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History

In 1998, the government of Taiwan (Republic of China) adopted the two days leave of absence policy. In the year 2002, Taiwan (Republic of China) joined the World Trade Organization and opened its doors to tourists from Mainland China. Over a million visitors from Mainland China have visited Taiwan. Because of a booming tourism economy rebound from previous years, the hospitality industry has become one of the leading industries in Taiwan. Furthermore, the government of Taiwan intends to globally promote Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine in order to attract more international tourists to Taiwan. Job opportunities in the hospitality industry for qualified culinary professionals are available worldwide. Globally educated and fully-trained culinary professionals are in great demand in hotels and the food service industry. 

Currently, many four-year and two-year colleges in Taiwan offer hospitality, tourism, and foodservice management-related programs. However, none of these programs offer specific culinary technical training with a focus on managerial approaches and global perspectives. This lack of focus could become a harmful issue for culinary professionals in Taiwan who cannot be connected with western culinary education trends without emphasizing global perspectives.

Due to the high demand for tourism and hospitality positions, in 2007, I-Shou University established the Department of Hospitality Management, the Department of Tourism, and the Department of Leisure. In 2011, both the Department of Culinary Arts Management and the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management were established. After becoming one of the four departments in the College of Hospitality and Tourism at ISU in 2011, the Department of Culinary Arts Management has continued to offer hospitality and culinary arts courses for the industry. The department strives to cultivate international culinary professionals in hospitality education, which may elevate the standard of culinary arts in Taiwan.