A Special Christmas Greetings Card

the link Pioneers December 1997First of all, my congratulations to allof you for keeping us informed about“Les Roches” and its students. I willjust tell you very quickly aboutmyself.I am Alberto Volkers and I was one ofthe 70 students who “opened” theschool in 1980. I graduated in Sum’83and after that I travelled world wideworking in the hotel and tourism business.I settled down in Sweden in1988, and in 1993, I opened my firstMexican restaurant in the city of Snasvall(350 kms. North of Stockholm).In 1995, I opened my second restaurant.I have to say that although theeconomy in Sweden is not all thatgreat, our business is surviving well.Estimado EditorA couple of years back, I was invitedby Mr Marcel Clivaz to attend theLes Roches 40th AnniversaryReunion. Much to my surprise, Ifound that I was the only one fromthe group that graduated in 1983. Iwas told that the addresses had beenlost in the fire of 1985. I might yetdecide to settle in the south of Franceor Spain, but nothing is definite andin the meantime my address is Bergsgatan91 C, 852 336 Sundsvall,Sweden.Tel:0045 60 1297 80 Fax .0045 60 128007. I am very pleasedto know that something is beingdone to keep the Alumni togetherand I hope that I will soon be intouch with my classmates.Best wishes, Alberto.Susanne, Alexander and AlbertoAlexander I. Melas (Sum. ’83) withhis wife Cheryl Lesley Williams(Sum. ’84) and their little son, Stefano-Ioanni,2 1 /2 years, have just movedto Holland. They were delighted tohear about “the link” and are planninga visit to Bluche in 1998. They keep intouch with Paul Poort (same batch)and Anthony Thomas (one batchlater), both of them from Holland.Alex’s address is Gaffel 1, 6026 DJMaarheeze, The Netherlands.Martin van Kan (Win. ’84)found us on what he calls “theyahoo search engine”. Over theyears Martin has been with InterContinental in London, AbuDhabi and Muscat. He did a spellwith Meridien in Jakarta, Melbourneand Baan Boran. Now heis with Hyatt Regency in Surabaya.Martin, his wife and 2 1 /2year old son were recently inLondon on vacation. He tells usthat Brian (drive the schooltractor in any Grand Prix!)Pirie is General Manager withMeridien in Jakarta. Mr Lavarini,our representative, met Martinquite by chance on a recent tourin Indonesia.Reginald Pereira’83 is Director,School of Tourism and HospitalityManagement in Kuala Lumpur.Janet Tang ’83 is Head of Marketingand Corporate Training at theFlamingo Institute of Further Education,SelangorHelen Lim announces the birth ofher third child - a little daughter -Zara. Congratulations!Michael P.K. Tan directs BusinessDevelopment for Swisscorp(M) SDN BHD in Kuala LumpurHelloLes Roches,My name is Lionel Chee, graduatedin 1983 Summerbatch. Presently I run my ownrestaurant and catering company.While browsing on theweb, I thought I’d drop a lineto my former School. Youcontact me via E-mail if youneed anything from the SingaporeAlumni. Merci et à bientôt,Lionel CheeMs Joanna Phang Lee Im’85. Deputy Head of HospitalityManagement SchoolINTEC COLLEGE Penangand Arthur Chin ’83 Managerof Mingood Hotel, Penangsend their best wishes toeveryone.New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. USAMission StatementThe New England Association ofSchools and Colleges serves thepublic and the educational communityby establishing and maintaininghigh standards of educational excellencethrough self-evaluation andpeer review. Schools and collegeswhich demonstrate that they meetthose standards are accredited andthus become members of the Association.One of the six regional accreditingassociations in the United States, theNew England Association is committedto the self-regulation of theacademic community by means ofeffective peer review. Through itsseveral commissions, each comprisinga distinct segment of the educationalinstitutions, the Associationdevelops, makes public, and appliesclearly stated standards for theassessment of educational effectiveness.Through its process of assessment,particularly as it focuses oninstitutional self-evaluation and selfimprovement,the Associationencourages and assists in improvingthe effectiveness of affiliated institutions.In this way, public assurance isprovided as to the quality of institutionsgranted membership.While initially devoting exclusiveattention to New England schools andcolleges, in recent years the Association,recognising the interconnectednessof the educational enterprise, hasalso sought to serve educational institutionsabroad, particularly at the K -12 level. In doing so, it not onlyencourages their improvement andexcellence, but also advances the ideaof self-regulation through peer reviewin regions outside the United States.Among educational organisations,the New England Association uniquelycomprises both schools andcolleges. Its structure and activitiesreflect its perception of and commitmentto the unity of education in themany levels and forms representedby the membership of the Association.The New England Association is anadvocate of educational quality andits improvement, and serves as apublic policy resource on issues relatedto the condition of educationthroughout New England. It likewiseseeks to sustain and advance the principlesof self-regulation and peerreview.Adopted May 18, 1995Board of Trustees Meeting.2

