Vol.3 of the Kobe Sweets Consortium Challenged Program kicks off!!
-Opening ceremony and first session-
May 15, 2010
Nami Takenaka’s opening address
On Saturday, May 15, the opening ceremony and first session for the Challenged Program Vol. 3 of the Kobe Sweets Consortium in Tokyo were held. Attending as a special guest for the ceremony was Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Mr. Kazuhiro Haraguchi.
The Kobe Sweets Consortium (KSC) was inaugurated 2 years ago with a mission of “Producing a workforce of the challenged to play an active part in the pastry industry.” Collaborated by Prop Station (an organization that has worked for improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities) and Nisshin Flour Milling Inc. (the largest milling industry in Japan), the Kobe Sweets Consortium has provided “the Challenged Program” to the challenged who want to develop pastry making skills in order to enhance productivity in vocational training centers. Participants have practical experiences with professional pastry chefs in each session and learn recipes and techniques over the course of the program.
The Challenged Program Vol.3 began with 8 motivated challenged students ready to learn. The program sessions this year will be webcast in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in order to develop a new system for providing learning opportunities to the challenged throughout Japan.
As a process of establishing this new system, the opening ceremony and first session were webcast through USTREAM. The video recordings of these events are available on this site. We encourage you to take a look at them and share with us your thoughts and feedback.
Your continuous support is always greatly appreciated as we strive to further the employment opportunities for the Challenged.
by Nami
The image of the opening ceremony
The content
Mr. Haraguchi giving a speech for the opening ceremony
Opening remarks from the host: Nami Takenaka, Chairperson of Prop Station
Remarks from the special guest: Kazuhiro Haraguchi, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications
Addresses from the host: Shinji Ishigami, Director of Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.
Messages from the supporters: Toshiyuki Kikura (Director of Welfare Division for Persons with Disabilities, Department of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) Ichiro Fujimoto (Counsellor, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) Shingo Ashida (Director, Division Measures for Disabled Persons, Department of Health and Welfare,The Tokyo Metropolitan Government) Tetsushi Azuma (Chief of Tokyo Office of Hyogo Prefecture) Tsutomu Shyoji (Counsellor, Department of Health and Welfare, City of Kobe)
Introducing the instructors: Junji Yagi, Takaaki Nishikawa, Noriyuki Nagai, Tadashi Shiroiwa, and assistants
Introducing the participants:
The 8 students with mental retardation or psychiatric disabilities who desire to become pastry chefs
Introducing the sponsoring companies:
The delineation and policy for the Challenged Program Vol.3 from Master Yagi
Image of the first program session
The content
Applying a skillful touch as taught by instructor Master Nagai (Financier)
The delineation of the second session from Master Yagi
Reviews of the previous programs by all instructors
An address from Makoto Kiyoshima, the Executive Director of Japan Selp Center
Introducing Master Fuyuko Kondo, one of the new instructors for the program
Remarks from Akihisa Sasaki, President of Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.
Students attentively listening to Master Nagai (on the right) during the first session
Nami Takenaka’s closing address for the ceremony
The content
Closing remarks from Nami Takenaka
The recipe for “Financier” (taught during the first session)
Ingredients: 160g unsalted butter (provided by Takanashi Milk Products Sales., Ltd.)
200g almond powder (provided by Espana Co., Ltd.)
200g icing sugar (provided by Mitsui Sugar Co., Ltd.)
25g plain flour (offered by Nisshin Flour Milling Inc.)
200g egg whites
50g honey (offered by Queen Bee Garden Co., Ltd.)
Procedures:
1.Butter the financier molds
2.Melt unsalted butter.
3.In a large bowl, sieve the flour, almond powder and sugar together.
4. Add lightly beaten egg whites.
5. Mix this preparation with honey.
6. Pour melted butter in ⑤ and mix.
7. Pour the mixture in the financier molds.
8. Bake in hot oven between 180℃ ~~ 190℃
