The Seasons aims to train staff for the coming restaurant boom in Macau

It's taken more than 18 months to get up and running but Jean Alberti is pleased to say The Seasons, the training restaurant he set up, is finally open to the public.

Located on the campus of the Macau University of Science and Technology, across from City of Dreams, it's an expansive 10,000 sq ft space. Wooden floors and walls give it the atmosphere of a barn, in keeping with the restaurant's bucolic theme.

The training restaurant, of which Alberti, 56, is managing director, helps the students complete the 500 hours of practicum necessary for them to complete their bachelor degrees in food and beverage management.

There's rising demand for such trainees. With casinos in their second phase of expansion along the Cotai Strip, about 15,000 new staff will be needed in the next three years.

The concept behind The Seasons is farm-to-table dining, which means seasonal ingredients are used to create a menu which changes daily.

There is a small organic plot about a 10-minute walk from the restaurant where vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers are grown for use as ingredients.