the link Valais December 1997Béatrice Clivaz, elder daughter ofMarguerite and Marcel Clivaz gotmarried to Joseph Zumofen, architect,on August 9. They receivedtheir guests for a garden receptionbeside the Les Roches swimmingpool.This was followed by a sumptuousbanquet prepared by theschool Chefs and students. The bridalcouple wish to thank everyonewho contributed to making it a mostmemorable day.Just MarriedEmilie Hummel-SmithEmilie Hummel-Smith also gotmarried recently. She gave us thisnews when she paid a visit to theSchool in October. She is workingin the Renaissance Hotel Zurich, atthe Reception.Béatrice Clivaz and Joseph ZumofenThe FunnycarSince the inaugural run of the familiar,old funicular, back in 1911, ithas put in 30,210 days of service.That means that it has trundled upand down the mountain over a distanceof approximately 2,300,000kilometres! Over the years, theactual cars were changed severalAt top speed just above Bluche(Photo: Claude Roh)times. However, right up to the lastday, the original chassis was stillbeing used!Now the S.M.C. has invested overSFr 13,000,000 in ultra-modernequipment to prepare the funicularfor the next millennium. Part of theinvestment was for new wagonswhich will run on a single line. Themidway station at St Maurice hasdisappeared.The modern cars have a capacity of120 passengers, and have a speedwhich is a crazy 8 metres per second(30 k.p.h.), i.e. double what it used tobe! The time taken for the Sierre-Montana run is now 13 minutes insteadof 35! That is just as quick asdriving up really fast by car.It also means that because the trainis so rapid, the Editor will not beable to achieve his secret ambition,i.e. to hi-jack the funicular!!De Taiwanaux RochesIt’s a small world...Barbara Leung and Mr. Eric FavreA la pâtisserie, nos visiteurss’initient à l’art des baguettes...Novembre 1997 - Dans le cadred’un voyage en Europe, en vued’analyser les opportunités de formationet de perfectionnement, plusde 200 étudiants de l’universitéKaohsiung Hospitality College deTaiwan ont récemment passé parBluche pour visiter la Swiss HotelAssociation Hotel ManagementSchool Les Roches (la seule écolehôtelière visitée en Suisse). Les étudiantsétaient accompagnés duGeneral Captain Chiang TungPan, directeur des services decarrière et placement, ainsi qued’autres personnalités.Répartis en plusieurs groupes, lesjeunes ont pu découvrir l’école etses diverses possibilités.Chaque groupe avait pour guideun(e) étudiant(e) taiwanais(e) ducours de 4ème année des Roches(Bachelor of Science).It was once again one of those“It’s a small world” moments.The scene was this year’s March’97 ITB Exhibition in Berlin.Mr Favre ran across BarbaraLeung (1980-83). Barbara wasattending the Fair in her capacityas Accor’s Indonesian Marketingrepresentative. She sendsher best wishes to everyone.3

the link Highlights December 1997Grand Hotel Park Gstaad: Polo Silver CupWith the champion.Dear Mr Müller,As I have not seen you and yourstudents on your departure, Iwould like to take this opportunityto say thank you for theexcellent co-operation duringthe Polo Catering in Gstaad.It was a great pleasure workingwith you and your team. All studentsshowed efficiency, professionalismand exceptionalworking skills. Most impressivewas their motivation, even afterlong hours. We received manyThe Valaisan Section of thisorganisation recently held itsAnnual General Meeting, underthe guidance of its President,Mr Nicola La Sala, inLes Roches. This section (withits 40 members) is one of eightregional groupings in Switzerland.Among the aims of the Societyare the maintenance of the highstandards of the profession, thepromotion of the training ofyoung people in the hospitalityindustry and the continued educationof its established members.All the Les Roches Serviceteachers are qualified Maîtresd’Hôtel. Another important roleof the Valaisan Maîtres d’Hôtelis that they give the Schoolconsiderable help in providingplaces for our stagiaires.compliments from our guests andtheir work was most appreciated.We hope to have the pleasure ofseeing you again next year, and in themeantime, we remain with kindregardsMr Müller and his team.Sincerely yours,GRAND HOTEL PARK GSTAADUrs BührerAssistant General ManagerMr Hugi, Les Roches In-training Dept. and President La SalaLibraryIn June 1997, a new computerisedlibrary system was installed.Students now have a library cardwith a corresponding Bar CodeNumber on the back of it. Thestudent card must be presentedwhen taking a book out. Eachbook has a Bar Code on it, andlaser bar code readers automaticallyread and check out items tothe correct student’s record. Thesystem also keeps a check onlate returns of books and producesfines letters. Books canalso be reserved “at distance”.All in all, the new system makescheck-in/check-out much fasterand increases the availability ofthe library stock.Of course, on-site materials -books, videos, CD’s - will still bethe core of our information provision,and in this respect, investmentin new stock has never beenhigher. Together with improvementsin facilities - more readingspace, Internet points, new printers/scanners- there is littledoubt that the School library isdeveloping in line with the overallaspirations of the School.4

