Bread lovers and aspiring bakers in Manila now have a new reason to get their hands on dough.
For the first time, Le Cordon Bleu Ateneo de Manila Institute is bringing its professional French bread-baking diploma to the Philippines. The six-month Diplôme de Boulangerie covers everything from classic baguettes and croissants to natural sourdough and elaborate bread showpieces.
Classes will take place in the Institute’s professional kitchens at Areté, Ateneo de Manila University. Moreover, each batch will be limited to 16 students, giving learners more opportunities to practice their skills hands-on.
From Baguettes to Sourdough
The diploma consists of two levels, each lasting three months. Together, these courses provide students with a strong foundation in French breadmaking.
First, Basic Boulangerie introduces students to essential techniques and ingredients. Lessons cover French flours, kneading, fermentation, shaping, scoring, and decoration. In addition, students will learn to make traditional breads, specialty loaves, baguettes, croissants, and other viennoiserie.
Meanwhile, Advanced Boulangerie builds on these fundamentals. Students will explore natural sourdough, levain, poolish, controlled fermentation, specialty flours, and aroma development. They will also learn to create decorated showpieces and advanced viennoiserie.
Upon completing both levels, students earn the Le Cordon Bleu Diplôme de Boulangerie. However, those who want to pursue baking as a hobby can take Basic Boulangerie on its own as a three-month certificate program. Payment is also more manageable, as tuition for each level can be divided into two installments.
Learning from an Experienced Baker
Leading the program is French Chef Régis Doré, the Institute’s Boulangerie Chef Instructor.
Chef Doré trained as a baker in Alsace and as a Compagnon du Devoir, France’s traditional guild of artisans. Over the years, he has worked with luxury hotels and resorts worldwide, including the Ritz-Carlton, Atlantis The Palm, One&Only Reethi Rah, and Grand Lisboa.
Most recently, he led a team of 28 bakers at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Before that, he taught bread and viennoiserie at Le Cordon Bleu Seoul.
For Chef Doré, however, baking goes beyond following a recipe.
“Bread is a living craft, guided by technique and passion,” he said. Through daily hands-on practice, students will learn not only how to make bread but also why each loaf turns out the way it does.
For Aspiring and Home Bakers
The program welcomes aspiring professional bakers, culinary graduates seeking specialization, bakery entrepreneurs, career changers, and home bakers ready to improve their craft. Best of all, no prior professional experience is required.
According to Liza Hernandez-Morales, Institute Director of Le Cordon Bleu Ateneo de Manila Institute, the program reflects Filipinos’ enduring love for bread, from everyday pandesal to the artisan loaves found in specialty bakeries.
With this new diploma, aspiring bakers can now pursue professional French baking training without leaving Manila.
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