The business and tourism stakeholders of Davao City are upbeat these days and there’s a reason why.
The Institute of International Culinary and Hospitality Entrepreneurship (ICHEf) has received hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) compliance and halal certification from Prime Group of Companies LLC, a quality and compliance solutions provider based in Dubai.
So what’s the big fuss?
It’s the bigger picture that matters. You know why? With this certification, Davao City is strengthening its position as a Muslim-friendly destination.
Let’s add ICHEf to the list of certified halal and Muslim-friendly restaurants and accommodations in Davao City.
Do you know what makes the said certification notable? It is the first in the Philippines’ academe sector.
“I am very happy that ICHEf will be the first halal-certified culinary school (in the Philippines),” Mary Jane Alvero-Almahdi, group chief executive of the Prime Group of Companies, which has an office in the country as well as in Japan and India.
Once considered halal-certified, it means all the processes including the purchasing of the raw materials or ingredients, the storage of the raw materials, the utensils, the facilities, the management system, the documentation system, training, and others have complied with the requirements of the standards.
Universal Islamic Center president Marilou W. Ampuan, an entrepreneur and halal advocate in Davao City, lauded ICHEf’s certification as a means of joining the global halal economy.
“This is a remarkable milestone for halal in the academe sector in Davao City.”
You must be wondering why a school is being certified. This is because halal certification is not confined to meat and other food-related products anymore but has expanded to include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, health products, toiletries and even includes halal friendly tourism, medical tourism, warehouse certification, restaurant certification and among others.
This is also good news for local entrepreneurs who want to put up a halal business.
Nicole Niña Bian-Ledesma, chief operating officer and vice president of the Academic Affairs Institute of the Joji Ilagan International Schools that owns ICHEf, said they plan to open the facility as a kind of cloud kitchen — also referred to as a virtual kitchen that provides only delivery service.
“To the best of my knowledge it will be the first in Mindanao to be a halal cloud kitchen wherein those entrepreneurs who want to proceed with a halal business but don’t have an infrastructure or halal kitchen, they can come here to us,” she said.
The purpose is providing an opportunity for entrepreneurs a chance, and if their ideas work later on, they can put up their own kitchen or restaurant.
ICHEf will also be offering a three-month halal culinary program.
The availability of a halal-certified culinary kitchen, food, products, restaurants, and accommodations is also hoped to put Davao City in a better position for halal tourism and become one of the top destinations for Muslim tourists and investors not only in Mindanao but the Philippines as well.