the link Principal’s Corner December 1997Dear Alumni,Another semester has gone by soquickly! So rapidly, in fact, that Icannot believe that I have alreadybeen in Les Roches for two fullyears.The School has gone through aperiod of significant change. Wehave now become a Four Year EducationalInstitution delivering ourown Bachelor of Science in InternationalHospitality. Besides this, LesRoches is the first Hotel ManagementSchool in Switzerland to obtainaccreditation at baccalaureate levelfrom the New England Associationof Schools and Colleges, Inc. USA.The first group of students followingthe Bachelor of Scienceunder our management will graduateon May 20th, 1998. It will be amilestone in the annals of LesRoches, and if you are in this area,you are most welcome to attend thehistoric event.This latest exercise of accreditationhas changed the managementstyle of the school. Now all parties,faculty, staff, and students areinvolved in the management process.They participate in a consultantrole within our strategic developmentconcept. You, theAlumni, are also a part of thisplan.More and more, we shall be invitingthe Alumni to demonstratetheir loyalty and attachment to theSchool. This will be done throughthe organisation of talks, seminars,participation at the GraduationCeremonies, etc.From out there in your dailydealings in the industry, we wouldwelcome all news about the latesttrends and innovations you haveRadisson SASHotels World Wideobserved. Informing us of thesecould be combined with your commentson the School courses - theiradequacy and their eventual shortcomings- as you see them now, inthe light of your industrial experience.Up-to-date feedback of this kind isvital for us and can be used anddeveloped in our courses andclasses. Everyone in Les Rocheswill deeply appreciate your activeco-operation and wholeheartedsupport.So, please make a point of keepingin touch and if you intend to visitEurope, Switzerland or Valais, domake sure that you drop by to seeus.I wish you all the best of success in1998.Eric E. Favre,PrincipalBoard of GovernorsChairman Marcel Clivaz andVice-Chairman Robin Spearman.At an extraordinary sub-committeemeeting held in Barcelona,Spain on December 3 1997,important decisions were madeconcerning the reorganisation ofthe Board of Governors.There will be 13 members. Thenext “link” will feature the completelist of Board Members.There are representatives of theSwiss Hotel Association, of LesRoches, of international hotelchains and private, Swiss, worldwide renowned hotels, of universitiesand of multinational hotelsupplier companies.The Board will be convenedtwice per year, alternatively inBluche and elsewhere in theworld.The Board will seek to enhancethe reputation of the School by:- Advising on curriculum content- Providing opportunities for intraineesand graduates.- Being a source of information tothe faculty and owners aboutchanges in the global hospitalityindustry- Representing the School atnational and international meetingsand congresses.Robin and ChristineMr Buchner, Mme Luanda and Mr. FavreTraining & Development.Learning ExcellenceRadissson SAS Hotels Worldwide -one of Europe’s fastest-growingmodern hotel and hospitality servicescompanies - owns, leases,manages and franchises modernhotels and resorts. Additionally, ittakes great care in appropriatelypreparing its staff, as its trainingprogrammes demonstrate.Brussels-based SAS InternationalHotels formed its co-operativeagreement with Radisson HospitalityWorldwide in 1994, brandingits alliance Radisson HotelsWorldwide (RSH). The alliancegrew throughout 1996 from 29 to82 hotels in 25 countries and thecompany has set its goal to operate100 efficient and modern firstclasshotels by the end of 1997.RSH has hotels in many countriesstretching from Scandinavia toMalta and from the UK to Russia.In addition, it has hotels in China,Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman. RSHis committed to the developmentof its employees through innovativeand exciting training programmesThe Radisson SAS ManagementSchool is a pioneer and trend-setterin its field. Says Beth-JeanetteLuanda, Vice President HumanResources based at RadissonSAS’s Corporate Office in Brussels,“Because our employees areour most valuable resource, weare totally committed to developingthem and their humantalents”There was a large turnout of thirdyear students for a dynamic presentationof the Radisson Trainingprogram given by Mme Luandaand Mr Dieter Buchner, CorporateHuman Resources Director. Aninteresting highlight was the telephonelink-up with the Radissonin Copenhagen where two LesRoches Graduates Robin Morgan(Sweden Sum’90) and ChristineHassler, Denmark (Sum ’94)answered the pertinent questionsput to them by the students at theassembly.5

the link International December 1997Hot, humid Hong Kong was thevenue last October 17-19, for a reunionof good friends from Summer1995. This was mainly due to theefforts of Stephanie Lin from Taiwan.Ten Alumni flew in from Singaporeand Taiwan to join fourfriends from HK.Basically, we had a relaxing weekendspent catching up on our personallives and professional progress.Most of us are now in JuniorManagement positions in F&B andother related areas. Otherwise, itwas a shopping, relaxing, lazingaround weekend.We took a walk down memorylane when we had our first dinnerin an authentic Swiss restaurant.Hong Kong OutingOn the menu were viande séchée,bratwurst, rösti, fondue au fromageand fondue au chocolat.Things were more informal at oursecond dinner which was a goodold BBQ thoroughly enjoyed byall of us.Before long we had to say our farewells,but only for 1997. We havedecided to hold our next meeting inSingapore in Sept/Oct 1998. Theinvitation list will be a bit longer,extending to fellow students fromall over the world. We hope you canjoin us then!Roger Kao.Splendid initiative.Keep it up:EditorFront row, left to right: Craig Monterio, Stephanie Lin, Marcos Shea,Catherine Wu, Tassie Wu and Alice TsaiBack row, left to right: Hiew Lih Keong, (partially hidden) Kelvin Ho.Jackie Lau, Sherry Wu, Nok, Lee Tung Ju and Roger KaoWine TastingEveningThe HK Alumni recently organised an evening event at “La Cité”Pacific Place. The meeting was highlighted by the presence of MsJoanne Sutton, Human Resources Department of the Marco PoloHotel Group. Also present was Ms Evelyn Oentoro, a Les Rochesgraduate who is now Director of Search Solutions (HospitalityRecruitment Specialist). Charles Tabalis, now a Sales Managerbrought along the wines