Current Program

Culinary Arts, which encompasses the fields of restaurant, hotel, and institutional management, food technology, food design, club management, catering, and personal chef, provides an intense hands-on program that prepares students for this competitive industry. Instruction includes nutrition, sanitation and safety, service, basic vegetable preparation, Gardemanger (cold food preparation), international foods, culinary competition, breakfast cookery, stocks, soups and sauces, a la minute cookery, butchery, and management skills. The Professional Baking program prepares students to become pastry chefs, retail bakers, artisan bread makers, cake decorators, and/or bakeshop owners-operators. Students enroll in course offerings to obtain a degree or a certificate, for personal enrichment, for retraining or upgrading employment skills, and sometimes to receive training in owning and operation their own business. Several factors have affected the courses offered in the program in recent years, including the addition of weekend classes and college budget conditions, as well as changes in population, economic conditions, students' basic skill levels and technology.

Degrees and Certificates - An Associate in Arts degree and a Certificate of Completion are offered in both Culinary Arts and Professional Baking.

Personnel - At this time nine full-time faculty, four part-time faculty, three full-time classified employees, one part-time classified employee and at least four-five student workers are employed as part of the program.

Teaching Methodologies - Lecture/lab, lecture/demonstration and labs are the primary teaching methods used in Culinary Arts and Professional Baking at this time. Lecture, some computerized instruction, and the beginnings of some distance learning are other methods of instruction used in the department at this time.

Technology - The program is just beginning to explore the use of distance education for some lecture classes that are well-suited to this type of instruction.

Equipment - The following items need to be repaired or replaced: freezers, dough sheeter, and reach-in boxes. Two or three cabinets for storage are needed immediately.

Facilities - Space for the program is at a premium. The entire ventilation system is inadequate and should be replaced.

Staff Development - Training in current teaching methodologies is offered; basic skills development in English and in math is encouraged.

Future Program

The program will need to adapt to changing conditions over the next ten years that will likely include changes in technology, teaching methods and curriculum development, as well as changes in student academic preparation, college recruitment strategies and facilities. The expansion of a program in Restaurant Management will also affect future course offerings. Because of growth in the industry and the need for trained employees, it is expected that program enrollment will grow at a faster rate than college enrollment as a whole in both the mid term and long term. See Program Projections.

Degrees and Certificates - No additional degrees or certificates are planned.

Personnel - See Projected Faculty and Staff Needs.

Teaching Methodologies - As technology is made available, additional emphasis will be placed on other teaching methods such as distance learning.

Technology - As alternative delivery systems become available, more opportunities to explore distance education will be offered. Many classes will not be adaptable for use with the new technologies, as they require personal skill development and hands-on interaction.

Equipment - Within five years the following items will need to be replaced or purchased as new: baking ovens, a rotating

oven, mixers, refrigerators (walk-ins and freezers), computers, tables and chairs, reach-in boxes, and a dough sheeter.

Facilities - The program needs a great deal more space than it currently occupies. Better signage would help people find the program. A new dishwashing area is needed. Conditions are generally rundown, with classrooms in poor shape and located in odd high-traffic areas that are not suited for demonstrations. Classrooms and lecture rooms need to be expanded and wired for Internet access. Four new labs should be created: one for breads, one for chocolate, and two individual instructors to use for demonstrations. Labs need more space and more storage for equipment. Two large lecture rooms are needed with demonstration kitchens and the capability of recording video. Bathroom facilities need to be expanded and improved, as well as lockers and storage areas for students.

Staff Development - Additional ongoing training in culinary trends is desirable, as well as basic skills development in math and English, college discipline procedures and sensitivity to diversity.

Special Recommendation
The department should explore alternative delivery systems to provide more opportunities for students to access the program. Other compatible programs also might be developed that are responsive to business and industry needs, such as hospitality and gaming, within a departmental "umbrella" or oversight program (such as Hotel and Restaurant Management).