The preparations for the AEHT Cornet 0.3 Trophy 2026 have officially begun. Today, 44 students from 13 Belgian hotel and tourism schools gathered in Steenhuffel for the Contact Day of this prestigious competition.
At Swinkels Brewery, craftsmanship, creativity and teamwork took center stage. During an intensive program, the students attended workshops on beer service, beer & food pairing, “meat,” “fish,” and “bakery.” They also got hands-on experience, including working with pork rib-eye, to further refine their techniques ahead of the competition in March.
In addition, the students from the Tourist Destination and Front Office disciplines attended workshops including City Branding and cost estimation.
Coming together in a place where tradition, passion and brewing craftsmanship unite is no coincidence. It is the ideal environment for young talent to grow and shine. The coming months will revolve around tasting, learning and perseverance — always with a love for the craft. Or, as they say in Aalst: “It’s only a competition, you know.”
With a healthy sense of competition and a strong dose of camaraderie, we are fully ready to get started. The AEHT Cornet 0.3 Trophy will take place on 11, 12 and 13 March and is organized by Hotelschool Campus Ledebaan and Handelsschool Aalst. As founding partner and main sponsor, Swinkels Belgium has supported the AEHT network since 2011. Thanks to this support, the selected students will once again be able to participate in the international AEHT competition, which will be held from 2 to 7 November in Ferrara (Italy).
We were especially proud that three-star chef Viki Geunes (Zilte***) was once again present as patron. Partners such as VLAM and Solucious also provided inspiring sessions and valuable expertise.
It was a powerful day filled with talent and ambition. We look forward to seeing how these students will carry their experiences into the national and international competitions.
Alright, we’re off — let’s give it our all!