for tasting. As always, the evening was hostedby Ben Man, Director of Elite Concepts. If you are interested in sharingin Les Roches Alumni activities in Hong Kong you should contactBen or Mme CharpenetBobby’s Babies“Bobby’s babies” Seen at HK Alumni Meeting last January. Please, send ustheir names and addresses Bobby.Grand Stanford Harbour ViewA home-away-from-home for Les Roches students and travellersA 1987 graduate of Les Roches anda native of Hong Kong, Kenneth Laiwas appointed Assistant F&B Managerat Grand Stanford in early 1997.Over the years he undertook extensivetraining in management at theUniversity of Oxford and gained thoroughexperience in well-respectedhotels in HK and China. Kennethadmits that he enjoys the challenge ofworking in this luxury 5-star hotellocated in the vibrant and diverseheart of Hong Kong.Ideally situated along the magnificentVictoria Harbour, Grand Stanfordis a very fine and well-knownThe lobbyhotel with 554 rooms and 25 suites.Guests have easy access to the nearbybustling commercial centre andentertainment activities, the ExhibitionCentre, the International Airportand Hong Kong Island.Superb service and accommodationencompass eight world-class diningoutlets. Also on the premises are abusiness and office centre, banquetand conference facilities, an outdoorheated swimming-pool, a healthcentre, a sauna and a jogging track.Hotel guests can visit the HarbourView Lounge or Tiffany’s New YorkBar for relaxation and musical entertainment.The Harbour View Loungeoffers an elegant setting with exquisitelive background piano music.With such luxurious surroundingsand taking into consideration theStanford’s highly efficient andfriendly staff, it is no surprise thatKenneth considers it to be a homeaway-fromhome for travellers andhimself.It is also the same for other LesRoches graduates who includeConnie Kwan, (Winter ‘90 ) SalesManager and Nicolas Lam, (Summer‘91) Duty Manager.6

the link International December 1997One of the delights of Indianmenus is the amazing Englishnames you see! You can start offyour morning with a bowl ofCorn Flaks (useful if you’regoing to shoot down planes). Orperhaps you’re an electrician andwould like some Corn Flex!Even before your Corn-whatever,you should take some tea. NowIndia has a large variety of typesof teas to offer. You can try bedtea, milk tea, light tea, readytea, mixed tea, tray tea, plaintea, cutting tea, half set teaand even (of course) full settea.Eggs offer other possibilities:half fried eggs, pouch eggs, (oreggs poach), bolid eggs, scrimbledeggs, skamai eggs and eggtost, sliced omelette, skeremboil eggs, bread omelt or simplyeggs.Finally you could finish off withthat popular Scottish dish, pordge,or maybe you would likeporch with hunney.Soup before a meal? How aboutFrench onion soap or that oldfavourite - crap soup?Or Scotch brath, and maybe somemuhhutoni, or perhaps start witha parn cocktail?Follow that up with some amazinginterpretations of Western disheslike the restaurant that not onlyhad Naèpoleon sapaghetti butalso some Stalin spaghetti. Perhapsa seezling plator or vegetableaugrotten sounds more likeit? Or simply a light meal ? Well,why not have a sandwich or avegetable pup? Feeling strong?Then you want a carate salad or avegetabl cutlass.If you want a drink then howIndian Menuesabout orange quish or that popularIndian drink Thumps Up?Chinese dishes offer a whole newrange of possibilities, includingmashroms and bambu sooghts,spring rolos, American chopsy,vege chapsey, Chines snakesvegetable chop off, vigitiablenuddles, plane park fried rice.Finally for dessert, you could tryapple pai, apple filter, sweetpannking with hanni or bananpanecake, or treat yourself toleeches and cream, or even semenolinapudding!Travellers have sent in lots moremenu suggestions like tired fruitjuice (tinned you know!) planetost (the stuff they serve on IndianAirlines), omelet and gegan, twoeggs any shape, loose curds,curds bath, tomatoe stuff,scrambled eggs, chicken poodlesoup, screambled eggs, painapplecream and chocolat padding.The real treat would be to trysomething Colonel Saundershasn’t even thought about yet -fried children!!Ed. Thanks for this humorouscontribution. Perhaps you’ve seensome bad spealing missteaks too.You can scent them to us!The 3 R’sRajinder, Rakesh & RaviBrazilRajinder and Mr. SherryRespected Sir,It was indeed a great pleasure tomeet you again in Bluche after aninterval of four years.I was too busy after my sojourn inBluche to write before now. Businesscommitments took me to Switzerland,Germany, then on to the States(New Jersey - Seattle - Las Vegas -New York) - and back to Zurich!I hope the Indian students arekeeping up our name and excellingin whatever they do in school.News about the 3R’s.... Well asyou can see my business affairskeep me on the go world wide.Rakeesh is married. He and hiswife Meena have a little daughter- Preesha. Rakeesh has taken overthe franchise for Ranch 1 (FastRakesh, Rajinder, and RaviFood Chicken Chain based inN.Y. and opened recently in Manhatten.)He has another one in oneof the busier and fancier malls,“Galleria”, in NY. Ravi is alsomarried and works with Rakeeshas the Operations Manager.Best regards to you and all formerclassmates of the 3 R’s. RajinderSaigal (Sum ’83).Marcelo Politti has every reasonto be showing how happyhe is. He recently published atwo-page article on the secretsof successful restaurant managementin the well-known Brazilian“Revista dos Bares &Restaurantes”.He is seen here celebrating hisnew position as General Managerof Playcenter, Sao Paulo.7

