Culinary Arts Degree Fundamentals

Learn the recipes for success as you transition into your new role of student culinarian and prepare for your career in the foodservice industry.

• Introduction to the Food Service Industry: History and present environment of the food service industry; components of taste and flavor
• Student Success: Time management, study and research skills, technology utilization, and teamwork
• Professional Development: Goal setting, self branding, portfolio and resume writing

Welcome to the kitchen! This course serves as an introduction to the basic principles of cooking and kitchen organization.

• Knife Skills
• Mise en place; kitchen safety and sanitation
• Stocks: Vegetable, brown and white stocks
• Thickening and binding agents

This course will address the operation of a safe, effective, and profitable professional kitchen.

• Sanitation and Food Safety: Industry standard sanitary facility requirements; food safety regulations
• Culinary Mathematics: Weights and measures; unit and volume conversions
• Introduction to Food Costing: Recipe scaling; yield percent applications

Great soups and sauces are essential on any menu! In this class, you will spend time learning the fundamentals of moist heat cooking methods.

• Soups: Purees, cream, broth, chowder and consommé
• Classic sauces and their derivatives
• Contemporary sauces

In this course, you can build upon the skills already learned and are introduced to cooking techniques that can be applied across any type of cuisine. Watch the Course Preview Video.

• Introduction to dry heat and combination cooking methods
• Braising, stewing, deep and shallow frying, and steaming
• Vegetable and starch cookery

Delicious food can be healthy too! Explore how you can adjust recipes and menus to meet dietary guidelines, while keeping the flavor. View the Pantry Video Here

• Healthy cooking and recipe modification
• Breakfast and lunch cookery
• Food Science: Emulsification, heat transfer, and protein coagulation
• Roasting, grilling and poaching
• Pasta and grain cookery
• Contemporary sauces and dressings

Learn the basic principles of nutrition and how to accommodate specialty diets, lifestyles, and healthy food items.

• Focus on the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and nutrients: fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water
• Recipe modification with regard to certain diets and allergies
• Nutritionally sound lifestyles, weight management, exercise and current issues in nutrition

While focusing on the proper preparation of various seafood products, you can learn the importance of teamwork in an A la Carte kitchen.

• A La Minute cooking methods
• Fish and seafood identification and fabrication
• Preparation of fish, shellfish, and bivalves
• Development of flavors
• Plate presentation

The science of baking is introduced as you prepare breads, pastries, and desserts utilizing fundamental production methods.

• Understanding ingredients and use of bakeshop equipment
• Weights and measures
• Quick breads, muffins, scones, biscuits, and cookies
• Basic yeasted breads: soft rolls, Campagne and Ortiz
• Pies, cobblers, and crisps
• Laminated doughs and classic French pastries

This class provides students a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of butchery!

• Butchering of primal and sub primal cuts of meat
• Poultry butchery
• Basic charcuterie
• Sausage making and meat preservation
• Product specification, receiving and storing