JEDDAH: Food is an important part of any culture, and Saudi Arabia has been focusing on creating an education system that will equip people with enough knowledge to excel in the culinary arts. This year saw the first graduation ceremony of students from the Saudi Culinary Academy. The Culinary Arts Commission in Saudi Arabia was established February 2020 to strengthen the food sector, creating a source of income for many people. Speaking to Arab News, Summaiya Suhail, the founder and general manager at Aysh Academy, a specialized baking institution, said that when she was starting out, there were rarely any places available that provided culinary education. Her own journey consisted of workshops and short courses in baking all over the world. After accumulating enough knowledge, she decided to spread it in Jeddah. “My dream … was to make this path easy for my community and me, as well as (to) empower them by providing this skill set and knowledge,” Suhail said. The main goals of the academy are become a hub for all people interested in this aspect of cuisine in Saudi Arabia, to create recipes that will be used as references for baking, and to create a framework for future businesses. The academy offers baking courses and shorter masterclasses that are focused on different areas and techniques. Classes cater to people at different levels, teaching how to bake from scratch. These classes cover sweet and savory bakes, bread, cakes, pastries, croissants, and much more. The academy also offers courses related to starting food businesses, food photography, plating, and marketing. “The name is inspired by aysh, the word for bread in Arabic. Another meaning of aysh in Arabic is also ‘the living’,” Suhail said. Becoming one of the first certified baking academies in the Kingdom was not easy. “It felt like we had to walk and pave the road for all the people behind us. It was not easy, but I can’t say that it wasn’t enjoyable as well,” Suhail said. “Aysh was really made by the people here. “When someone comes up to us and says that they are very happy that we exist, people say that they have been looking for something like this for a very long time.” Another thing that the founder looks forward to is when people graduate and receive their certificates, the happiness is clear on their faces. “Sometimes there are tears and once they are done they go around hugging others. These are the things that make me want to keep going on this journey.”