Culinary Arts (CUA)

Trains students in the basic fundamentals of the culinary field. The course will include student overview, training in areas of Management, Culinary Arts, Baking & Pastry. Student will be trained in all areas in order to be successful in both Lecture and Lab courses. Training will include program overviews, safety & sanitation fundamentals, culinary math skills, culinary vocabulary, lab requirements, using online training methods, competitions, basic knife skills, equipment identification and proper usage, professionalism, food service history, kitchen organization, basic principles of cooking, food science, study skills, proper food storage techniques, recipes, cost management, library resources and student learning organizations, scholarships and culinary career opportunities. Students must complete this course with a grade C or higher, prior to advancing in the program.

Introduces the student to the basic rules of sanitation, food-borne illnesses, safe food temperatures, safe food handling techniques, the HACCP Program, pest control procedures, and local/state health rules and regulations for food service operations. At the completion of the course students take a nationally recognized test from the Education Foundation of the National Restaurant Association. If passed with a score of 75% or more, students receive a Certificate of from the Education Foundation.

Demonstrates the use of management skills training in the food service industry by use of student interaction research, and also demonstrates the various styles of menu development. Includes basic responsibility for food service personnel in all kitchen positions with emphasis on advertising vs. publicity, job analysis, description specifications and duty list as related to recruiting and hiring process. Covers application, interview techniques, training, and hiring process. Incorporates preparation of menus for different styles of food service concept establishments.

Enables students to examine types of beverages and equipment including wines, beers, spirits, bar equipment, and staffing. Covers profitability, marketing, federal and local laws, and service. Focuses on the history of making and processing wines, spirits, and beers.

Provides students with the fundamental principles and practices of a commercial kitchen, including safety and sanitation applications, use and care of equipment, tools, utensils and knives, recipe use and conversion, organization of work, and basic cooking methods. Focuses on the fundamental principles and production of stocks, soups, sauces, gravies, and thickening agents. Principles of cold food and non-alcoholic beverage preparation and production in a commercial kitchen. Basic cold food decorative work such as fruit and vegetable garnishes and carvings, terrines, and hors d'oeuvres. Emphasizes the effect of seasonings and cooking methods of vegetable products and basic hot food preparation. Students prepare breakfast orders similar to those ordered in restaurants with egg cookery and dairy products emphasized.

Covers the preparation of the five mother sauces and small-derived sauces. Enables students to prepare stocks, consommes, emulsified sauces, clear soups, pureed soups, chowders, national, and cream soups in a commercial kitchen. Introduces gravies and sauce garnishing.

Enables the student to plan and prepare a variety of complete meals in a commercial kitchen, focusing on center of the plate entrees including meat, poultry, seafood and vegetarian items. Meat, poultry and seafood handling and preparation, including basic forms and cuts, principles used for selecting products and appropriate cooking methods are emphasized. Vegetarians entrees are also covered, including methods for preparation and cooking of various types of potatoes, rice, legumes, pastas, casseroles and grain products with special attention given to complimentary proteins.

Prepares students for the preparation and service of alcoholic beverages. Focuses on mixology procedures, wine and champagne service, purchasing and storage procedures, cost controls, customer relations, legal responsibilities of lounge operations and ServSafe alcohol practices.

Provides the practical skills and knowledge for effective management of food and beverage service in cafeterias, coffee shops, room service, banquet areas and high-check-average dining rooms. The focus is on the need of the customer.

Provides the student with the fundamentals of baking terminology, principles of baking, and the characteristics of the functions of the main ingredients that is used in bakery production. Orients student to use commercial equipment, tools, and provides the student with the fundamentals of basic yeast-raised production and quick breads, white bread, rolls, variety grain breads, specialty breads, sweet yeast-raised products, and quick bread, fundamentals of basic cake, pie, pastry, and cookie production. Enables the student to produce a variety of cakes, pies, pastries, cookies, and assorted dessert items in a commercial kitchen.

Examines the preparation and production of cakes, pastries, different styles of decorating, commercial equipment and types of products used for decoration. Covers the use of plate painting, national products, and designing show pieces.

Focuses on preparation of types of bread products including French, rye, wheat, brioche, and croissants. Enables the student to demonstrate different styles of presentation including rolling, braiding, cloverleaf, parker-house, single knot, butter-flake, comb, and wreath shape. Examines production steps, ingredients, and commercial equipment that apply to course training.

Focuses on the preparation and decoration of individual dessert items in a commercial kitchen. Covers the preparation of cream horns, napoleons, ¿clairs, cream puffs, marzipan fruits, marzipan sculptures, tarts, flambed desserts, international desserts, pastry shells, pulled sugar, spun sugar, and individual chocolate decorations. Students research and locate dessert menus/recipes to be used in lab production.

Introduces the art of confections, individual chocolates and petit four cakes production and presentation. Students will learn proper candy production including high altitude preparation, use of chocolate molds, poured candies, centers, taffy, brittle, flavored chocolates, hard rock candies, and various petrit fours and garnishes.