the link International December 1997From Stockholm we have heardabout the recent beginnings ofAlumni Sweden thanks to theefforts of Sofia Ellhammar.The presence in town from faraway places of a few Alumni,coincided quite by chance withthe date of the meeting. Onewas just back from Singapore,one from the “Four Seasons” in(clockwise): Alexander Kirshakov-Vestersten Chicago, yet another had just(Sum ’94) Manager at the Patrick’s Bar, MadeleineBarck (Sum ’91) Sales Manager at the GrandHotel Stockholm, Jonas Kjellqvist (Sum’90) Barflown in from Los Angeles for awinter holiday, after working onboard the Crystal Cruise LinerManager at the Cadier Bar at the Grand Hotel,Helena Wittlegren (Sum’92) working as a Crew Accountant and responsible for550 employees on board the Crystal Cruisliner “Symphony”, Marika Ander(Win ’95) Reception at the Radisson SAS Strand Hotel Stockholm, SusannaDahlqvist (Sum’93) currently working as F.O. Manager at the Palace Hotel,Sofia Ellhammar (Sum’92) see article, Sofia Hjelmstedt (Win ’95) returningfrom Chicago where she was Assistant Manager at the Four Seasons, MattiasEdlund (Sum’92) Restaurant Manager.Others who wanted to be present but couldn’t make it were LindaSkanberg, Asst. G.M. at the Diplomat, Samuel Nyman, Bar Manager at theVilla Pauli and Linda Abrahamsson (Sum ’95) from Gothenborg.Scandinavia“Symphony” (rated No 1 byCondé Nast). On top of that,Alex von Pachelbel, travellingon a promotional tour for LesRoches in Scandinavia was alsoin town.Vikings have a tendencyto fly far and wide!With such a widely travelledgroup, you can imagine thatthere was a lot to talk about (asalways!) when Les RochesAlumni get together after a fewyears away from Bluche. Well,this branch of the “Les Rochesfamily” did more than its shareof talking that night! Theaccounts of their experiences athome and abroad made the timeslip by very quickly! However,all those who were present decidedthat it would be the first ofmany meetings to come. Nowplans are firmly afoot to makeAlumni Sweden a reality.EditorSofia Ellhammar (Sum’92) wasso kind as to organise the Alumniget-together in the First HotelAmaranten where she is currentlyacting as a Regional Sales Directorfor the hotel chain.After graduation she worked atthe Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix/Arizonaas an F&B Manager, thencame back to Sweden, starting asa Bar Manager in one of the firstclassrestaurants in Malmö, thenmoved to Denmark where shewas G.M. of the Prinsens Hotel,and after managing the ReservationsDept. at the Radisson SASRoyal Viking Hotel in Stockholm,she opened TGI FRIDAYSSofiain Stockholm where she continuedas the Front-of-the-HouseManager.HelsinkiHelsinki - This ‘mini’ meeting came about as the result of somelast minute phone calls. Most of our Finns work outside of Finland.(clockwise): Antti Sakari Sihvo (Win’95) takes care of the Restaurant“La Carte”, Alexander von Pachelbel (Sum ’92) MarketingDept. at Les Roches, Fanny Nylund (Sum ’95) currently doingher Masters in Accounting, and Filippa Bredenberg (Sum’92)who took over her father’s export/import company where she isnow acting as Managing Director.Among the absentees were Miina Elg (we just could not traceher) Kirsti Charlotta Nikander (Sum ’93) who opened “LaCarte” restaurant in a beautiful, old building in Borga and DavidPaajanen is at the Conference Centre at Telia Telecom in Kalmar,Sweden.Tony McInnes is now Cost Controllerat Radisson Resorts of Port Douglas,Australia. This is the largestRadisson property in the world. Hiswife Helena is the General Managerof the same resort. They were marriedin Portugal in 1992, worked atHyatt Regency Dubai for three yearsand then at the Hyatt, Canberra forone year. They have a little sonDaniel, now three years old. Tonyand Helena would like to hear fromanyone who attended LR between81989 to 1991 - both summer andwinter batches. They also hope tocontact other Australian Alumni andsend their greetings to all whoremember them.Lachlan Sleeman says he just wantedto touch base and let us knowthat he is at Stamford Plaza Adelaideas F&B Manager. He adds that if anystudents with a pertinent visa arelooking for employment in this area,they should contact him.AustraliaIn the past months we have alsoheard from Mark Parche in Woollamaloo.There was news too fromsomeone in Mt. Butler ChaletHotel in Victoria, who inadvertentlyforgot to give his name. Quiest-ce? Jospar Hanberg is atthe Regent of Sydney. BeatrizBarrenechea Moraza is F&B Coordinatorat Forum The Grace Hotelat Cherrybrook NSW. Phoebe AHarcourt is Sales Executive with TheSmall Hotel Company, Sydney.Nick Hyans, Laurence and theirlittle Elodie

the link International December 1997TurkeyNovember 10 - Sena PIR of Winter’92 Batch reports that our Alumni inTurkey have been active of late. Followingup on the recent visitof Mme Marie-Christine Clivaz,they organised a highly successfuland enjoyable reunion in Istanbul.After a few changes of dates andvenues, our happy group finallycame together at the “Borsa Restaurant”,well known in downtownIstanbul for its fine Turkish cuisineand elegant atmosphere.Seeing our old friends (some ofthem a bit more grown up from LesRoches days...) and talking aboutold Les Roches adventures wasmost interesting. We really had a lotfun!Present at the inaugural meetingwere Kaan Uguralp (Win ’92),Melis Korkud (Win’95), YaseminTamer (Win 92), Roben Saragil(Win ‘88), Sunny Gunes Yunuk(Win ’90), Sena Pir (Win ’92),Pinar Ulusoy (Win ’92), FelixHuerta-Murillo (Win ’92), IrenDuraman (Sum ’90) Gozde Cogendez(Sum ’92) Erdal Pelenyoal. Notpresent (but faxed their excuses),Rolf V. Kenda (Win ‘90 fromAustria) and Ali Tatveren. Nowback in Lebanon, Kamal Cherafeddinedid a lot to get things going.As a result of the meeting, we plan tomeet every month to build up AlumniTurkey. Yasemin Tamer, secondedby Gozde Cogendez will be in charge.We are excited about this andreally pleased to have caught up witheach other again. Among otherthings which they envisage is to tryand find other students from LesRoches who are in Turkey.Personal requests : Sena would liketo hear from Fidelis Manikis, Sunnywants to hear from Miriam Geels,Irem wants to get in touch withManmeet Chahal from India,Yasemin is looking for news fromMoses and Ana Cristina EstradaYasemin Tamer and Sena PirHK/USA, Gozde wants to hearfrom Jackie/Australia and Marwan/Lebanon (period - summers 91/93).Roben would love to have newsabout Jérome Nirsimloo, Vancouver,B.C. Felix sends his regards toMr Rasja. Thanks in advance.