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 and HACCP in a food service operation. Students become acquainted with tools, utensils, and equipment in professional foodservice and discuss kitchen layout. Fundamental knife skills, cutting techniques and mise en place are covered. Production of stocks, sauces and soups are also included with an introduction to starch and grain cookery.
Culinary Foundations II
Essential dry- and moist-heat cooking methods and techniques, seasoning, culinary terminology and equipment operation are taught in this course. Conversion methods and standard measurements, as well as yield cost analysis, portion sizing and food costing are covered.
Holistic Nutrition
This course covers the basic principles of human nutrition, emphasizing nutrients, food sources, and their role in growth, development, maintenance, and general health. Contemporary and global nutritional issues are also discussed.
Fundamentals of Healthy Baking
This course introduces the student to proper scaling and measuring in the bakeshop, formula conversion, ingredient function and identification, mixing methods and substitutions for nutritionally based recipes that rival the classics.
Purchasing and Cost Control
Mismanagement of financial resources often causes the failure of new foodservice ventures in the early years of their operations. This course covers the money management skills necessary to not only stay in operation, but to turn a profit. Purchasing, receiving, inventory management and menu pricing are covered with a focus of minimizing costs while maintaining a full range of customer services.
Menu Design
This course explores creation and application of various types of food and beverage menus. 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 students learn about its uses as both.
Nutritional Cooking & Special Diets I
This course focuses on adjustment of classical cooking methods and techniques to obtain more nutritious foods as part of the overall diet. Emphasis is placed on the characteristics, functions, and food sources of the major nutrients and other important nutritional compounds and how to maximize nutrient retention in food preparation and storage.
Nutritional Cooking & Special Diets II
This course expands on the knowledge gained in Nutritional Cooking & Special Diets I to focus specifically on modification of classical cooking techniques to achieve nutritionally sound menus which focus on addressing disease prevention and/or supporting health in those with certain diagnoses.
Exploring Wellness Concepts I
This course explores wellness related concepts and how these practices contribute to the whole being. Emphasis is placed on the theory of each concept, discussing real world examples and identifying opportunities for coaching within appropriate scenarios. Finally, students will look at their behaviors in the context of trying to live to be over 100 years old and make recommendations to themselves to help achieve a long, pleasant aging experience.
Exploring Wellness Concepts II
This course builds upon the topics discussed in Exploring Wellness Concepts I and explores additional topics related to wellness including sleep, stress management, mindfulness, meditation, herbology and Eastern healing. The course culminates with a client-based case study incorporating multiple concepts learned in the course.
Coaching Techniques & Practices
This course utilizes psychology-based concepts to help students prepare for roles as health coaches. Emphasis is based on transformative learning and the interpersonal influence of the coach to help clients meet goals that previously were out of reach.
Entrepreneurship
This course is a culmination course in entrepreneurship. This course covers such topics as business planning, pricing, credit management, government regulation, and legal concerns. Business ethics and the crucial role and importance of management and leadership are also covered.
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. In the course, students apply the skills they have learned in practical ways to real-world situations. Students gain hands-on experience in the kitchen that mirrors their future work in the industry while developing necessary career skills. Immersion in a work environment also allows students to develop industry contacts and build working relationships.