professional culinary program | cooking school | culinary institute | culinary arts training program | cooking classes | culinary arts degree

These classes provide the basic fundamentals of cooking. In this term, we cover safety and sanitation, knife skills, basic cooking methods, kitchen math, stocks and soups.

Skilled knife handling is a necessity for any cook and is an absolute prerequisite in the job market. We'll have you working on speed and safety early on, and will give you hours to perfect these skills throughout your four terms. We teach culinary math because, as a restaurant professional, you will need to know how much yield to expect from a food purchase, the cost per serving, how to price an item on a menu, and how to turn a profit.

We'll show you how to make stocks, a versatile standby in any kitchen and one that makes the most of your food supplies. We cover the basics of moist and dry heat cooking methods; the differences between cooking proteins, starches and vegetables; and how to make sauces -- a subject that baffles and intimidates many amateur cooks.

In this term we give you constant practice as we expand on the foundational skills covered in Term 1. You'll create appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, salads, sandwiches, yeasted and quick breads. You'll move on to pies, pastry, desserts and dessert sauces, as well as the production of hot entrées.

Intermediate Cuisine is the first class in which students will be asked to take what they've learned and put it together into a synthesized cooking plan. We'll have you working on multiple tasks at once on a commercial gas range while teaming up with your classmates to give you an accurate feel of how players in a real restaurant production line work together as a unit.

By the end of the term, you also will have received a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of nutrition and healthful cuisine.

Everything covered thus far in the curriculum is elevated and applied in the Advanced Cuisine class. Knife skills, cooking methods, sauces -- all are brought up to an elite level. The course also covers the totality of working in a restaurant, from the basics of dining room and beverage service to menu development and cost control. We'll even cover job-search skills and how to prepare a professional resume.

The Restaurant Practical class will expose you to one of the most crucial aspects of the business: interacting with customers. You'll have the opportunity to prepare meals in our exhibition kitchen and wait tables in our fine-dining restaurant. You'll also be involved in all other aspects of restaurant operation, including menu planning, ordering, stocking, inventory and cost control.

Once you've successfully completed the 24 weeks of on-campus training, it's time to showcase your culinary skills. Oregon Culinary's externship class will have you working in a professional food service establishment off campus. You will receive a clear set of expectations, and will maintain a work log as you go about the daily duties of restaurant life. At the end of this 360-hour practicum, the restaurant's chef, along with members of our staff, will evaluate your skills. Successful completion of the externship is a requirement of graduation.

We view the Culinary Externship class as one of the most valuable aspects of Oregon Culinary's program. The length and level of training our students receive on campus, and the externship itself, are viewed as highly beneficial by the industry.