(left to right) Melis, Sena, Kaan, Sunny, Mr. Emilio Lavarini, Irem, Felix andMme Marie-Christine Clivaz(left to right) Felix, Pinar, Erdal, Sunny, Gozde, Roben, Yasemin and IremTina and PetraDaniella Freund Klumbis andTina Groth both visited Bluchethis year.Tina is at present Director ofConvention Sales at the SheratonHotel Frankfurt.After leaving school in 1990,Daniella got married and lived inFrancfort for five years where sheworked mainly at corporate levelin software and distribution solutionsfor different companies.(Trust International was her lastcompany - others were SRS,Pan Pacific, Oberoi, Park Plaza,Mövenpick.)One year ago her husband Jorg wastransferred to Barcelona, a lovely cityin which they feel very comfortableand where she set up her own freelancecompany. She has many projectsin the pipeline and things arerolling !Over the years she has kept in touchwith her friends from Les Roches(Olga Delgado, Elisabet AlabartAparaci, Tina Groth, Petra Steinle.)Just recently, in conversation witha new friend in Barcelona, the nameDavid Paajanen (also of 1990) wasmentioned. What a small world it is!Daniella’s new friend had beenDavid’s next door neighbour foryears! Now David is in contactthrough E-mail. ( see Finland article)Finally, Daniella will be willingto help ex-students who are inBarcelona.GermanyPetra Steinle remembers her yearsat Les Roches so well because theywere so meaningful to her. Shesays that her meetings with LesRochians count not as much fortheir frequency as for their quality.After a grand holiday in Tulum/Yucatan Mexico, taking in thebeach, the seafood, dozens of PinaColadas, entertainment and shows,sports at the Club Robinson, she isnow back in the Sales Dept. at theCity Hilton in Munich and dreamingof a new job somewhereabroad.Karin Honsberg-Antonioli. Karinand Valeriano got married in August’97 near Munich. They have beenworking for one and a half years nowfor the Kempinski Grand HotelEurope in Marketing Services, St.Petersburg, Russia.This closely-knit group is lookingfor news about ”SeñoRiita”.Mr Alex von Pachelbel, Summer’92, has been working as an EducationalConsultant for two yearsnow with Les Roches MarketingOffice. Alex travels a good bitorganising educational seminarsthroughout Northern Europe. Justback from a Scandinavian tour, hebrought with him a lot of newsabout our Swedish and FinnishAlumni.Amber van Zijl and Alex in theSwissôtel, Amsterdam9

the link International December 1997Mme Susanne Kaloudis and MrSébastien Kantaros were recentlyappointed as the official representativesof Les Roches in Greece andCyprus. They give presentations andseminars for the School throughoutthe length and breadth of Greece andits Islands.Several successful Alumni meetingshave been organised in the areas theyvisit regularly - notably in Iraklion,Rhodes and Cyprus. Sébastien, anAlumnus himself, reports that theresponse has been excellent.The Alumni have given a bighelping hand, for example, by theirpresence at the Cyprus Fair earlierthis year. Through their participationat the presentations, they give a firsthandaccount of life in Les Rochesand can answer all the questions putto them by the attending public.In Nicosia, Cyprus Mme Marie-Christine Clivaz joined Mme Kaloudisand Mr Kantaros to give a seminaron the School. A highlight of thisinformative evening was the distinguishedpresence of Mr WalterBopp, Chargé d’Affaires at theEmbassy of Switzerland, in Nicosia.Alumni Greece on the move!Another well-attended meeting washeld in Athens late November. Thearrangements for a Grand NationalMeeting in 1998 of all the Alumnifrom this part of the world are nowunder discussion.(left to right)Mme Marie-Christine Clivaz,Konstantinos Dendrinos (Sum ’88) CorfuPalace Asst. Manager, Mme SuzanneKaloudis and Sébastien Kantaros.(left to right) in Cyprus: DimitraDemetriou, Julia Phedonos Vadet,Jeanette and Anislakis Efstathiou,Aris Aristoteles, Mme Kaloudis justbehind Alice Solomonidou, SébastienKantaros, Mme Marie-ChristineClivaz, Mr. Walter Bopp, JiannakisPapageorgiou and Petros MavrosGreece - Cyprus“Everything lookedfine and good -just like yesterdayand I felt that I wasback home. I wasJui Chia-Yi Philip so happy to see myteachers, my oldfriends and the new young peoplewho have taken our place in School.A good Cultural Night was the highlightof my visit. It is also one of thebetter things we do in School becauseit helps us to learn more about ourneighbours.TaiwanWe should learn more and moreabout different cultures. It enables usto be a little more than just competentprofessionals in the internationalhotel industry. We also have to behuman beings who understand andrespect each other.Coming here made me feel how greatit is to be part of Les Roches. I’ll beback again when I can.”Last Les Roches Alumni party held on 1st October ’97 at the Exchange ClubKualaLumpurMr Lavarini, CheamChean Yhen, Lim MayEn, Mrs Helen Lim,Mrs Palmer, ThienShirley and Saira KimSoon HyongSchool representatives Mme Arlette Palmer and Mr Emilio Lavariniwere delighted to attend a recent Alumni Get-together, organised by SairaKim Soon Hyong with the able assistance of Shirley Thien, to develop theAlumni in Malaysia.Singapore RoundupAll’s well with the Singapore Alumni who continue to meet regularly everyfirst Tuesday of the month at The Provignage. 