The Escoffier School
French technique, Romanian identity
Cooking at Dacia rests on Escoffier rigor — a philosophy of taste carried forward by Institut Disciples Escoffier and applied, with pride, to Romanian ingredients.
Institut Disciples Escoffier
The house that carries Escoffier's legacy
- ·2014 — founded in Hong Kong by Robert Fontana and Thierry Muller
- ·Snagov — the only Escoffier institute in Romania
- ·Disciples Escoffier International — the world's largest chef association
- ·Recognised by the French Ministry of Education
Institut Disciples Escoffier (IDE) is an international culinary school founded in 2014 as a tribute to the great Auguste Escoffier — 'the king of chefs and the chef of kings'. Backed by Disciples Escoffier International, the world's largest chef association, IDE is recognised by the French Ministry of Education as a professional gastronomy institution.
In Romania, the institute operates at Snagov (Plaza Snagov, DN1) and is the only culinary school in the country to award diplomas accredited by the French Ministry of Education. The programme — built 80% on practice and 20% on theory — is delivered by French instructors in partnership with École Hôtelière Notre Dame La Riche in Tours.
1846 — 1935
Auguste
Escoffier
Auguste Escoffier
'The king of chefs and the chef of kings'
Born in 1846, Auguste Escoffier is the father of modern French cuisine. He codified the five mother sauces, invented the kitchen brigade, and gave the culinary arts the standing of a rigorous science. His philosophy — discipline, simplicity, respect for the raw material — is the spine of every cook trained the Escoffier way.
Our pride
Ana Maria Mircea Leu — Disciple Escoffier
Diplôme Professionnel de Cuisine · Distinguished honours
Co-founder of Dacia Romanian Dining, Ana Maria Mircea Leu, completed the Institut Disciples Escoffier programme and was awarded, on 24 February 2023, in Bucharest, the Professional Diploma in Cuisine — Le Diplôme Professionnel de Cuisine. The jury certified that all required conditions had been met and the full curriculum followed, with distinguished merit honours for outstanding results throughout the course.
Alongside the diploma, she received the official Les Disciples d'Auguste Escoffier insignia — the sash and the copper medal, the peer-to-peer recognition of the world's largest chef confraternity. The knowledge gained inside the Escoffier brigade — the technique of the sauces, the architecture of a menu, the rigor of execution — is today the backbone of every plate served at Dacia.
Signed: M. Serge Robin, Pedagogic Director IDE Zone Europe · M. Robert Fontana, President Institut Disciples Escoffier
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Ana Maria
Mircea Leu
Method on the plate
French technique, Romanian raw material
At Dacia we carry forward the principles learned at Escoffier and place them in the service of the Buzău terroir. Babic, Pleșcoi sausages, shepherd's cheese, Pietroasele wine — all pass through the sieve of French rigor before reaching the plate.
This is how a fine dining with a Romanian accent was born: Escoffier rigor, the soul of a family butchery, and ingredients with a name and an origin.
Heritage
„Our heritage is a bridge between ancestral rituals and the modern refinement learned at Escoffier — where our co-founder earned the Escoffier Diploma — and at The English Manner.”