow you to observe real-world practices and learn directly from professionals who are shaping the future of gastronomy.

Upon completion, you will be fully prepared to take a qualitative leap as a chef, with a comprehensive and distinctive perspective of culinary processes

Target Audience

The Master in Advanced Cookery is designed for professionals looking to specialize in advanced culinary techniques and to develop key competencies in management, creativity, and sustainability. Through applied training, this Master enables participants to acquire strategic and operational tools to stand out in the professional gastronomic field.

This Master’s program is for:

Graduates in Culinary Arts and Gastronomy:

• Individuals with vocational training in cookery, higher education in gastronomy, or technical degrees and university qualifications related to the culinary field.

Professionals in the culinary field:

• Chefs who can demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge through relevant professional experience (minimum 1 to 3 years) or non-formal training in culinary techniques and kitchen management.

Throughout the Master’s program, participants will be able to apply the knowledge acquired in:

• Gastronomic restaurants, foodservice groups, and independent culinary businesses.

• Gastronomic events, product development, and culinary consultancy.

• Hotels, food startups, food industry, and gastronomic communication.

Not sure if your profile fits?

If your academic background or professional experience is not listed and you are interested in this Master’s program, contact us to evaluate your case and provide personalized guidance

Professional Opportunities

Upon completing the Master’s program, you will be prepared to take on key roles across various areas of professional cookery, in both creative and operational environments. Career paths may include

Restaurants

• Chef, station chef (chef de partie), or sous chef in fine dining establishments, leading culinary processes and ensuring the quality of dishes.

• Hotels and Catering Services

• Head chef or second-in-command in hotel kitchens, catering services, or institutional food service, managing teams and daily operations.

Culinary Entrepreneurship

• Owner and chef of your own gastronomic business, developing and leading a unique, technically sound, creative, and sustainable culinary concept.

Programa

Methodology

The Master’s in Advanced Cookery is taught through the learning by doing methodology, based on practice, experimentation and collaborative learning. This approach allows you to acquire fundamental skills and progress towards specialised applications. The program is designed in progressive phases, integrating theoretical classes with practical activities and real projects.

Key Elements

• Masterclasses and presentations on advanced culinary techniques, sustainability, applied nutrition, and kitchen operations, delivered by leading experts from the gastronomic sector.

• Case studies with debate and strategic analysis, exploring the impact of history, professional ethics, and contemporary culinary values—integrating concepts such as allergens, food quality, and sustainability.

• Practical challenges and problem-solving dynamics, aimed at strengthening key skills such as decision-making, leadership in the kitchen, operational planning, and culinary innovation.

• Gastronomic activities including tastings, samplings, sensory analysis workshops, and hands-on experiences, focused on the technical and nutritional understanding of ingredients and their behaviour in the kitchen.

• Masterclasses with industry leaders, addressing culinary trends, creative processes, and innovative strategies. In past editions, guest chefs have included Albert Adrià, Ángel León, Albert Boronat, Mario Sandoval, and Toshi Narisawa.

• Simulations and hands-on practice in real environments, such as the Restaurant Workshop—a fully operational restaurant at Basque Culinary Center, where over five weeks, you will implement the knowledge acquired by running real services with external guests.

• Curricular Internships (three months full-time) in top-tier gastronomic businesses, both nationally and internationally. In previous editions, students have completed internships at Alchemist, Noma, Mirazur, The Glove, Massimo Bottura, El Celler de Can Roca, DiverXO, Mugaritz, and Martín Berasategui, among others. The process includes personalised guidance, preparatory sessions, and close academic support

Approach and Tools

• Identification of roles and skills in group work, optimising collaborative learning and enabling effective role distribution within kitchen teams.

• Visualisation and application of advanced culinary techniques, through live demonstrations and continuous practice in professional environments.

• Access to professional facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, including distillers, Josper ovens, fermentation chambers, tasting rooms, and other contemporary tools to support advanced technical learning.

Master’s Final Project

• Individual or group project applied to a real challenge in the sector.

• Support from specialised tutors.

• Presentation in front of a panel of experts.

Curricular Internships

You will be able to put your knowledge into practice and gain relevant experience for your professional career. During the process, we will manage your internship, taking into account your profile and the opportunities available. In addition, you will have an informative session and personalised guidance with the coordinator to evaluate options and adjust expectations. It is important to consider your current situation and professional goals, as the internship requires a three-month full-time dedication, with the possibility of extension. If you have a senior profile, you will be able to validate your previous experience.

In previous editions, students have interned at Alchemist, Noma, Mirazur, The Glove, Massimo Bottura, El Celler de Can Roca, DiverXO, Mugaritz, and Martín Berasategui.

Teaching Staff

The Master’s in Advanced Cookery has a teaching staff composed of professionals in the areas of cookery, culinary science, kitchen management, pastry, and food innovation. This team combines academic experience with a practical approach, integrating experts and lecturers from both the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences (Basque Culinary Center) and specialised professionals from leading companies and institutions in the sector.

Core Academic Team

Core Faculty and Collaborators

The Master also integrates the participation of organisations, as well as recognised experts from industry and academia, who bring an up-to-date perspective. The faculty is continuously evolving to provide the best blend of specialized knowledge and innovative perspectives

Admission

The Master’s Degree in Advanced Cookery has a structured admission process to ensure that candidates possess the academic background and professional competencies required to successfully complete an innovative and rigorous curriculum.

This Master’s program is designed for both professionals with a university degree and those who, without holding a formal degree, can demonstrate relevant experience in the field.

Basque Culinary Center’s admission system has two main objectives:

• To ensure that candidates have the academic level and personal skills necessary to successfully pass an innovative and demanding curriculum.

• To check that the master's degree meets the training needs and concerns of the candidates.

The tuiton fee includes

• Academic materials and access to the learning platform.

• Learning Journey (including transportation and accommodation costs)

• Seminars and masterclasses with guest experts

• Management of curricular internships

• Access to more than 5,000 references in the Faculty Library

• Issuance and delivery of the diploma/certificate

• Graduation ceremony

• Registration in the Basque Culinary Center alumni network: Bculinary Alumni