From Layoffs to Grill Masters: Inside China's Yueyang Barbecue Academy

Hunched over smoking grills on the banks of a quiet lake in Yueyang, southern China, trainees at the Yueyang Barbecue Academy roast skewer after skewer of tender beef tendon, honing the techniques that could help them secure jobs or launch food stalls.

Zhang Tengfei, 34, a former factory worker who spent a decade in the car industry, enrolled in China's first dedicated barbecue school after being laid off. "When I was laid off, I was at a loss for a while," Zhang told AFP, offering a fistful of lightly charred kebabs to an instructor for critique.

Now looking to start his own business, Zhang plans to open a stall in his hometown in Henan province to support his wife and three children. Like many blue-collar workers facing a cooling economy, he turned to retraining to find a practical, low-capital path to income.

The month-long course costs 5,800 yuan (about $850). Trainees attend six days a week, combining morning theory classes with afternoon practicals. Lessons cover everything from aubergine and pork belly preparation to marinating and skewering technique, as well as kitchen operations, marketing, digital promotion and basic profit-and-loss management.

'Straight Into Business'

Interest in the program is high: more than 4,000 applicants contested just 45 spaces for the June intake, the academy's second cohort. Founder Jiang Zongfu, who launched the school in April, says he aims to train 10,000 grill masters within five years.

Students range from novices fresh out of school to laid-off construction workers and existing barbecue operators seeking fresh ideas. "Barbecue requires very little investment, and the risk is low. One barbecue stove can support a family, so it's a very good way to alleviate unemployment," Jiang said.

Some graduates from the first intake have already opened street stalls across China and one has opened a restaurant in Vietnam. Xu Shuai, 24, left a social media marketing job to join the course and plans to use short-video platforms like Douyin to promote his restaurant — combining culinary skills with digital know-how taught in class.

Practical Training and Standards

Chefs lead hands-on sessions each afternoon. Instructor Luo Duocheng demonstrated how to slice a slab of beef, marinate it and skewer pieces so the kebabs are uniform. "Barbecue isn't something anyone can just see once and then do it," he said. "How they turn the food on the barbecue should be correct, the taste should be standard, and the food should look good."

To graduate, trainees must pass an exam in which they cook for a panel of expert judges and demonstrate consistent technique and presentation.

Fiery Competition

Even with a grilling certificate, success is not guaranteed. Graduates enter a market challenged by weak consumer demand: year-on-year retail sales contracted in May for the first time in three years, and catering-sector revenue grew just 0.6 percent. "There's a lot of competition because the barrier to entry is quite low," said Zhu Zhilong, a restaurant owner and instructor at the academy. "You used to be able to just pick a good location. But now you need to understand marketing, management, internet traffic — without those skills, even good technique is useless."

Despite the hurdles, trainees like Zhang remain optimistic. "After all, food is still a primary need... so I feel there's a good future in it," he said, turning back to the grill to prepare his next batch of skewers.

Reported by AFP. File codes: sam/dhw/ami/cms