30 Robertson Quay,No 01-12/13 Riverside View (Tel 834 1490).Recent news is that Kit Lim has had a baby girl. Congratulations.Russell Tan has gone back to Taiwan to take up a new challenge there.Russell was a driving force in the launching of the Alumni here. Devoted andever enthusiastic, he was a real ambassador for us. ( Thanks Russell for theexcellent job you did. Mr Sherry.)Newcomers who are going to do their bit for the Alumni in Singaporeinclude Ms Giorgia Marchetti, Ms Shan Kanagasingham, Ms Nandeeta Rai,Ms Suantini Harsono, Mr Shean Yoke Chai Sean, Mr William Jacques,Ms Shannon Lee and Roger Kao (see article on Hong Kong page).10

the link Grads write in... December 1997Dear Mr Sherry,First, I hope you are fine and ingood health. Thank you for thecopy of “the link” you sent. It isalways welcome to hear aboutother “Les Roches” Alumni. Inaddition I wish to extend mycongratulations to you and yourteam for the success of “the link”.Tracking down former students isno easy task. Your publication isjust overflowing with information!At the same time it is alsogreat to hear about the progressof our Alma Mater. Not only is itgrowing in numbers but also inthe standards it sets.Time flies so quickly! It seemsjust like yesterday that I saidgoodbye to little Bluche. I graduatedin December ’91. In thosesix years my hotel posts havetaken me to Geneva, Manila,Dubai, and having recently immigrated,to Vancouver where I amnow in the Front Office team of aleading hotel.Again my sincerest thanks andregards to all the “Les Roches”faculty.Monica Santos(December ’91)❄Dear Mr Sherry,Thank you very much for yourletter of October 27, 1997.It was really very nice to hearsomething again from LesRoches, because however longago it was that I was there,“ It isnot just a school, it is a way oflife...”.During my travels all over theworld, I have met several peoplefrom Les Roches. It is so funnythat you keep meeting them in thestrangest of places. I will makesure that they all receive theAlumni Association reply cards.All the best with the organisationof the Alumni Association and ifthere is anything I can do to help,please do not hesitate to contactme at any time.Best regards,Amber van ZijlDear Editor,I am Lynna Wong from HongKong of the June ’94 graduatingclass of June ’94. Please keep sendingme the latest news of “LesRoches” through “the link”.Thank you and take care,Lynna❄To: Messrs. Bider, Cronin, Eberli,Martin and Stoeckli.Hello! I hope you are all fine.I am now a Sous-Chef at the SheratonHotel and Towers in Subang,Kuala Lumpur. Life as a Chef overhere is very demanding and busy.Thanks to all the training I gotfrom all of you, I became theyoungest Sous-Chef in Malaysia ina 5-star Hilton. That was in 1993.It was your belief in me that mademe the best. I worked for Hiltonfor two years and later worked forClub Med in Sahoro, a Japaneseresort, as a Garde-Manger Chef.Later I did a stint on a Club Medcruise ship as Ass. F&B manager.We cruised in French Polynesiataking in Noumea and other PacificIslandsNext month I will be going toCairo, Egypt for a Malaysian FoodPresentation and then on to HongKong to work there. Thanks foreverything,Tunku Farazil❄Dear Mr Sherry,How have you been? It’s been along time since I was in Bluche -nearly ten years or so.Had I known that Les Roches hada homepage of its own, I wouldhave written earlier. A friend ofmine in Switzerland told me aboutit. I paid it a visit and found thenames of a lot of people withwhom I thought I had virtually lostcontact.I was in Summer Batch (1983-1986). I left Switzerland in 1987and came to Hong Kong, and ayear later went off to work withHyatt Regency, Macau as BanquetManager. After that I returned toHK, got married and joined thefamily business in which I am stillinvolved.SNOWFLAKES...❄You’re funny...You’ve got snowflakesOn your eyelashesAnd I’ve got themDown my backAnd on my noseIt’s funny...Are you winking at me?Or don’t you likeThe snowflakesin your eyes?I think they’re beautiful.You know, some peopleDon’t like the winter.They say it’s too cold.They’re funny.To me,Snow is like loveIt makes me warm all over...❄From a “Les Roches” Year BookLes Roches was perhaps the besttime I ever had. I still have veryfond memories of Bluche, the fellowstudents, and the staff. Ofcourse, I haven’t forgotten theCultural Night when we sang“Swing Low Sweet Chariot”.That night brings a smile to myface every time I think about it.Anyway, I would love to get incontact with some of my friends ofthose days. Finally through Internetand you, I may have a chanceto get in touch with them. It’s greatto see what you are doing for theAlumni. Please keep it up.My address for those who wish tocontact me is: Javed Abdullah1703 Tai Hang Terrace, 5 Chun FaiRoad HK Tel Home 852 24150904 Office Fax Tel 852 27218776 Office Fax (852 23675526).Thank you and best regards,JavedDear Friends at Les Roches,What a pleasure to see the LesRoches Page on the Web. Finally, agreat way to keep in touch with theschool that taught us “a way of life”.Well, after graduating from LesRoches in 1993, I came to RhodeIsland in the USA to get my Bachelor’sof Science. The true depth ofthe working knowledge gained atLes Roches struck not only me, butthe fifteen other graduates from LesRoches. I received the Bachelor’s in1994 and continued to complete myM.B.A. in International