Culinary Foundations I

This course begins with food safety and sanitation in the professional kitchen, including proper hygiene, food handling, food storage, cleaning, pest control, in a food service operation. Students become acquainted with tools, utensils, and equipment in professional food service and discuss kitchen layout. Fundamental knife skills, cutting techniques, and the concept of mise en place are covered. Production of stocks, soups are included along with an introduction to grain and legume cookery. An introduction to the role of heat in various cooking techniques rounds out a foundational knowledge in culinary arts.

Culinary Foundations II

This course offers a deeper level continuation of understanding of foundational culinary skills. Students will be introduced to various dry-heat, moist-heat and combination-heat cooking technqiues, as well as understand the role of the five Mother Sauces in cuisine. A greater emphasis on knife cuts and accuracy is focused upon, and plating and presentation are introduced to give students the basic skills necessary to advance in a culinary arts education.

Doughs and Leaveners

This course covers ingredient function, leavening agents and mixing methods related to doughs with an emphasis on understanding bakeshop techniques to produce savory results. Production of quick-doughs and batters, flatbreads, yeast-raised-doughs, various formations and related accompaniments.

Culinary Garde Manger

The Garde Manger is responsible for cold foods, including salads, sandwiches, dressings, pâtés, cold hors d’oeuvres, and various buffet items. Students will prepare items to be served cold in a sanitary and appealing way, and learn about various cold kitchen production techniques, including methods of preserving meat and produce.

American Regional Cuisine

Students have the opportunity to gain an understanding of American Regional cuisine by exploring history, traditional and indigenous ingredients, flavor components and cooking techniques. Application of classical and contemporary cooking techniques, plate design, and application of proper sanitation techniques.

Western European Cuisines

Students have the opportunity to gain an understanding of Western European cuisines by exploring history, traditional and indigenous ingredients, flavor components and cooking techniques. Application of classical and contemporary cooking techniques, plate design, and application of proper sanitation techniques.

Farm to Table Kitchen

This course provides the students with a hands-on experience on a working farm/ranch or vineyard/orchard. The Instructor conducts the lecture and lab activities to coincide with the harvested item(s) for a catered event executed by the students. Students in the residential delivery of the course, under the direction of a Farmer/Rancher collect or harvest foods and/or proteins for the students’ lab activities.

This class also focuses on the ever-growing relationship between the chef and the farm/factory/ranch. This course will result in a daily lab menu production of selected sustainable and/or organic foods. Also presented will be concepts of traditional and nontraditional farming and sourcing for vegetables, as well as the impact of land and sea animal-based food sourcing as practiced globally

Student Success Essentials

This course equips students with essential tools and skills to thrive in their culinary studies and prepare for future success in the culinary industry. Students will develop effective time management strategies, refine professional communication skills, and gain valuable insights into available Student and Career Services. The course is designed to set learners on a path toward achieving their academic and professional goals.

Foodservice Management

This course covers the different types of commercial food service operations, and how to manage each using the principles of good service. Students study the hierarchy of management in food service, and the skills needed to succeed as a manager: training employees, motivating them, disciplining them, and creating a safe and positive work environment. The course also explores how to act responsibly and make decisions that benefit the company.

Menu Design & Management

This course explores different types of menus and their applications. The course covers all aspects of menu planning and design, ranging from visual design to price analysis to making use of available resources. The menu is both a financial tool and a communication tool, and its use as both is explained. Students learn about both food and beverage menus.

Purchasing and Cost Control

Three out of five foodservice operations fail within five years of opening, often due to money mismanagement; this course gives students the skills to not only keep their restaurant in business but also turn a profit. This course introduces students to purchasing, receiving, inventory management and menu pricing. Students learn how to minimize costs and maintain a full range of customer services. The course progresses from the fundamentals of culinary math into an overview of storeroom operations, inventory, portion control, as purchased and edible portions, ingredient conversions, and recipe costing.

Culinary Entrepreneurship

This course is a culmination course in entrepreneurship. This course covers such topics as business planning, pricing, credit management, government regulation, legal concerns. Business ethics and the crucial role and importance of management and leadership are also covered. For the final project for this course, the student will complete and present a business plan for a food service operation.

Culinary Industry Externship I

This course provides opportunities for real life experiences in an operational restaurant or related business and builds on the skills and techniques covered in previous courses. Externship courses are specific to the area of program concentration and must be completed for each concentration in which a student is enrolled. Externship must be completed for each new program enrollment.