CULINARY SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE IN A HIGHER EDUCATION COURSE IN GASTRONOMY.

Abstract

The internalization of culinary knowledge in the practical classes of a higher education course in gastronomy constitutes a complex phenomenon that articulates tacit, explicit, and implicit dimensions of professional knowledge. This research investigated how university professors at a higher education institution transmit this knowledge and how students internalize it, in light of the SECI model of knowledge creation and the information competencies framework. The study adopted a qualitative-quantitative approach, of an exploratory and descriptive nature, with data collection through systematic non-participant observation of practical classes and a structured questionnaire. The results showed that the four phases of the SECI model are identifiable in the teaching kitchens. It was identified that the technical sheets, the main artifact of combination, obtained the lowest evaluation by the students, indicating the insufficiency of the formal instrument to transmit tacit and implicit knowledge. The presence of the professor and the teaching kitchen were recognized as fundamental conditions for internalization. The use of artificial intelligence as a new informational resource in practical classes is also highlighted. Information literacy skills operate implicitly in the observed pedagogical practices, configuring a field of development that is not yet institutionalized in the curriculum.