Business,along with Jai Kwon Lee (S. Korea,Sum 1993).I was hired by the Hyatt Corporationin 1995, and assigned to the HyattRegency in Greenwich, Connecticut.I am currently working as theAssistant Hotel Manager in Connecticutwhich in many ways remindsme of peaceful and beautiful Switzerland.I am still in touch with several of myclassmates via the Internet. Singapore,Malaysia, Hong Kong, India,Brasil, Kenya and Australia aresome of the places where LesRoches graduates are now making aname for themselves.Les Roches is truly a way of life andI am grateful that through Internet itis keeping the spirit alive amongst usall.Currently the US market is experiencinga shortage of qualified individualsfor mid-level managementpositions. We are currently recruitingstudents from Hotel Schools inEurope and have recently receivedstudents from Lausanne, Paris,Greece, Germany and Spain who arecompleting 18 months’ internshipwith us.If any one is interested in doing aninternship with us please do writeme or E-mail me at dlall@aol.com.Please add my name to the growinglist of students in the Association.Thank you Les Roches for puttingme on a great track and successfulcareer in the hospitality industry.Dev. D. Lall(Summer ’93)11

the link One year course December 1997Associate Diploma in HotelOperations Management, Class of1997-98 - Barcelona, London,Milan, Paris, Vienna - any of thesecould have been the mid-term breakdestination of the Modular Class.They decided to follow up on AlainBachmann’s brilliant and originalidea. He had prepared an attractiveand diversified program to allow hisclassmates to see more of Switzerland(through Swiss eyes) than justBluche and Montana-Crans!The 16-strong group started off inBern, the capital of Switzerland,with a delicious lunch at the famousRestaurant Fédéral. In the afternoonTour de Suissethey toured the Old Town and visitedthe Clock Tower and the Bear Pit.In Schaffhausen they made an overnightstop at the romantic Youth Hostelin Laufen Castle. The next day,the famous Munot Fortress wasvisited before going on to St. Gallen.Here they went to the Convent Libraryand the magnificent Cathedral -both of these historic buildings areclassified by UNESCO as WorldCultural Treasures. Highlight of thevisit to the Cathedral, and a welcomesurprise for the group, was the thirtyminute organ concert performed justfor them!The happy group continued up the(left to right) The Gala Dinner at the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel Interlaken: Sibe,Hiro, Trina, D.J., Alma (partially hidden), Georgios, Ruchir, Pradeep, Rhini, Deepak,Millie, Alain, Rhona, Per, Amanda (partially hidden), Fred.mountain to spend the night in Davosso well known as a fantastic ski resortand also as the venue for the annualWorld Economic Forum.Bad-Ragaz and the splendid, newlyre-opened Hotel Quellenhof, a LeadingHotel of the World was the nextstop. Such is the splendour of theHotel that many of the studentswanted to apply there for their‘stage’. One of Alain’s aims was topresent Swiss folklore to his foreignclassmates. Where better to do it thanin Lucerne? Flag-throwing, Alphornblowing,yodelling and a traditionalcheese fondue were all enjoyed in oneof the town’s many typical Swiss restaurants.A short, refreshing trip by boattook our intrepid travellers to theEnjoying a night out at San’Nick’sunique resort of Bürgenstock. Whata breathtaking view there was ofthe Alps and the Lake of the FourCantons! The Victoria JungfrauGrand Hotel & Spa in Interlakenwas the culminating point of thetour. The flagship of the Swiss hospitalityindustry pampered theModulars with a tour of the luxuriantpremises, laid on deluxe rooms orsuites and topped off everything witha delicious Gala Dinner. Everyonerelaxed at the state-of-the-art Spaand dreamed of eventually workingin such a magnificent Hotel.All good things come to an end andthe group was unanimous in itsrecognition of Alain’s excellentinitiative and his minute organisationof such an unforgettable tour.Au revoir...These young Chinese managers are about to complete their one year ofstudies in Les Roches. Upon arrival, they lost no time in integrating andhave been very popular with their fellow students and teachers. They arereturning to China after a year of profitable studies. They will be oursecond major group of Alumni in PR China. Our best wishes go withthem for the continued success of their careers in the hospitality industry.(left to right)Back row: Monette Aguas, Quezon City, PHILIPPINESAileen Manalo, Manila, PHILIPPINESWang Lina, INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER, Dalian, LiaoningWang Lanyun, HOTEL MANAGEMENT COLLEGE, TianjingGuo Suping, QINGHAI HOTEL, Xining, QinghaiWang Hong, DALIAN INTERNATIONAL HOTEL, Dalian, LiaoningWang Hong, XUANWU HOTEL, Nanjing, JiangsuJin Qing, BEIJING CENTRAL GARDEN HOTEL, BeijingKang Yan, MINZU HOTEL, Harebin, HeilongjiangLuo Jia, FORSHAN GOLDEN HORSE HOTEL, Forshan, GuangdongZhu Hong, HOTEL SOFITEL HYLAND, ShanghaiXie Bin, DING SHAN GARDEN HOTEL, Nanjing, JiangsuXu Jin, JINJIAN HOTEL, Chengdu, SichuanZhou Yongli, ANSHAN INTERNATIONAL HOTEL, Anshan, LiaoningZou Min, MIN SHAN HOTEL, Chengdu, SichuanFront row:Zuo Shen, HOTEL SOFITEL HYLAND, ShanghaiWang Qiang, BEIJING CENTRAL GARDEN HOTEL, BeijingChen Yongqing, ZHEJIANG TOURISM SCHOOL, Hangzhou, ZhejiangJiang Guorong, BAMBOO GROVE HOTEL, Suzhou, JiangsuHu Ligang, XUANWU HOTEL, Nanjing, JiangsuWang Xiaolai, CHONGQING HOTEL, ChongqingJin Yang, SHENZHEN BAY HOTEL, Shenzhen, GuangdongWang Dongfong, BEIJING HOTEL, BeijingLi Huaxing, ZHUHAI HOLIDAY HOTEL, Zhuhai, GuangdongZhao Baoguo, SHANGHAI INSTITUTE OF TOURISM, ShanghaiWu Guoqiang MIN SHAN HOTEL, Chengdu, Sichuan12