Provides students with an overview of the catering industry. Special attention will be given to catering from a customer’s perspective. Students completing this course should be able to plan and implement a variety of catering functions. Included in the course will be some experiential learning opportunities as a result of participation in actual college catered functions on campus.

Provides students with the fundamentals of human nutrition. Focuses on the nutritional needs of humans throughout their life cycle as well as those with special dietary needs. Students may take a nationally recognized test from the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association.

Introduces the student to planning menus and integrating them into foodservice operations. Equips the student with a working knowledge of the function, mechanics, and results achieved by the menu. Provides an overview of the existing and growing foodservice industry as seen through the menu.

Demonstrates a variety of cake wedding cake decorating techniques.. We will learn to work with gumpaste, rolled fondant, royal icing. Student will complete a two tier wedding cake.

Focuses on service-related skills and knowledge used in the food-service industry. Enables the student, through a laboratory setting, to practice skills and acquire the knowledge of "front of the house" operations common to dining rooms in the industry. Includes table setting, side work, serving customers, operating a Point-of-Sale system, hosting and supervising dining room personnel. At the completion of the class, students are able to supervise the operation of a sit-down dining operation. Meets a minimum of 90 hours.

Focuses on the preparation of food display items for buffets and banquets such as fancy garnishes, fruit and vegetable carvings, canapes, party trays, etc. Includes pates, galantines, terrines, and chaudfroid items. Incorporates creation of food artistry show pieces meeting competition guidelines developed by the American Culinary Federation. Covers the preparation of a regional, ethnic or cultural culinary presentation based upon personal research.

Focuses on preparation of complete meals to order. Emphasizes cooking center of the plate items such as meat, fish, seafood, and poultry as well as accompaniment foods such as starches and vegetables. Enables the student to prepare sauces, entree salads, edible garnishes, and meals determined by the menu prepared for a dining room setting. Emphasizes line supervisor, saute cook, pantry cook, cooks helper and runner responsibilities.

Provides students the opportunity to refine their baking skills in the areas of desserts, yeast breads, garnishing and presentation of baked products. Enables the student to bake, garnish and present a variety of baked goods. These products are prepared and displayed for the public in various locations in the college.

Introduces full meal preparation of nontraditional international cuisine. Ethnic ingredients and meals from India, Thailand, Greece, Morocco, Africa, South America and Ecuador will be introduced.

Provides the current/future foodservice operator, manager, or supervisor with a solid foundation for developing communication skills, planning and decision-making skills, and skills for creating a goal-oriented environment utilizing management principles in the selection, training, evaluating, delegating, motivating, rewarding, and disciplining employees. Stresses skills for success through people development.

Involves the student in a study of foodservice marketing including marketing planning, use of marketing information in the foodservice operation, marketing research, understanding foodservice customers, advertising and promotion, hospitality group sales, and menu design and pricing strategies. At the conclusion of this course, the student will take a nationally recognized test and receive a certificate from the Education Foundation of the National Restaurant Association.

Provides students with the opportunity to learn the types of costs usually found in the food service industry. Students will learn to apply control techniques to a variety of costs and sales. They will also learn to interpret a variety of financial reports which reflect the relationship between costs and income. Students may take the national Cost Controls test from the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. If they pass the test with 75% or higher, they will receive a national certificate for the course.

Emphasizes controlling costs as applied to the selection and procurement of food and supply items. Covers selection and procurement of food and supplies, supplier selection, and distribution systems including the forces affecting them. Students will take a nationally recognized test and may receive a certificate from the Education Foundation, the educational arm of the National Restaurant Association.

Provides the student with an overview of legal subjects relevant to foodservice. Covers Federal, State, and Local regulations, patron civil rights, liability and safety, laws relating to employment, security, contracts, property rights, franchising, bankruptcy and reorganization, court system and out-of-court settlements, and choosing and managing an attorney.

Students will examine the issues, challenges and opportunities in establishing a sustainable foodservice operation including: economic feasibility, marketing, sourcing of products, seasonal/local menus, minimizing on-site consumption and waste of resources. Students will identify actions that will improve or diminish sustainability in a foodservice operation and how to perform cost/benefit analysis of these actions to maximize effectiveness.

Introduces the student to dietary and environmental sustainability practices to meet the future needs of the food service industry. Employment opportunities include culinary and management careers in the health care industry, institutional operations with special dietary needs, operations that serve high-risk populations, and operations that utilize sustainability practices. Students will develop skills and knowledge in human nutrition, menu development, cultural cuisines, sustainability practices, dietary cuisine, environmental impacts and concerns.

Provide the student with the development and production of bakery products that focus on common food allergens, intolerances and health aspects. Students will prepare a variety of gluten free bakery products that address celiac disease, and other products that address common health related issues. There will be an emphasis in the use of product substitutions including: fats, sweeteners, and dairy in baking. Students will also analyze the nutritive value of ingredient refinement.

To be determined by the individual instructor. A Course Description will be developed for each course and documented within the course syllabus. Refer to the SFCC Style Guide for Course Description, Required Course Learning Outcome, and Topical Outline guidelines.